First and foremost, the role of Senate Secretary is to help the Senate with logistical tasks, but the role can be so much more! This year, in addition to helping organize the monthly Senate communication calls, and meeting logistics for the fall (WE16) and winter in person Senate meetings, I have been attempting to increase the communication and transparency within the Senate as well as within the membership. Although the fiscal year is just starting, I hope that you have enjoyed the few blog posts written by our Senators giving you a recap of our meetings and happenings such as the upcoming bylaws proposal, governance updates, and the election of our special senator. With all of the momentum to continue to improve our organization while continuing to operate traditional business, communication is important now, more than ever.
One of my favorite parts about being our Senate Secretary is getting to know all of the amazing individuals who compose the Senate. At our fall meeting we traditionally do a get to know you activity. I have the pleasure of getting to put that together. In addition, being able to support our Senators efforts to communicate important updates through leadership summits, region meetings, etc., presents its self with the opportunity to work with a diverse set of members – geographically, education, and career wise.
I encourage anyone interested in the position to feel free to reach out to myself or any other member of the Senate Leadership team.
Deputy Speaker – Kate Hull
The Deputy Speaker of the Senate primarily assists the Speaker with planning and conducting Senate business. This includes assistance with developing training, preparing for and conducting monthly communication calls, preparing for face-to-face Senate meetings and facilitating effective communication between Senate members.
In addition, the Deputy Speaker oversees the Special Projects Committee. The Special Projects Reserve was established in 2011 for special projects, emerging initiatives and non-recurring expenses. Withdrawals from the Special Projects Reserve must be submitted via proposals and reviewed by the Special Projects Committee, which is composed of Senators and Finance Committee members. There are no proposals in place at this time, but the committee will be prepared for a short turn-around time on any that come forward during FY17.
The Deputy Speaker also conducts a review of the Senate procedures every two years. The Senate procedures were reviewed in FY16 and will be potentially be modified after the proposed bylaws amendments are voted on during the WE16 Annual Senate Meeting on October 29. Then they will be distributed to the Senate for review and approval.
Speaker of the Senate – Amy Jo Moore
As Speaker, I am responsible for making sure the 32-34 senators are trained and knowledgeable in Society Strategic matters. I work closely with the other members of the leadership team to plan monthly calls, prepare for face-2-face meetings, and provide the senators what they need to communicate with their constituents.
The other half of my role is representing the Senate on the Board of Directors. The BOD meets face-2-face 5 times a year, we also have monthly calls during the months we don't meet.
I really enjoy getting to know the Senators each year and watching them grow into these society level positions. I love big picture thinking and that is so important in this role as we look at strategic goals and where the Society wants to be and how we get there.
Please let any of us know if you have any questions about our roles or if you have interest in applying for them!
Thanks,
Your Senate Leadership Team