President's Summary of the SUAA Board of Directors Meeting

(roster for SUAA's committees as of 5/14/26)

The SUAA Board of Directors convened in regular session for its quarterly meeting with the first action being the approval of the minutes from its regular meeting on January 30, 2026. These minutes are archived at the SUAA website www.suaa.org.

Highlights of the April 30 meeting include the following:

The Board approved a policy update review of SUAA’s Policies & Procedures Manual.

Beyond technical updates noted in the Table of Contents (e.g., all forms in one

appendix, new pagination, etc.), changes were made regarding financial operations and records retention, reflecting recommendations of the Association’s Special Finance Committee.

The President’s Report noted three items, the first of which resulted in Board action:

The Board approved a policy change for the executive director’s evaluation, essentially moving it from spring to fall. Discrete actions specified in the evaluation process that currently take place by March 1, April 1, and May 1 of each year will now

correspondingly move to October 1, November 1, and December 1. This passed

unanimously and no other substantive changes were made; the full process can be

accessed as part of the aforementioned Policies & Procedures Manual at the website. Next, the recently adopted contractual services agreement with the SUAA Foundation was briefly discussed, including remarks from SUAA Foundation Chair Elliott Dudnik. Thanks were extended to those from both organizations who negotiated the new agreement. Lastly, a summary of all SUAA committee appointments to date was reviewed; a copy of this chart is included for members’ information. A special thank you goes to all of our SUAA members who are giving of their time to serve our organization doing this important committee work.

The Treasurer’s Report consisted of a review of the most recent financial statements through March 30. Treasurer Larry Kloc showed a net income of approximately $27,750 year-to-date for the main operating expense account, staying ahead of the YTD budget projection. Larry also updated the work of the Finance Committee (see below), and indicated it is anticipated that SUAA will be issuing a request for proposals from firms for accounting and financial management services now being provided by Coonrod & Associates PC in Chatham, IL.

Larry, who concurrently serves as chair of the Special Finance Committee shared

highlights from the group’s recent meetings: Account transfers were approved, including money to establish a new “Chapter Development Fund” to strengthen innovative efforts to grow local chapters; the potential change from Coonrod for accounting services (see above) was discussed; and, the asset allocation for the Reserve Fund was changed to allow an increase in the percentage of the stock mutual fund’s share of those assets. In addition, the pros and cons of a potential future dues increase were reviewed.

The Legislative Committee through Chair Keith Becherer provided a comprehensive

review of the 2026 Spring Legislative Session to date, including both the prospects for legislation that SUAA drafted and the progress of legislation that is being monitored by our SUAA lobbyist and staff. Future committee membership was also considered in light of SUAA board elections this year and related factors. Finally, a summary report by SUAA’s spring intern Chloe LeBlanc, a student at SIU Edwardsville, was shared with the Board—in addition to providing another set of “hands on deck” for SUAA this semester, Chloe gained on-the-job training in government relations and nonprofit management.

Reporting for the Membership Committee was Co-Chair Pat Asher who noted that the committee, meeting earlier in April, covered multiple topics to support SUAA

membership growth, including utilization of an at-large chapter, new membership tools, recruitment training, and lead generation for potential SUAA members.

Regional Directors reports were received to update on various activities within the

regions. Significant discussion ensued on the possibility of using the Annual Meeting as an opportunity for members of each of the regions to gather in a breakout session or by some other fashion with their respective regional directors to highlight initiatives and other issues pertinent to their regions. This will be further explored by staff in advance of the June meeting in Champaign.

The Executive Director’s Report provided in-depth statistics on social media and other directed communications at both the individual and chapter level, particularly looking at categories of new followers and engagement. Elements of the new and improved SUAA website also received discussion; these undertakings have been lengthy and complex, and staff are to be commended for the positive changes in this broad area of SUAA outreach. As well, an updated staging document (a framework for organizing/structuring the Annual Meeting agenda and activities) was shared by Bryan; preparations for June’s meeting are on track and will follow a format similar to last year’s expanded professional development agenda. Exhibitors and sponsors have also indicated continuing interest in

supporting our seminal annual event. And lastly, as always at regular board meetings, Bryan reviewed quarterly progress on the SUAA’s strategic plan covering 2025-2027.

In Other Business, the Board noted this is the year for the required five-year bylaws

comprehensive review, which the Bylaws Committee presently has underway. Any

recommended changes will be made to the House of Delegates in June. In thinking

about upcoming board elections, continued discussion took place on a variety of

potential organizational restructuring initiatives that will need to be addressed across future years (e.g., rebranding/name change, dealing with inactive chapters, expanding membership among non-retired individuals, etc.). Some of these issues will be overviewed with the House of Delegates when it meets next month.

With no additional business coming from the floor, the meeting adjourned. Directors

were notified that there may be a need for a special meeting prior to the Annual

Meeting, dealing with last-minute conference decisions and possible bylaws

amendments.

Make plans to attend SUAA’s 2026 Annual Meeting on June 25-26 at the I Hotel in

Champaign—it’s a great professional development opportunity open to all SUAA

members…not just delegates!