2008 Summer BOD: Staunton

June 24, 2022

President Cabell West held her first Board of Directors meeting at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton on July 26, 2008. Special guests were Horticulture Chairman Mary Eades and Flower Shows Chairman Betty Michaelson. Development Chairman Martha Wertz was invited as a special guest but was unable to attend.

Cabell opened the board meeting
with plans for two years of “Tradition in Transition,” continuing the theme of the recent spring Annual Meeting. She commended Immediate Past President Sally Guy Brown and her board members for launching implementation of the Strategic Plan and stated, “They got us launched and now our charge is to try to bring closure to the plan. All of you are very talented and great cheerleaders of the Garden Club of Virginia or you would not have been asked to be on the board. I know you are up to this huge task.”

Cabell then distributed an organizational chart illustrating the communication relationships between GCV Board members and committee chairmen.

Corresponding Secretary Meg Clement reported that inconsistency seemed to be a common problem in communications with formatting, typesetting and wording listed most frequently. As a result, responsibility was assigned to the Public Relations Committee for developing a style sheet and for serving as a clearinghouse for all communication pieces.

Development Chairman Martha Wertz reported excellent progress in fundraising goals and credited the GCV Board of Directors, Immediate Past President Sally Guy Brown and past Development Chairmen Catherine Whitham and Karen Jamison. Her committee plans to continue solicitation efforts and will work to establish professional methods for recording and acknowledging gifts.

Historic Garden Week Chairman Tricia Sauer announced a record-setting revenue of $814,300 for the 75th HGW Anniversary tour in 2008, attributing the success to blockbuster tours, marketing and celebratory events throughout the state. She also discussed the possibility of providing space on the HGW website for advertisers in the future.

Additional reports and discussions included Kent-Valentine House maintenance issues, Journal updates; implementation of new software to facilitate communication, including Flickr (cloud storage for photos) and Constant Contact to facilitate email communication and event registration; new procedures and training sessions for club database managers; changes to GCV bylaws and logistics concerning e-meetings and conference call meetings; and suggestions for Directors at Large in meeting the needs of their liaison clubs. Board members also discussed plans to honor retiring house manager Roberta Hughes.