MINUTES
VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
August 20, 2016
The one hundred tenth meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History was held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, 2016, at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia. Ten of the thirteen trustees participated.
Trustees Present: James Severt, Chairman Barry Dorsey, Vice-Chairman
Christine Baggerly, Treasurer Janet Scheid, Secretary Makunda Abdul-Mbacke Tom Benzing
Arthur Evans Tiffany Haworth
Monica Monday Gene Smith
Trustees Absent: Jennifer Burnett Cord Cothren
Mary Voigt
Staff Present: Joe Keiper, Executive Director Ryan Barber
Jim Beard Denny Casey Cindy Gray Gloria Niblett
Others Present: Manly Boyd, VMNH Foundation Board
Elizabeth Griffin, Virginia Attorney General’s Office (Remotely)
Call to Order and Approval of Minutes
James Severt, board chairman, called the meeting to order at 10 am.
Dr. Evans moved that the minutes of the May 21, 2016 meeting be approved as submitted. Dr. Benzing seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report
Christine Baggerly gave an overview of the quarterly financial report.
Executive Director’s Report
Joe Keiper gave an overview of his written report.
· Museum publications remain a priority amongst our scientific goals, with The Geology of Virginia being the most recent milestone.
· We are working to increase public exposure to the curators. The museum has both Youth and Adult Curator Camps scheduled for this year.
· The museum is slowly transitioning exhibit gallery lighting to LED.
· Income from VMNH Foundation remains strong. Facility rentals are on the rise.
Ryan Barber reported that the museum received a $220,664 gift from the estate of William L. and Ella Cousins Carter to benefit the museum’s endowment. The museum will host a reception for friends of the Carters to officially name the Allosaurus exhibit in their memory.
26 events are scheduled between August 2016 and summer 2017.
Research and Collections Committee Report
Monica Monday presented the Research and Collections Committee report.
1,000 copies of The Geology of Virginia were printed. To date, 300 copies have sold.
The Committee reviewed and approved acquisitions from last quarter
Waynesboro Committee Report
Janet Scheid presented the Waynesboro Committee Report.
The Waynesboro Committee has finished its work and will now “morph” into the Waynesboro Advocacy Committee. The newly formed Committee is tasked with legislative advocacy work to educate legislators about the Waynesboro project and seeking financial support.
Advocacy Committee membership will consist of two VMNH Trustees (Gene Smith and Tom Benzing), representatives from the City of Waynesboro, two to three Waynesboro area donors and VMNH Foundation Director, Mike Harris.
Dr. Benzing commended Mrs. Scheid for her leadership on the outgoing committee.
Education and Public Programs Report
Barry Dorsey, committee chairman, presented the Education and Public Programs Committee report. A quorum was not present at the meeting.
· The 2016-2017 Education Guide is ready and has been sent out to educators.
· 91 students participated in this year’s Homeschool Science and Engineering Academy. FY17 programming will get underway in September.
· VMNH hosted the first regional Science/STEM Showcase in April. 80 students participated.
· Dr. Casey will be working with Hollins faculty to submit a proposal for a Hollins Elementary Science Institute for summer 2017.
Development Committee Report
Christine Baggerly presented the Development Committee report.
The Committee took the following actions:
· Dr. Keiper and Mr. Barber were tasked with developing a test presentation for 2-3 corporations, making a case for the value of the museum to these organizations.
The presentation will be run by the Foundation’s Executive Committee and the Corporate Partnerships Committee for feedback.
· Identified independent schools as an opportunity to tap into affluent families throughout the state who might be interested in supporting in and engaging with the museum.
· VMNH will have a booth at the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) conference in October to promote distance learning as well as forming a relationship with curators.
· Discussed having an educator at each of the 5 major areas in the Commonwealth. The museum will join the Chamber in each area.
· Discussed having an estate planning seminar at the museum with potential donors, identifying individuals who have already or would be willing to put a bequest intention in place for the museum to receive a donation after they pass away. These individuals would become the core members of a planned giving society.
Operations Committee Report
Dr. Barry Dorsey presented the Facilities Committee report.
The museum hosted a community meeting on the proposed Education Pavilion. The meeting was a success with over 20 people attending. Three architectural renderings were presented. More detailed designs, with cost estimates will be requested. A discussion ensued regarding funding possibilities and concerns.
Dr. Dorsey made a motion to move ahead on getting the Pavilion rendering completed with a suggested timeframe, to present the plan to the VMNH Foundation for consideration, and to bring it back to the Board of Trustees for final approval. Dr. Evans seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Closed Session
Mr. Severt moved that the board go into closed session for the annual performance review of the Executive Director, pursuant to the personnel exemption in Virginia Code §2.2-3711 (A)(1) Mrs. Baggerly seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
The board returned to open session on a motion by Mr. Severt, seconded by Dr. Dorsey. Each returning member of the board certified that only the matter of business as identified in the motion to convene closed session, lawfully exempt from open meeting requirements, was discussed.
Upon return to open session, the board took the following action:
Mr. Severt moved that the board approve a 5% performance bonus for Executive Director Joe Keiper. Mrs. Monday seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Severt moved to include a line item in the budget in the amount of $5,000 for professional development for Dr. Keiper. Dr. Benzing seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
New Business
Mr. Severt moved for approval of the VMNH Board of Trustees Policy on Individual Participation in Meetings by Electronic Means as required under § 2.2-3708.1. (Attachment A) Dr. Evans seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
2017Board of Trustees meeting dates: February 11, May 20, August 19, November 4
With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:29 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Scheid James W. Severt, II
Secretary Chairman
Attachment A
Virginia Museum of Natural History
Policy on Individual Participation in Meetings by Electronic Means under § 2.2-3708.1
It is the policy of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History that individual members of the board may participate in meetings by electronic means as permitted by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Virginia Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. Routine participation in meetings by electronic means is governed by the requirements of Virginia Code § 2.2-3708. Each board member who wishes to participate by electronic means must inform the board secretary in sufficient time to include the remote location from which the member will participate in the public notice of the meeting.
This policy applies only to individual participation by a member who becomes aware after posting of the meeting notice that he or she must participate electronically due to an emergency or personal matter, as detailed in Virginia Code § 2.2-3708.1. It shall be enforced strictly and uniformly to the entire membership and without regard to the identity of the member requesting remote participation or the matters that will be considered or voted on at the meeting. This policy applies to all full board and board committee meetings of the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Any board member seeking to participate in any meeting of the board or its committees by electronic means due to an emergency or personal matter must notify the chair of the board on or before the day of the meeting that such member is unable to attend and identify with specificity the nature of the emergency or personal matter. A quorum of the board must be physically assembled at the primary or central meeting location, and arrangements will be made for the voice of the remote participant to be heard by all persons at the primary or central meeting location. The specific nature of the emergency or personal matter that caused the member to be unable to attend the meeting and the remote location from which the member participated shall be recorded in the meeting minutes.
Individual participation by electronic means due to an emergency or personal matter is limited by Virginia law to one meeting of the full board or any board committee each calendar year.
The board or board committee shall vote on individual participation under this policy at the beginning of the meeting. Individual participation from a remote location shall be approved unless such participation would violate this policy or the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. If the board votes to disapprove of the member's participation because such participation would violate this policy, such disapproval will be recorded in the minutes with specificity.
This policy was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History at its meeting on August 20, 2016.
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