A face-to-face Board meeting was held the day after the Gala, on May 4, in Markham. This allowed new board members to get acquainted with continuing directors, and for a brief orientation to take place.

Officer positions were discussed and selected, as follows:

Chair: Andria Cowan-Molyneaux
Vice Chair: Leanne Tammaro
Treasurer: Jeanne Grier

Committee Chairs and Co-chairs were also discussed and selected, as follows:

Affiliates – Janet Crawford, Chair
Ambassador Program – Catherine Granert, Chair
Awards – Elvira Goodenough, Chair
Design Shows/Events – Anastsia Rentzos, Chair
Education – Lana McIver, Chair
Ethics – Glen Peloso, Chair
Marketing & Communications – Kate Dickson, Chair
Membership – Janet Armstrong, Chair

A new committee is being considered:

Legislative – minimal meeting time required. Members in all provinces are required to monitor and report on any legislative activity that impacts the practice of interior decorating and interior design.

Members interested in volunteering for this or other committees should contact seamus@ddacanada.com who will connect them with the appropriate chair(s).

Strategic Goals, which were developed last April during the Board’s Strategic Planning session, were reviewed and discussed. Board decisions and activities need to support these goals, so it is imperative that all board members understand them. The overarching strategic priorities of the board for the 2018-2021 period include: Fostering community among members, making membership a source of pride, and building alliances. All of these goals include a subset of visions that the Executive Director works with volunteers to execute.

Outstanding Action Items were also addressed at the meeting and brought up to date. In addition, all Committee chairs and members were asked to review and update the existing DDA Policy Documents related to their committee work, to be sure they are relevant. This activity is to be completed by September 30, 2019. This is part of a larger ‘housekeeping’ process to bring association policies and procedures up to date.

All board members were also reminded to complete their SARC training on Best Practices for Board Leadership by June 1.

The face to face meeting served to acquaint new directors with how the association is run, and to create camaraderie in a shared vision between all volunteers.

As always, your DDA Board of Directors strive to provide an inclusive, professional community for our members and the industry at large.