president's Letter: 2018 May

Josh Martin, President ​

At the annual state MSAP convention on May 5, the assembled members conducted the business of the association, including adopting amendments to the bylaws and standing rules, adopting a budget, and electing officers. In particular, I was elected to a second term, so you can continue to see my columns in this newsletter for another year. One of the key points of the adopted budget was a significant (and temporary) increase in the budget for our website, as it is the clear direction of the convention and the board to improve our web presence. A committee has been formed for that purpose and should commence its work shortly. ​Other than the business of the convention, we also had a presentation from Jeanette Williams, PRP, Past President of NAP and MSAP, entitled “Let’s Hold a Meeting.” All of us know, in theory, how to make and second motions, to state those questions as chair, and to perform other parliamentary tasks, but can we put that knowledge into practice when put on the spot? As we learned, these tasks are often more difficult in practice, and we aided each other in properly performing them. Interactive presentations such as this one are invaluable in preparing to serve as members, officers, and parliamentarians, and we are indebted to Jeanette for her time in preparing and presenting this educational presentation.

We have events upcoming at both the state and national level. The National Training Conference will be held from September 7-9 in Buffalo, NY, and it is sure to include many educational seminars from our fellow parliamentarians. On Saturday, October 6th, we will have our own educational seminar. It shall once again be prepared by Pat Reymann, PRP, so I am certain it will be at least as big a success as last year. For those of you who wish to consider your own parliamentary education, please consider attending one or both of these events.

Josh Martin, PRP President ​