Following on from last week’s AGM, I just wanted to introduce you all to the new EC.
My name is Debbie Phillips and I am the new Chair of the association. (You might remember me as the lady behind the registration desk at the convention who looked totally shell shocked at the sight of over 270 romance readers all squeezed into a small lobby area.)
There were no nominations for Deputy Chair prior to the meeting, but we have now appointed Sarah Calder to this position. Sarah’s experience and enthusiasm will be an asset to the association.
Continuing on as our Secretary is Wendy Geeves, and as our Treasurer Rebekah (Bek) Lyness. I think you all know them both well by now. I’m really pleased that they both agreed to stay on for another year.
Joining us are three new general members: Helen Sibbritt, Sharon Sherry and Maggie Nash. Helen and Sharon have both been very enthusiastic about the chance to be part of the committee, and of course we are thrilled that Maggie is sticking around a little longer to help out.
The EC held its first meeting on Monday night. We have already dealt with a number of issues and have started planning for the year ahead. Watch for details in the next newsletter.
We are all looking forward to this coming year. In some ways this will be the year that decides whether or not ARRA Inc is a viable association. The first convention could have been a fluke; the test will be whether we can put on a second one just as successfully.
On the convention front, just to answer the burning questions: Yes, there will be another convention; Yes, it will be held in Sydney; Yes, at this stage we are planning for 2011. That’s all we can officially tell you so far. But start saving everyone!
Our next step will be to appoint a conference coordinator. Our experience from the first convention is that we need a person who is responsible for coordinating the work of everyone else. We do not believe that is the role of the EC, who is really in charge of running the association, not the convention. Our role is to find the right people for the OC and then give them the funding to do it.
Once we have a coordinator on board we can begin putting together the organising committee. If you think you have the skills and experience to take on the coordination role we would love to hear from you. Members can also be thinking about whether they want to be involved on the committee in some other capacity—we will be calling for “applications” soon.
Debbie Phillips
Chair, ARRA Inc
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