2013 AGM Minutes in Brief

For those of you who missed our Annual General Meeting on May 8, here’s a recap of the evening’s highlights!

Minutes in Brief: Recap of the 2013 Annual General Meeting

Vasant Chotai, President of the Edmonton Social Planning Council, convened the meeting and welcomed all guests, including City Councillor Amarjeet Sohi and United Way Representative Joanne Currie.

Board Member Lindsay Graham presented the ESPC’s Award of Merit for Advocacy of Social Justice to The Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (ISMSS). The organization’s Executive Director, Dr. Kristopher Wells, was in attendance to accept the award.

Vasant Chotai delivered the President’s Address, touching on accomplishments from the past year and aims for the future. Executive Director Susan Morrissey thanked the staff, board of directors, funders, and members for their continued support, and spoke about projects the ESPC is excited to be working on in the coming months, including Vital Signs, Tracking the Trends, and continued work with the InterCity Forum on Social Policy.

Finance Committee Chair Doug Meggison welcomed Carla Walker of Peterson Walker LLP, who presented the 2012 audited financial report.

The ESPC said goodbye to long time board member Ron Chalmers, thanking him warmly for his contributions to the organization during his two 2-year terms, including recent work on the Advocacy and Finance Committees.

Oliver Kamau, Chair of the Board Development Committee, led the group through nominations and voting, and welcomed new board member Mirella Sacco.

In 2012, the ESPC partnered with legal students from the University of Alberta chapter of Pro Bono Students of Canada to review the ESPC’s bylaws. Beth Hayward, Chair of the Policy Committee, presented the suggested revisions, all of which were approved.

Finally, keynote speaker Randy Boissonault presented on non-profit leadership and his own organization, Literacy Without Borders. Visit their website to learn more about the groundbreaking work they do.

For an overview of what the ESPC has been up to this past year, check out our ESPC Annual Report 2012.