MCPP Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 2024

MCPP Board of Directors Meeting February 2024 Minutes.

Virtual Meeting Via Zoom, Sunday, February 18, 2024, 9am – 10:30am

Present: David Freiband, Eve Avrin, Lisa Larson, Tamra Frei, Shil Sengupta, Michele Rivette, Elizabeth Waiess, Karen Weber, Linda Young, Cate Desjardins, Marissa Keep

Absent: Miriam Lorrain

President: D. Freiband

• Freiband motioned to accept Sengupta’s January 2024 minutes with suggested revisions. Waiess seconded the motion. Board approved it unanimously.
• Introduced new Member-at-Large candidates, Cate Desjardin and Marissa Keep. Keep is interested in outreach to younger people about the benefits of psychoanalytically oriented treatment.
• Desjardins is on the faculty at Madonna University and also wants to encourage such interest.

Treasurer: Tamra Frei

• Total net worth is up over $10,000, mainly due to increase in market value of Schwab investment account. 
• Brought up the possibility of moving more funds from savings to investments.
• Freiband makes motion to move $10,000 from UMCU checking accounts fund into Schwab accounts Market Value Funds effective immediately. Frei seconded. The board approved unanimously,

Vice President of Programs: Miriam Lorrain

• In Lorrain’s stead, Freiband reported that we have a full lineup of speakers for Sept, 2024 – May, 2025, pending agreement with M. Fors for April, 2025.

Membership: Linda Young and Lisa Larson

• Membership reported 73 active members.
• Membership sent out renewal letters to all members and reminder letters to people who have not yet renewed,
• Young reiterated featuring incentive of financial benefit of the CE credits as part of membership (on renewal letter)

Committee Reports:

Website: Karen Weber

• inputted the bylaws modified by membership onto the website.

Social Liaison: Eve Avrin

• Confirmed dinner plans with March’s presenter, David Levit
• Confirmed she is using Mediterrano as venue for dinner for Levit, and also confirmed that

the Board has agreed to pay for Levit and his wife’s dinner, the evening before the presentation.

• Young suggested keeping dinner group small, limiting to Board (as opposed to larger membership) to make gathering more intimate.
• Avrin will follow up with Levit to clarify his preferences in this regard. This will inform the decision we make regarding how many members we open up this dinner to, beyond the Board.

Elections: Marybeth Atwell

• No updates

Psychology CEs: Miriam Lorrain

• No updates

Social Work CEUs: Tamra Frei

• No updates

Old Business:

• How to assure redundancy for key positions on the Board. It’s important to have a backup person for certain roles, lest primary person steps down or is unavailable to do the work: examples given.
• Freiband suggested Desjardins become Co-VP of programs along with Lorrain, which others voiced support for. Freiband will confer with Lorrain about this.
• Desjardins, Lorrain, and Freiband will be meeting to flesh out Desjardins’ role in speaker recruitment process for ’25-’26 and beyond.
• Keep’s skills could be helpful in helping in recruiting and promoting speakers.
• Issue of backup for Karen Weber’s role clarified: that Scott Money from DezignSeed Consulting is point of contact in case Weber not available. Issue to revisit: whether it may be helpful to have Scott Money train a backup person (in case Weber were not available).
•  Backup for Young’s role hosting meetings: tentative assessment of current system is that Young and Lorrain backup one another. However, Young will find out more about what would be needed in backup role.
• Freiband requested funds for next month’s hybrid meeting with David Levit from the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council Foundation. $3000 was approved.
• Freiband followed up to see if anyone had reservations about using these funds for the meeting. No one expressed any.
• Avrin was interested in exploring future options for social gatherings, including the banquet, to be discussed at next meeting.

--Freiband motioned to adjourn meeting. Frei seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

--Next board meeting, hybrid, will be in March, 2024.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Shil Sengupta, recorder.