The business of WBN is conducted through its committees. These committees provide members with opportunities to develop leadership skills and to network with members from all chapters.
Awards
- Conducts a search for and awards the honors of Woman of the Year, Service Woman of the Year, Service Project of the Year, the Jean Walsh Scholarship and others as they may be approved.
- This committee is most active in March – April and again in October – November.
- Members of this committee will read all applications submitted and attend committee meetings to discuss and decide who will be awarded the honors
- Discretion, ability to make an unbiased decision and non disclosure are important.
- Committee Chairwoman = Wendy Lydon
- Members: Maryanne Barnes, Linda Ruckert, Rebecca Simpson, Donna Wilson, Donna Spina.
Bylaws and Policies
- Drafts the Bylaws and /or amendments thereto. Recommendations may be submitted by any WBN member. Proposed amendments must be forwarded to the Bylaws committee chair.
- Gets an up to date copy of the bylaws with all changes to the webmaster for publication online, the board of directors
- Update the old committee duties to new duties.
- Works with the Board Services Coordinator to coordinate this effort
- Creates an electronic log of all changes made to her successor in easily opened format.
- Committee Chairwoman = Karen McCrory
- Members: Kristina Rugh, Kathleen Schneider, Gayle Bradley, Judy Schafer, Deborah Johnson, Susy Coughenour
Chapter Challenge
- Develops new challenges to be added to the challenge for the 2010-2011 challenge.
- Committee Chairwoman = Jean Ellen Flohr
- Members: Susan Gawel, Denise Carr, Sarann Fisher, Jackie Aites.
Communications
- Develops public awareness of WBN, it’s purposes and events, through public relations-type activities such as press releases, media relationship building and advertising. Works to provide WBN with one “voice” within the media. Secures a photographer for all WBN events and each new Board.
- Supports the efforts of our PR Coordinator. The expansion will cause the PR coordinator’s workload to expand. Having a committee of people who have been trained in media relations who maintain their chapter or region in the paper will be helpful to maintain media presence in each area as we grow.
- Supports the efforts of our Newsletter editor, helping her to coordinate collection of articles that document WBN events, and added value type of articles and reports to her what happened at chapter rep and board meetings.
- Committee Chairwoman = Donna Cheswick
- Members: Sallie Dunn, Joyce Rollins.
Community Business Outreach
- Assists in the coordination of educational seminars and events. Duties would also include the coordination of volunteer efforts with local small business development centers and other organizations.
- WBN Leadership
- Speaker’s Bureau Creation –updating form, collecting applications, submitting to Sharon Bone to add to site.
- Combination Event Committees
- e-Magnify’s yearly conference at Seton Hill University
- Chatham University partnership for educational seminars
- Committee Chairwoman: open
- Committee members: Amanda Pierce, Lindsay Smith, Donna Spina, Lynne Horensky
Growth
- Coordinates and directs chapters. Presents new chapters for approval by the Board. Reports to the Vice-President.
- Helps start the new chapters by guiding them in chapter start up as per WBN Chapter Start up policies.
- Answers questions of potential and new members of the new chapters.
- Attends the first four meetings of the new chapter to help them get off the ground
- Encourages new chapter to reach the 20 member threshold in their first few months.
- Current expansion areas to include: Butler, Greensburg, Oakmont/Harmarville, plus others.
- Committee Chairwoman = Mary Ann Novak
- Members: Janet Gledich, Nevine Isaac.
Historian
- Creates lists of who served on boards and committees
- Committee Chairwoman: Kim Spierto
- Members: Donna Rossa, Cheryl Hassell
Membership
- Recruits members and refers candidates to the appropriate chapters. Ensures that all chapters have adequate membership applications, brochures and other membership promotion materials. Maintains the waiting list by chapter. Arbitrates disputes within chapters.
- Works with smaller chapters (those with 10 or fewer) chapters to increase their numbers to a goal of at least 20 members. This is to keep the chapters healthy.
- After helping smaller chapters with their efforts they can work the chapters from 11-19 members.
- They do this through attending the smaller chapters meeting to evaluate why chapter membership may not be progressing. Is there something in the chapter dynamics holding back the growth of that chapter? For example: is it more a coffee klatch than a business meeting? Are there one or two people who take over the meeting? Are they not asking people to attend? Are they giving people wrong directions to the meeting?
- Make presentations to smaller chapters as to how to increase membership through active outreach and explaining why continual recruitment efforts are vital to the health of the organization.
- Committee Chairwoman: Susan Barclay
- Members: Ellen Marcus, Jen Ohrman, MaryLu McKown, Denise Carr.
Nominating
- Reviews applications of nominees presented by WBN chapters for election to the Board. Presents a slate of candidates for election to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. Provides election ballots to the Corresponding Secretary, and tallies the vote. Reports the vote to the general membership.
- Creates online survey for the vote and ensures that each member has the email delivered and if not, will confidentially handle that members vote if she does not have email.
- This committee is active from late January until June. See Bylaws Article 5 section 5 for timeline detail. Sec. 5. Nomination of WBN members to the Board of Directors – The process for nominating the candidates to the Board is:
- Annually the President shall designate a Nominating Committee which shall be comprised of five members: the Vice-President, a Past President and three (3) Chapter Representatives who shall be chosen from three (3) different WBN chapters.
- By March 31 each chapter shall submit to the Nominating Committee the names of up to three (3) candidates for the Board of Directors. Brief biographical data must also be submitted.
- The Nominating Committee shall meet to review the qualifications of the candidates and to nominate at least three (3) more candidates than necessary to fill the terms expiring as of the next June 30.
- Nominations can also be made from the floor at the WBN Annual Meeting.
- Members who receive compensation from WBN through the annual bidding process may not serve on the Board during the time period in which their contract is in effect.
- Committee Chairwoman: Gayle Bradley
- Committee members required = 5 including the Vice-President, a Past President and three (3) Chapter Representatives who shall be chosen from three (3) different WBN chapters.
- Members: Kathleen Schneider, Chapter Rep – Denise Carr
Service Project of the Year Liason
- Tracks and documents WBN achievements for organization
- Creates one page or smaller descriptions on how to “get involved” each quarter and emails it to bsc@wbninc.com to be posted via WBN Connect.
- Once a quarter attend Chapter Rep meeting to give a timed 5 minute presentation on what is going on with the Service Project and how to get involved.
- Is the liaison between WBN and the chosen charity
- Committee Chairwoman: Heather Rodgers
Social Planning
- Organize events that will give our members and guests the opportunity to market themselves outside a formal networking event, and have another chance to have a little fun with family and friends.
- Committee Chairwoman: Jennifer Bibb
- Members: Kathleen Schneider, Wendy Lydon, Jennifer Bibb, Michele Sobo
Special Events
Guides chapters hosting one of the five major events held each year on how to host a great event. These events are the Annual Retreat in January, Spring Networking Event in March, Annual Dinner in May, Fall Networking Event in October, and Holiday Breakfast in December.
- Committee members must be somewhat computer savvy since we use online registration and payment for all events and have patience to handle details and many personality types.
- Will work with the hosting chapters and review the invitation for each event for all required information prior to being posted to the website for members to register.
- This committee will go all year as there will be overlapping responsibilities with each of the chapters.
- Committee Chairwoman = Claudine DePaul
- Number of Committee members recommended = 3: Judy Bixler, Susan Patchin, Valerie Bartles
Strategic Planning & Budgeting
- Designs long range planning and goals, subject to approval of the board.
- Develops strategic plan along with budget – side by side to ensure feasibility of plans.
- Does a demographic study of membership to ensure recommended plans serve the population of WBN in January.
- Members with experience developing departmental or organizational strategic plans, budgets, marketing plans, or have worked in corporate development consulting – or sincere desire to learn these, are encouraged to be on this committee.
- Committee is most active from January to June when developing plans for the following fiscal year.
- Committee Chairwomen = Kristina Rugh and Char Kinder
- Members: Kathleen Schneider, Rebecca Wanovich, Mary Ann Novak, Melissa Kotchey, Karen McCrory, Susy Coughenour, Margaree Pertle.
Technology
- Works with Webmaster, Board Services Coordinator and PR Coordinator.
- Researches and makes recommendations on technology as requested by board.
- Keeps the board informed of new options that may improve service or save on total cost of ownership on technology.
- Helps to implement new hardware and software as purchased by board
- This committee runs all year.
- Committee Chairwoman = Veronica Burnsworth and Jane Erdman
- Members: Rose Depinet-Foss, Malini Sunthar, Susy Coughenour, Cheryl Hassell
