Public Comment: None
Present: Pamela Proulx-Curry, Jennifer Burke, Thomas Meuser, Kelly Day, Becky Hayes-Boober, Janet May, Diane Lebson, William Guindon, Michael Williams, Necole Janczura, Jacinda Goodwin (online).
Guests: Debra Lytle, AmeriCorps Northeast Acting Deputy Regional Administrator; John Portela, President, Maine Volunteer Foundation
Staff: Maryalice Crofton, Michael Ashmore, Nathan McIvor, Kirsten Brewer, Jamie McFaul.
Call to Order: Pam Proulx-Curry, chair-elect, called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m.
Welcome, Announcements, Agenda Adjustments. The summer interns were asked to introduce themselves. May Whalen is a student at Bates College and is revising and rebuilding the online volunteer managers course. Collin Marquis-Boutin just graduated from Bates and his project is outreach related to Maine Service Fellows. Michael Ashmore and Kirsten Brewer are the respective supervisors.
Commissioner introductions followed. Proulx-Curry noted that Luke Shorty is out of the country so she will chair the meeting. After staff introductions, Proulx-Curry presented Nathan McIvor with a token of everyone’s appreciation. Nathan is leaving the Commission for a new job in another state agency. Today is his last day.
The requirements for hybrid meetings were reviewed and Commissioners were asked if any conflicts of interest needed to be noted. None were presented.
The chair noted the National Service staff appreciation luncheon follows this meeting. Each Commissioner is asked to be host at a table. Other reminders were save-the-dates.
Tuesday, August 6 is the Maine Volunteer Leadership Conference. Meuser and Van Steenberghe were thanked for organizing the program. Registration is open and the emphasis now is on spreading the word. Conference details are on the Commission website and a promotional mailer was provided for each board member to share in their community.
Thursday, September 19, and Friday, September 20, will be the Commission retreat and annual meeting.
There were no additions or deletions to the agenda.
Consent Agenda: MOVED by Hayes-Boober to approve the consent agenda. SECONDED by Meuser. Vote on the motion: In favor– Day, Guindon, Goodwin, Hayes Boober, Janczura, Lebson, May, Meuser, Williams. Opposed – none. Motion passed.
Items approved by the motion: May 17 Commission business meeting minutes; Executive Committee report of June 11; Excellence and Expertise Task Force report of May 16; Climate Corps Task Force report of May 15.
PLANNING AND FUTURE INITIATIVES
A. Foundation Update. (Portela) John is President of the Maine Volunteer Foundation. The 2024-2025 work plan is expiring on June 30 and he reported on what was accomplished. The goals and results are as follows:
A. To fill at least 2 of the 4-5 seats currently open on the Foundation Board;
(+) Two new board members are Kerry Smart and Shawn Lewin.
B. To identify and solicit 1 major donor;
(-)
C. To double the number of donors overall, from 12 to 24;
(+) Annual appeal accomplished this.
D. To achieve a $10,000 budget during the course of the term of the MOU;
(+) Funds in the foundation account went from $8,026 on 7/1/2023 to $20,373 on 6/30/2024. The foundation’s fiscal year is July to June.
E. To secure at least 1 Maine Service Fellow education award in the amount of $5,000.00.
(+) Presented to Sam Gilbert in May 2024. A second education award is covered for the person serving in Dover-Foxcroft.
John thanked individual Commissioners for steering new board members to him and helping with the Governor’s Awards for Service and Volunteerism. The Foundation is making progress but public visibility and understanding standing its mission (to raise funds for Commission initiatives not publicly funded) still need work.
John noted the Foundation has put together its team to negotiate the next work plan with Commissioners. Officers Lance Boire (Secretary) and Ron Holmes (Treasurer) will join him. The Commission needs to appoint a team. Pam reported that Luke and Celeste will serve in their roles as board chair and liaison to the Foundation. Bill Guindon agreed to join team.
Board members are asked to send the Commission team recommendations for project funding the Foundation might consider. The agreement will be negotiated in July.
B. Board reorganization. Commissioners received the missions of each task force along with a summary of the Executive Committee discussion on reorganizing task forces to allow a stronger focus on the immediate and significant work. As the Exec minutes indicated, the members wanted to hear comments and suggestions from all board members before putting together a recommendation for board action in September. It is looking for thought partners and input.
The roles of several committees were discussed and along with reasons they should remain unchanged. Communications needs to ensure the Commission’s identity isn’t lost or faded in public or legislative arenas as transitions unfold. Public Policy needs to consider what impact legislation and legislative actions have on the Commission, both at the state and federal level. It needs to advocate for the best options. Transition, Grants, and Exec have critical roles that don’t roll together well. It was noted that Exec Committee already has had three task forces rolled into its work: finance, strategic planning, and board development.
Combining DEI with another task force was discussed. The sentiment was the DEI work is too new and needs deliberate leadership for now. It is not so deeply ingrained that those considerations are habit.
There was support for Meuser’s suggestion to create a Program Committee that would result from merging Climate Corps, Maine Service Fellows, and Excellence and Expertise task forces into one. This Program Committee could also consider AmeriCorps grantee issues that do not fit neatly into Grant Selection and Performance. The latter has been taking these up over the years but could better focus on its primary mission if a program task force considered them. The merged tsk force would have the full spectrum from AmeriCorps to volunteer managers’ support.
C. Annual Board Retreat. Save the dates: September 19 and 20. Location TBD but several suggestions were made.
Exec Committee is in charge of the retreat content. The training by Wabanaki REACH has long been on that agenda but Exec would like to know what else board members want to cover. Members indicated they are not clear on the important underpinnings of Commission work and what key things need to be kept in mind as decisions and changes face the board. The request made involves re-examining the vision and values that are fundamental and, second, having an elevator speech to use when acting as an ambassador or explaining board membership to the public. This is also valuable going through the transitions – being sure our identity is solidly understood as the Commission negotiates its role in new agency and deals with legislature.
Focus on Mission Responsibilities
Ambassador Site Visit Reports. Diane Lebson has stayed in touch with Trekkers as they navigate a leadership transition. She noted the agency is searching now for a new Executive Director.
Business Reports
A. Public Policy. The task force is adding new members and Jennifer Burke has agreed to serve. There is no state issue at the moment. Developing the biennial budget for 2026-2027 will start by end of July. Depending on what is funded for the Commission, there may be things to work on in September. At federal level, the House appropriations subcommittee that handles the national service budget has scheduled markup for early July. Until they do, there is no action to take.
B. Grant Selection and Performance. No action items but there is news to share. The Penobscot Nation Housing AmeriCorps program is back on track. It will have 10 AmeriCorps members and $270,000. This grant was approved last fall by the Commission. There will be planning grant and rural grant competitions towards the end of summer.
Executive Committee. Recruitment of candidates to recommend for appointment consideration is making progress but not all seats have suggestions for the Governor. Thanks to Diane Lebson for connecting two excellent people. Tom, Becky, Jenny, and others have also made connections. The seat for a youth commissioner has no suggestions. Proulx-Curry said she’d follow up with someone who would be excellent.
Communications Task Force. No report to make.
Maine Service Fellows Advisory. The committee has not met but there is action. The Center for an Ecology-based Economy in Norway is recruiting for a project that would help with 17 towns.
Climate Corps Task Force. Met yesterday so minutes are not online. They will hold a Climate Corps Summit on Friday, July 19, in the afternoon. The summit will bring together many of the stakeholders involved in the 2022 report to the legislature. Also expected are current Climate Corps programs and interested parties. The summit will look at Climate Corps efforts over the past year and then look at future directions and priorities. The timing is in synch with the Climate Council’s update of the state climate action plan. That is underway now. Also, GOPIF has asked the Commission to develop a report on performance and future opportunities, including national models that could be replicated in Maine. There is a preference for workforce development combined with service.
Kirsten Brewer noted she has been a member of the Climate Council’s community resilience work group since December. That group is focused on revising the section of the state plan covering public health, emergency management, and community resilience.
DEI Task Force. Has not met but members are working on securing Wabanaki REACH for a training at the board retreat. In addition, Pam and Celeste have been researching land acknowledgements and the appropriate way to start working on one.
Excellence and Expertise. At their last meeting they reviewed feedback on the AmeriCorps member conference and the leadership conference which is coming up on August 6. Registration is open and board members are asked to take the announcement card to distribute in their communities. The task force also heard from intern, May Whelan, about her work on updating/reconstructing the online CMV course this summer. The group also approved an application under the Professional Development Fund. Proulx-Curry thanked the members for pulling together an impressive program for the August Volunteer Leadership Conference.
Federal agency update. Debra Lytle reported for Susan Cheesman. There are very few active competitions now. Activity will pick up in July with opening of RSVP competition and September will be AmeriCorps Competitive. A final rule with changes to AmeriCorps has been issued. Key elements are changes in match schedule, clarifying match waiver criteria so it matches Senior programs, flexibilities on workforce programs, and changes in term limits. The federal agency has partnered with the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to establish a network of AmeriCorps programs working to make communities safer.
A question posed to Debra what when the second half of 2025 funds for commission operations would be awarded. The year started in January. She reported that budgets will be returned to Commissions around June 21st so any needed adjustments can be made. Deadline for resubmission is July 5 and awards around August 23rd.
Commission staff commented that the federal agency believes Commissions can get by and it doesn’t realize that staff positions and other things are assigned to specific accounts. Personnel can’t slide from one account to another. The funds have always been awarded by June. This is very late and adds to concerns about the federal agency’s plans, starting next year, to award all AmeriCorps grants and Commission operating, in the July/August window. This all will happen in a brand new, untested, grant management system.
Staff Reports.
AmeriCorps 30th Anniversary Celebration. Jamie is organizing this and it will happen on Sept 27 at the Blaine House. The celebration will be followed by an afternoon service project. The project is expected to be in Augusta but the partner agency is waiting on confirmation of funding.
Commission staffing. The PIO candidate selected declined the position. Maryalice is weighing whether to search for someone who could do a one year sting in Acting-Capacity (direct appointment) or open the search again. The office administrator position will be put on hold until it is clearer what options are for sharing in MOCA. And the financial position is still unfilled after 6 mos of searching.
Wrap up.
Commissioners were reminded to save the dates of September 19 and 20 for retreat and annual meeting.
MOVED by Hayes Boober to adjourn. SECOND by Burke. Vote on the motion: In favor – Burke, Guindon, Hayes Boober, Janczura, Lebson, May, Meuser, Proulx-Curry, Williams. Opposed – none. Motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:47 am.