20-1: Opening Worship and Welcome
Friends opened with a period of worship. Rebecca Leuchak, clerk of Providence Friends Meeting, welcomed us to their meetinghouse which sits on the indigenous lands of the Narragansett and Wampanoag people.
20-2: CWS Program
The Challenging White Supremacy Working Group (CWSWG), a working group of the Permanent Board (PB), has been working with with monthly meetings, Yearly Meeting committees, and individuals, to discuss the roots of white supremacy and the ways it is present in the peoples and structures of the Yearly Meeting. Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, and Carole Rein, members of CWSWG, opened our PB meeting with a shortened version of some of the discussions they have been facilitating with Friends. As the governing body of New England Yearly Meeting, the PB recognizes the importance of supporting and participating in the work of CWSWG and we were grateful for the ways that our discussion encouraged us to keep doing anti-racism work with ourselves and our communities.
20-3: Roll Call
The recording clerk called the roll.
Present: Leslie Manning, Clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Recording Clerk; Travis Belcher, Darcy Drayton, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Chris Gant, Ian Harrington, Kim Harvey Garcia, Rebecca Leuchak, Ed Mair, Christopher McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Anna Raddochia, Carole Rein, John Reuthe, Martha Schwope, Sara Smith, Bill Walkauskas, Tom Vargo, Mary Zwirner
Ex-Officio: Noah Merrill (Secretary); Bob Murray (Finance Clerk); Elizabeth Reuthe (Secretary’s Supervisor); Shearman Taber (Treasurer); Fritz Weiss (Former Presiding Clerk)
Visitors: Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Sophie Forsythe, Anna Hopkins, Kathy Malin, Phebe McCosker, LouAnne McDonald, Mike Shade, Nia Thomas, Kathleen Wooten
Regrets: Bruce Neumann (Presiding Clerk); Peter Bishop, Deana Chase, Ben Guaraldi, Betsy Kantt, Jean McCandless, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Will Taber
20-4: Minutes
An outstanding minute from the September 2019 Permanent Board (PB) meeting, revised by the Finance Committee, was brought back to PB. The remaining unapproved minutes from the November 2019 PB were brought to this meeting. Friends approved the outstanding minute from September and the remaining minutes from November.
20-5: Travel Minutes
PB received four travel minutes for our endorsement. Benigno Sanchez-Eppler is traveling to Cuba. Em McManamy, Jackie Stillwell, Bruce Neumann are traveling to Cuba at the time of this meeting to attend Cuba Yearly Meeting Sessions. The travel minutes are appended. Friends approved endorsing the travel minutes for Benigno, Em, Jackie, and Bruce.
20-6: Presiding Clerk’s Report
Bruce Neumann, Presiding Clerk, is not present at our meeting because he is traveling to Cuba. His report from the advanced documents is appended.
20-7: Secretary’s Report
Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, reflected on his journey with the Yearly Meeting and the Permanent Board (PB) as he reached the seven-year mark in his role. PB holds the weight of the Yearly Meeting throughout the year; together we bear the burden of the work but also get to help realize the vision.
Noah’s written report with informational updates is appended.
20-8: Document Retention Policy
Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, presented the proposed Document Retention and Destruction Policy. The proposed policy is appended. This proposal is a follow-up to Permanent Board’s previous discussion about responsible data use and the Data Privacy Policy approved in February 2019. Friends had a chance to ask questions.
A request was made for clarification in the policy about whose correspondence falls under this policy. It was suggested that the Archives Committee be consulted before the policy goes into effect to ensure that they are comfortable with the parts of it that affect their work.
Friends approved the Document Retention Policy with those edits and confirmation.
20-9: Student Loan Forgiveness
Noah Merrill, YM Secretary, presented a recommendation for forgiving outstanding student loan debt. The recommendation is appended. This recommendation is a continuation of our work over the past seven years to lay down the student loan program. Permanent Board approved forgiving all outstanding student loans held by New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, effective 2/15/2020. Letters will be sent to all borrowers notifying them of this action.
20-10: Treasurer’s Report
Shearman Taber, Treasurer, submitted financial updates to the advanced documents which are appended. Shearman spoke to Friends’ questions and reminded us that while last year’s balanced budget is cause for celebration we must continue the hard work to maintain balanced budgets.
20-11: Proposal for Creation of Revolving Fund
Bob Murray, clerk of the Finance Committee, brought a proposal from that committee to open a new revolving fund to allocate money for future large infrastructure projects. The proposal is appended. The amount of money deposited in this fund would be subject to approval by the Permanent Board (PB) or Sessions (as part of the budget proposal). The use of the funds would also be subject to approval by PB or Sessions. Friends had the opportunity to ask questions and make comments. Friends approved the creation of the new revolving fund.
20-12: Personnel Committee
Bob Murray, member of Coordinating and Advisory (C&A) and former clerk of the Personnel Committee, brought a proposal from C&A to create a working group to make recommendations on the structure of the Personnel Committee. The proposal is appended.
The structures of the Yearly Meeting (YM) have changed significantly in the past few years and many of the responsibilities previously held by the Personnel Committee are now held by the YM Secretary. We are committed to being a good employer and keeping the structure of our Personnel Committee aligned with our practices is a part of that commitment. Dulany Bennet, Clerk of the Personnel Committee, Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, Elizabeth Reuthe, the Yearly Meeting Secretary’s supervisor, and Robert Murray, former clerk of the Personnel Committee, have offered to serve on this ad hoc committee. Friends requested that an additional person with less experience with the YM be added to the ad hoc committee. C&A will work to identify that person. With that addition, Friends approved the proposal.
20-13: Board of Managers Presentation
Kathy Malin, Clerk of the Board of Managers of Pooled Funds (BOM), gave a presentation to the Permanent Board about the work of the BOM and the role it plays in the Yearly Meeting. A written version of Kathy’s report is appended. Mike Shade works with the de Burlo Group as an investment manager and works directly with the BOM. He described to Friends how his group works with the BOM to ensure that investments are made that affirm NEYM Friends testimonies. Kathy and Mike answered Friends’ questions and gratefully accepted comments to take back to the BOM.
20-14: Friends Camp Report
Anna Hopkins, Friends Camp Director, shared updates from Friends Camp. Her written report is appended. Anna’s oral report focused on the camp’s challenges with increasing diversity.
Though last summer’s staff and camper population had increased numbers of people of color, the numbers for this year, so far, are lower. She finds that recruiting a more diverse staff and campership is something that takes a lot of time. Though it is important work, the director’s time is finite. Anna highlighted that Friends Camp is often advertised through word of mouth and because the Yearly Meeting is challenged by diversity that begets a challenge with diversity at Camp. Additionally, the situation of camp--in the middle of Maine, history of a lack of diversity in camp leadership, tech-free camp--can make it challenging to interest more diverse families.
Anna, the camp committee, and her staff are making efforts to increase the diversity but larger scale organizational change is needed. Anna challenged us to think about how we can expand who camp is for.
20-15: Purposes, Procedures, and Composition
Leslie Manning, clerk, reminded the Permanent Board (PB) that it is time for our triennial review of each board and committees’ Purposes, Procedures, and Composition (PPC). This review allows each committee the opportunity to assess how the established guidelines compare to the practices of the committee. It has also become practice for committees to use this process as a time to reflect on how the PPC align with the approved priorities of the Yearly Meeting.
The Board spent some time reflecting on the role of the PB and its PPC. Leslie requested that a working group led by the recording clerk work on the PPC for PB and bring a revised version to a future PB meeting for approval.
20-16: Update on Organizational Handbook Development
At the February 2019 Permanent Board (PB) meeting, Faith and Practice Revision Committee (F&PRC) asked PB to take on the role of compiling and maintaining an “Organizational Handbook”. See PB Minute 19-15 for more details. A small group of people have started this work. Fritz Weiss brought a proposed outline for this handbook including items that have been developed and those that still need to be written. This outline also included which committee(s) or employee(s) are responsible for creating those items. PB was asked to review this outline and speak to whether there are missing pieces.
After some discussion it was clear that there were documents listed on the outline that the working group understood to exist in some form (whether complete, incomplete, or out of date) that do not in fact exist as cohesive documents. This group was not tasked with writing documents that do not already exist; they understood that they were expected to compile what had already been written and help to organize the updating of any organizational documentation that was out of date.
Friends were unclear to approve the proposal as a strict recommended outline. Rather, the working group, in consultation with NEYM staff, will work to identify what documents do exist and work to organize those documents.
Friends accepted this report. The working group will continue to compile documents and asked PB members for feedback about which items that should be available to all on the website are hard to find or need clarification.
20-17: Reparations Working Group Recommendations
At the November 2019 Permanent Board (PB) meeting the Reparations Working Group brought a list of recommendations for actions to be taken by the PB or Sessions. The list of recommendations is appended. We approved the first of those recommendations and postponed action on the remaining recommendations. PB took up the third recommendation from the list:
Some Friends expressed discomfort with PB telling Legacy Gift Committee (LGC) how to disburse money. Others felt that when LGC decided not to fund Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project they did so stating that it was beyond the scope of the charge of the LGC; this doesn’t mean that PB can’t recommend to Sessions that funding this proposal would be worthwhile and that LGC should consider it.
Friends were not in unity to officially endorse this recommendation. It will go, informally, to the LGC meeting in March.
20-18: Internal Nominating Committee
One nomination was submitted from Internal Nominating:
- Carolyn Hilles-Pilant for Faith & Practice Revision Committee, Class of 2020
Friends approved.
Three resignations were submitted from Internal Nominating:
- LVM Shelton resigned from Yearly Meeting Nominating at Large
- William Walkauskas resigned from Permanent Board, effective on 8/1/2020
- Rosemary Zimmermann resigned from Permanent Board
Friends approved these resignations.
In light of Rosemary Zimmermann’s long and faithful service to the Permanent Board and to the Yearly Meeting, the clerk requested that the recording clerk write a minute of appreciation. That minute will come to the May 2020 Permanent Board meeting for approval.
20-19: Minute of Appreciation
Members of the Permanent Board, in addition to Friends from across the Yearly Meeting, are enormously grateful for Rosemary Zimmermann’s faithful service to New England Yearly Meeting and the wider Society of Friends. Throughout Rosemary’s time as an active Friend in New England she has served on the Permanent Board, as a representative to the Friends United Meeting board, as Sessions recording clerk, on numerous ad-hoc and working groups, and in many other ways. Rosemary’s integrity, thoughtful discernment, and generous spirit have been a gift to us all and we will miss her presence in our community.
20-20: Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee
LouAnne McDonald, representing Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee, presented two nominations and a resignation.
- Scott Drysdale as the next clerk of Finance Committee, Class of 2025; he will become clerk after Sessions 2020 but we are asked to approve this today so that he may begin the transition into this role
- Anna Dulin for Ministry & Counsel, Class of 2022
- Heidi Babb resigned from Earthcare Ministry Committee
Friends approved these nominations and the resignation.
20-21: Closing Worship
Friends closed with the reading of a letter from Rob Levin written in appreciation for the monies provided from the Fund for Sufferings for those arrested at the Bow, NH, coal power plant in September 2019.