CLSUIAA Executive Committee Meets in Various Regions
(by Gerry Galinato, P.E.  1/26/2017)

In previous years, the Executive Committee (EC) of the CLSU International Alumni Association (CLSUIAA) met once every two months which was mostly held in Northern California rotating its meeting in San Jose-Santa Clara, Vallejo and Sacramento area. The main reason for concentrating the meetings in these areas was due to the fact that most of the key elected and appointed officers are residents in these locations.

However, when Engr. Gerry Galinato, PE was elected president of CLSUIAA, he implemented the concept of meeting only quarterly and rotating the meeting venues in various regions. His rationale for implementing this approach is to have the opportunity to invite other CLSU alumni in the region to attend the meeting and participate in the fellowship/get-together even if they are not members of the Executive Committee. The meeting is open to other alumni and guests and they are also encouraged to participate in the discussions. However, they cannot vote on specific motions currently under consideration during the official meeting.

The Executive Committee is a body created by the Board of Directors with powers and authority to manage the business and affairs of the association. It is comprised of all the directors and officers, appointed Chairs/co-chairs of different standing and special committees, appointed regional vice presidents and the VP-at-large. The Executive Committee is presently chaired by President Gerry Galinato. The EC does not institute policies although it can recommend adoption of various association policies which are subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

In 2016, the Executive Committee conducted meetings in various regions including its special winter meeting in Castro Valley, California hosted by Vice President Rob Bugawan; spring meeting in Harrah's Hotel-Casino in Reno, Nevada (no-host); summer meeting in Boise, Idaho hosted by President Gerry Galinato; and a fall meeting in Porterville, California hosted by Director Eddie Quiba.

Holding meetings in various regions sometimes involve considerable expenses to people attending the meetings especially those who come from long distances. These expenses may include transportation (by car or airplane), hotel accommodation and meals throughout the duration of the meeting although some meals are provided by the host association officer. These are non-reimbursable expenditures personally incurred by volunteer officers serving the organization.

In order to make the long distance travel worthwhile, sometimes the host officer organizes tours and other appropriate fellowship activities while in the area. For example, during the summer meeting in Boise, a group "Cherry Picking" activity in a commercial Cherry Farm and visiting nearby parks and luncheon-picnics were organized. Another example is during the Winter Meeting at Porterville, California hosted by Director Eddie Quiba, a pre-meeting activity involved "Persimmon and Pomelo" fruit picking. In addition, meeting attendees were invited to attend the second wedding reception of Director Quiba's son the day prior to the EC meeting.

The 2017 Executive Committee meeting schedule has been tentatively set as follows. Special Winter Meeting on January 21 in Castro Valley, California; Spring Meeting on April 1, Phoenix, Arizona; Summer Meeting on June 24 in Salt Lake City, Utah; Fall Meeting (in conjunction with Annual and General Assembly Meeting) on September 28 to October 1 in Porterville, California, and the Winter Meeting in northern or southern California in conjunction with the Christmas Program and Installation of newly elected officers. CLSU alumni and guests are encouraged to attend any of these meetings.

President Galinato hopes that in the future, there may even be less physical meetings necessary for EC members to meet in one place. With the advent of communication technology such as Skype, FaceTime or Messenger through Facebook, an EC meeting can possibly be conducted without leaving the house or office. This technology is already implemented by businesses in the US as well as other parts of the world. However, for group communication with no funds available for this purpose, it is still necessary to meet in one place to discuss various operational and management issues of the organization.



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