Dear CWR Friends,
In the interest of keeping you informed, the Communicators for Women Religious Board of Directors shares highlights of our monthly meetings. The Board met by videoconference on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 10:30 a.m. Central.
Board Chair Sister Angela Szczawinska, CSFN opened the meeting with prayer. She also welcomed new board members Sister Maxine Kollasch, IHM; Sister Patricia Lenihan, RSC; Janice Parrott, and Jane Strittmatter, who joined us for this meeting.
Minutes from the October board meeting in Niagara Falls were approved. (The board did not meet in November.)
Sister Angela also shared the Executive Committee report.
- Current board members were asked to complete the annual online self-evaluation survey, to provide feedback on board service.
- Committee chairs for 2018 were discussed. Two new task forces, Education and International, were proposed.
- Board members will review a draft of the committee descriptions at the January board meeting.
Sister Beth Kress, PBVM, CWR Treasurer, presented a report on CWR finances and the latest update from the CWR Finance Committee. The organizational budget for 2018 was approved.
Executive Director Nick Schafer gave an update on recent travels and initiatives. In November, Nick attended the UISG delegates assembly in Manila, Philippines, and gave a workshop on Communications for Ministry. CWR is also collaborating with UISG on a communications handbook and a webinar series. Also in November, Jean Merry attended the Religious Formation Conference biennial congress in Milwaukee on behalf of CWR. CWR exhibited at the National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC) conference in September; Kate Martin attended on behalf of CWR. Implementation of MemberClicks AMS (Association Management System) is underway for CWR. CWR Coordinator Susan Oxley did a screen share with an overview of MemberClicks and some of its database management features. Members will hear more about this very soon! In March, for National Catholic Sisters Week, CWR will again participate in a collaborative prayer service event at the Catholic Theological Union.
Cecilia Rupell, Conference 2018 Committee Chair, shared a brief update on the planning for CWR’s 24th annual conference Oct. 2–5 at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown in Fort Worth, Texas. The committee meets monthly by videoconference.
Conference 2017 Committee Co-Chair Stephanie Hall gave a wrap-up report on the CWR conference in Niagara Falls. A summary of the evaluation form results was presented, and recommendations given for future conferences. Cycling with Sisters received excellent media coverage, and Sister Maxine is working on a report to include social media/web site analytics, to be presented to the board in January. Stephanie also thanked committee co-chair Stephanie Manseau.
The board said farewell to two outgoing members: Eileen Dickerson and Kate Martin. Eileen and Kate were thanked for their significant contributions to the board in terms of leadership and development.
Next Board Meeting: Jan. 23–26, 2018 at Nazareth Retreat Center in Grand Prairie, Texas.
CWR 2017 Board of Directors
Sister Angela Szczawinska, CSFN, Chair
Kathy Gatliff, Vice Chair
Sister Beth Kress, PBVM, Treasurer
Jennifer Brandlon
Eileen Dickerson
Stephanie Hall
Spalding Hurst
Kate Martin
Jean Merry
Cecilia Rupell
Philippa Turney
Annmarie Sanders, IHM, LCWR Liaison
Carol Schuck Scheiber, NRVC Liaison
CWR Staff
Nick Schafer, Executive Director
Susan Oxley, Coordinator
Sondra Grover, Finance