The EACC Board of Directors held its final meeting of 2020 on Thursday, October 22 (via Microsoft Teams). Board President Yannick Schilly called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm and noted that this was the last meeting he would chair as President. Schilly reflected on the growth and progress of the EACC over the past four years when he was Vice President and then President and said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has been a bit of a setback, he is confident good things lie ahead under the leadership of the next EACC Board President, Dominic Franchini of HORAN. He also expressed his satisfaction that Nelly Bonniol, VP for Provider Operations at EyeMed Vision Care (a subsidiary of Luxottica) and the Honorary Consul of France, had agreed to take on the role of Vice President.
After Board Secretary Jim Keller secured the board’s approval of the minutes of its July meeting, the Board then reviewed and approved the slate of directors and officers to be presented for election by the General Membership at the Annual General Meeting of the EACC on November 19.
Board Treasurer Chris Flaig provided a clear overview of EACC finances through the end of the third quarter, noting that efforts to reduce operating expenses had been largely successful, but pointing out that the loss of event revenue was evident. Executive Director Schwartz responded by sharing that we had nearly sold out the Gold level sponsorships for our November 19 “Beaujolais Nouveau Nouveau” (there’s still one salon available!) and that we still hope to sell more silver sponsorships as well as individual tickets. While we won’t make the same net revenues that we might at the Annual Gala, we still expect a positive return on the effort. Schwartz also noted that our Membership Renewal cycle is ongoing and we are seeing early positive results.
Vice President Franchini closed the meeting by sharing his plans for an “Executive Committee Retreat” in early November where the group, including our incoming Vice President and EACC staff, will revisit the mission of the EACC and develop a vision for the new board and officers.
The formal minutes of the meeting will be available for review after the board has approved them at its next meeting.
