Board of Directors Meeting
National Guard Association of Arkansas, Inc.

7 October 2008

First Vice President Lieutenant Colonel Tammy Hutchins-Frye called the meeting to order and a quorum was verified. Guests were recognized and made welcome.

Minutes of the 5 August 2008 board meeting were reviewed. A motion was made, seconded and carried to approve the minutes as written.

New Business

The board members were asked to approve the following board representative change:

Captain Bettye Dufour to fill the unexpired term of Captain Matt Anderson representing the 777th Aviation Support Battalion through April 2009.

A motion was made, seconded and carried to approve this appointment.

Finance and Insurance, LTC Moix
The finance and insurance reports as of 31 August 2008 were reviewed. LTC Moix provided updated copies of the insurance program report showing the number of policies in force and the administrative fees earned. The death claims’ total for the current insurance year is $152,000.

There were no questions, and a motion was made, seconded and carried to accept the finance and insurance reports as presented.

Membership, Mr. Bill Lamb
Mr. Bill Lamb, NGAA Membership Coordinator, reported that membership collections will be conducted basically the same as last year. He will provide each unit representative with a list of their unit officers as it appears in the NGAA database. If the list is not correct, please provide corrections. He asked everyone to use the form sent to them when submitting dues payments.

This form should also be corrected by unit representatives to reflect their current unit officers. Mr. Lamb will begin sending the lists out next week. He thanked everyone for their support of the membership program. Lieutenant Colonel Hutchins-Frye encouraged everyone to participate so as to ensure 100 percent NGAA/NGAUS membership in 2009.

External Audit Report, Ms. Debbie Robinson
Lieutenant Colonel Hutchins-Frye introduced Ms. Phyllis Holifield and Ms. Debbie Robinson of Priddy & Holifield, P.A. Ms. Robinson reported on the NGAA audit performed in July by her firm. She said she was pleased at the opportunity to speak to the board after having met with NGAA management and the executive committee just prior to today’s meeting. She said her company is required to report certain items pertaining to the audit to the board of directors.

The audit procedure is a full scope review. She discussed a representation letter which states that management has made all records available for audit. Her firm audits both NGAA and the two NGAA trusts, and the audit reports and other required documentation are available in the NGAA office for anyone that would like to review those.

All NGAA and trusts financial statements got clean opinions; i.e., there were no major adjustments necessary. There were no disagreements by management or the executive committee, and just a few minor problems were worked out satisfactorily. The firm’s fee will be a little less than what was quoted because of the excellent cooperation by NGAA.

NGAA Trusts Board Member Confirmation
Lieutenant Colonel Hutchins-Frye asked for a motion to appoint Lieutenant Colonel James Treece to a five-year term on the NGAA Trusts Board commencing 1 January 2009 through 31 December 2013. A motion was made, seconded and approved to confirm the appointment.

Committee Chairperson Assignments
Lt Col Hutchins-Frye reviewed the list of 2008-2009 NGAA committee chairperson assignments. All committee chairperson assignments are filled except the conference Parade of Commanders/Sergeant at Arms Committee. She asked everyone to help identify a volunteer to chair this committee and notify NGAA as soon as possible. Planning for the 2009 general conference will begin in January.

Scholarships
The NGAA Trusts Board has approved awarding thirty college scholarships at $500 each for the school year 2009-2010. Scholarship applications will be available after mid-November at www.ngaa.org, and hard copies will be distributed to Arkansas National Guard units. Everyone was asked to make their unit personnel aware of this opportunity to apply for a scholarship for NGAA members and their dependents.

Resolutions
The call for resolutions will be published during November. This information will be distributed to Arkansas National Guard units and will be available at the NGAA website, www.ngaa.org.

NGAUS Conference
The feedback received from those in attendance at last month’s NGAUS Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, has been very positive. The quality of speakers was excellent. Lieutenant Colonel Hutchins-Frye said these conferences always provide a great experience for everybody. The Arkansas hospitality suite was outstanding thanks to NGAA staff members Kenny Moix and James Lamb and the company grade officers who helped host that endeavor. She encouraged everyone to make plans to attend next year’s conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and especially hopes to see more unit commanders in attendance. The Arkansas delegation will be lodged in the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

Other Comments/Discussion

Lieutenant Colonel Hutchins-Frye said if anyone would like for members of the NGAA staff or the elected officers to visit their units to talk about 2009 membership to make that known. They will be happy to do that and anything else they can do to help as well. The deadline for 100 percent unit membership recognition is 15 February 2009.

Next Meeting

The next scheduled board of directors meeting is Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at the NGAA office, Camp Robinson. Dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m., and the meeting will start at 5:45 p.m.

Adjournment

There was no further business, and the meeting adjourned.