Location – Visit Dallas HQ, 325 St. Paul St. Dallas, TX
Attending Board members – Cary Broussard, Hugh Aynesworth, Jo Ann Holt, Zane Harrington, Barry Hoffman, Frank Librio, Paul Wahlstrom (ex officio), Michelle McClure (ex officio)
Call ins – Martha Tiller, Liz Farmer
Absent: Scott Goldstein, Cory Smith, Tristan Hallman
The meeting convened at 4:06 pm
Old Business Approval of the minutes for June 26, 2018 minutes. Moved by Jo Ann Holt, seconded by Frank Librio, unanimously approved.
Financials As of July 31, 2018, net assets were $18,066.23, $7,099, less than the same reporting period the previous year. Reasons for this were that fund-raising for the Legends event has not yet reached its full effort, Cary said. Barry Hoffman moved to accept the financial report, Martha Tiller seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
President’s ReportAdministrative changes: Cary introduced Steven Smith, who would be taking over administration of the Press Club. This job is part-time, and Steve, who has a law degree, is also working as a database membership manager for his Oak Cliff Alma mater, Bishop Dunne High School.
Cary also thanked Michelle McClure, who is leaving, for handling all the administrative duties for the club for the past year, especially membership; and she thanked Bill Young, who has moved on to a IT job in Grapevine. Bill Young is being replaced by Todd Davis for Web site management.
North Texas Giving Day – Cary said that we have delayed our decision to enter into a financial agreement, specifically opening a fund with the Communities Foundation of Dallas until after North Texas Giving Day on Sept. 20. She mentioned we would use our social media and traditional PR outreach to advertise North Texas Giving Day on Sep. 20.
BOD Nominations – Cary announced our annual meeting will be held at KERA studios Sep. 17, and new Board of Directors candidates who will who be introduced (so far) are Arnold Wayne Jones, a long-time newspaper writer and editor, and Song Yang, digital director of Cowboys and Indians Magazine. Additionally, two BOD members who joined in 2018 will also be introduced and elected – Liz Farmer, formerly a reporter for the Dallas Morning News and currently a brand journalist for the Pinnacle Group; and Zane Harrington, a communications specialist for Visit Dallas.
Press Club President – Cary said that President-elect Cory Smith would be leaving early in 2019 to accept a network correspondent’s position for NBC News in Washington, DC. A discussion ensued as to how to create a logical succession process. While no decision was reached, some good ideas resulted, which Cary said would be acted upon before the year was out.
Press Club Records – Frank Librio said he would investigate where the club’s records that resided with the Hall of State at the Fair Park currently are. We had been told they weren’t digitized, but Frank said he thought they might be.
Hugh Aynesworth Awards
Barry Hoffman said the deadline for entries had been extended to Sep. 15. Some board members questioned whether the deadline could be extended to the end of the month, but Barry expressed concern that the judges would not have enough time to evaluate all the entries. Efforts for obtaining sponsors for the event were just in the early stages, event chairman Paul Wahlstrom said. In an effort to enlist more daily newspaper entries, Zane Harrington said he would begin a series of phone call within the next week.
Legends Awards
The Press Club’s Legends awards event is scheduled for Oct. 13 at the Sixth Floor Museum. Fund-raising and sponsor solicitations are under way, with Scott Goldstein and Frank Librio acting as co-chairs for the event.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:54 pm.
– Minutes submitted by Recording Secretary Barry Hoffman
