3101
N. Ft. Valley Rd.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone 928-774-5213 |
Board
of Trustees
Report
from the Chair –
March 2008
The Board of Trustees met for the
first time in 2008 on February 2, with 14 of its 18 members present. We
met at Pearson Hall so that we would be close to the groundbreaking of the
new Collections Center and close to the library in order to review some of
the new collections. We also had a board picture taken after the meeting.
Dennis Miller and Lori Booth-Houle, our investment advisors from
Miller-Russell, were present to review how our investments had done in
2007. As everyone probably is aware, the report was not as good as it has
been in previous years. The market has been down 15% and it is not
expected to improve much in the upcoming year. The board felt that our
investments are still safe with Miller-Russell.
Dr. Breunig reported on the upcoming groundbreaking that was to take place
right after our board meeting. There would be many dignitaries and members
present to witness this special event. In addition, there would be
presentations by our architect, the project manager, Dr. Breunig, and me,
as well as blessings by representatives of various regional tribes. The
great news was that the anonymous donors to the Collections Center had
agreed to let their name be used as the name of the Center. They are Harry
and Betsy Easton. The board voted to name the Center “Easton Collection
Center”. Final plans were submitted to the city on January 18 and
construction should begin fairly soon, as weather permits and as soon as
we receive our building permit. There is a webcam up at the site and so
anyone can view the daily construction activities by visiting our website.
The American Association of Museums site visit is scheduled for March 31 &
April 1. They will meet with key staff members, board members, volunteers,
and they will tour the facility. From the board they are going to want to
know if we have been providing the governance that is required (meeting
regularly, oversight, etc).
Dr. Breunig then told about upcoming exhibits and programs: Grand Canyon
Grandeur (20th century paintings of the Grand Canyon owned by Abe Hays),
MNA Grand Canyon photos from our excavations along the Colorado River, and
the Zuni Festival on Memorial Day weekend in May. MNA’s second annual Gala
on June 21 will be in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit,
“Merrill Mahaffey: Interior Landscapes of the West, a Fifty Year
Retrospective”. The next morning, June 22, there will be a member’s
brunch. Dr. David Wilcox’s new book Zuni Origins has been published. It is
a step towards a new synthesis of Southwestern archaeology.
As for the financial report through December, it was reported that
admissions are up, memberships a bit below plan, general donations are
below budget, and the gift and bookstore sales are up. We voted to make
the Audit Committee permanent by adding the committee under the Bylaws.
Two members of our audit firm, JDS Professional Group, attended the first
Audit Committee meeting (via webcam) and reviewed the audit for 2007. They
reported they have found no problems. They expect to have the audit
complete in March and that it will be an “unqualified opinion”. MNA ended
the fiscal year in the black. The auditors will be at the June Board
meeting and the Annual Membership meeting and it will be recommended for
acceptance at that time.
During the Program Committee report, we approved revisions to the
Collections Management Policy, Section IV: Deaccession & Disposal. The
main issue was who can acquire items after they have been deaccessioned.
We also viewed and approved the accession of several items for
Collections: 13 pieces of jewelry, 1 bola tie, and 9 textiles donated by
Marilyn Moore; a Hopi overlay ring donated by David Connell; a Piki bowl
donated by George Kladnik; herbarium specimens donated by Larry Stevens.
We approved the Fundraising Policy as presented by the Fundraising
committee. As of January 18 Fundraising has brought in $350,000 since
October 1, 2007. Staff has asked board members to accompany them on visits
to corporations and to help with calls to lapsed members. Other
fundraising ideas were discussed such as doing an insert in the Arizona
Daily Sun for the 80th Anniversary date that may include a hard hat tour
of the Collections Center construction. The Sustainers of the West
(collaboration of Diablo Trust and MNA) event is scheduled for September
21.
Our next board meeting is April 5th in the Colton House. Members are
welcome to attend the regular session of our meetings. To do so, contact
Pats Shriver at 774-5211 ext. 203.
Remember that this report is not as detailed as the minutes. Minutes of
each meeting are approved at the next board meeting and so will go on the
website after that. Thank you to all members who have been so supportive
of MNA!
Susie Garretson,
Chair of the Board
Previous
Report from the Chair
Contact
The MNA Board of Trustees may be
contacted via mail at the main museum address. You may also contact the
board via email. Mail sent to
individual trustees for non-business purposes may not reach the intended
addressee. |
