Summary
May 10, 2022 RCMG Board of Directors Meeting The May Board Meeting was held on 5/10/2022 via Zoom. The next board meeting is scheduled for June 14, 2022 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at the Barn AND on Zoom. These meetings are open to all volunteers.
Special Updates
No new reports, but the Board received an update on the Arts Us project that was approved last month. Planning is proceeding after no problems emerged from soil testing at the site and the roles and time commitments for RCMG are coming into focus for the five-week program.
Committee Updates
Education Committee Update
Jane Carlstrom reported that dates for spring and summer Garden Gate Tours have been set. A recording of Dr. Mary Meyer’s Minnesota State Horticultural Society presentation on Bee Lawns will be made available to all members in lieu of the regular speaker presentation in May since there is no monthly RCMG meeting this month. Guest speakers for the monthly meetings are all in place for the rest of the year except for October.
New Member Committee Update
There was no report from the New Member Committee.
Communications Committee Update
Co-Chair Stacy Sola has been busy onboarding seven new committee members. The committee is posting twice weekly on social media about the upcoming plant sale and looking at new user-friendly self-guided signage for the Barn Gardens. A new featured project has also been added to the website on Gardens for Good.
Plant Sale Committee Update
There was no report from the Plant Sale Committee.
Leadership Updates
Secretary Update
Laurel Watt, our Interim Secretary, presented the April 2022 Board Meeting Minutes, which were approved.
Treasurer Update
Kathy Passe, our Interim Treasurer, presented the April Monthly Transaction Report, which was approved.
Program Coordinator Update
Darren has been focusing on updating and creating new printed materials to support community events such as the Farmers Markets and Yard Waste Sites. He’s also been busy working with some of our project partners and doing behind the scenes work to support the plant sale.
Board Chair Update
Work on revising the RCMG Policy Manual is continuing.
The State Program has given the RCMG program some flexibility in how we present ourselves to project partners who find the term “Master Gardener” troubling and problematic. It has been proposed that RCMG volunteers working on selected projects be given an alternative nametag that does not use this term but still identifies them as volunteers with the University of Minnesota Extension Program. The State Program will be studying this issue in the future as part of a recent diversity and equity review.
2022 Board Leadership: Nate Galloway (Chair), Sandy McDonald (Vice Chair), Gretchen Hesli (Secretary), Amy Davis (Treasurer), Jane Carlstrom (Education Co-Chair), Sue Ellen Campbell (Education Co-Chair), Judi Ginter (Membership Co-Chair), Kay Wimer (Membership Co-Chair), Nanette Boudreau (Communication Chair), Darren Lochner (Program Coordinator).