Association of Alumni

• Association of Alumni Constitution (PDF)
• Alumni Trustee Nomination and Balloting Guidelines
• Guidelines for Voting, Amendments, and Meetings (PDF)

March 14, 2024
Via Zoom

Participating: Hoi Ning Ngai, Libby Roberts, Rachel Drew, Stephanie Yu, Willie Bogan, Regan Plekenpol, Dan Parish, Lisa Caldeira, Steve Adnopoz, Barry Caldwell, Mariah Farbotko, Joe Piedrafite

Association of Alumni president Rocky Whitaker was unable to attend the meeting, so first vice president Stephanie Yu opened the virtual meeting and greeted the group.

1. The first item on the agenda was the secretary’s minutes. Lisa Caldeira reported that the minutes of last year’s Association of Alumni annual meeting were approved after that meeting and were posted on the Association of Alumni website. In addition, the minutes of the two conference calls held by the Association of Alumni Executive Committee since last year’s annual meeting have been approved.

2. The second item on the agenda was brief remarks from the first vice president, on behalf of the president. Stephanie Yu acknowledged the retiring officers/members of the Association of Alumni executive committee (Stephanie Yu, Lisa Caldeira, Steve Adnopoz, and Libby Roberts) and welcomed the new members (Rachel Bogardus Drew, Catherine Darragh, Hoi Ning Ngai, and Willie Bogan). The Association of Alumni nominated slate was not contested, so as a result of the constitutional amendment approved by an alumni vote which addressed uncontested elections, no election was held for the Association of Alumni executive committee and officers. The 2024-2025 Association of Alumni Officers and Executive Committee are as follows, effective today (March 14, 2024):

   President
   Morris “Rocky” Whitaker ‘74

   First Vice President
   Rachel Bogardus Drew ’98

   Second Vice President
   John Valdez ‘07

   Secretary-Treasurer
   Catherine Darragh ’13

   Executive Committee
   Willie Bogan ’71
   Barry Caldwell ’82
   Delfina Gonzalez ’11
   Maxine Lum Mauricio ’93
   Hoi Ning Ngai ’00
   Dan Parish ’89
   Regan Plekenpol ’17

3. The next agenda item was the appointment by the president of the regular committees. This will be done by the 2024-2025 executive committee. Stephanie provided a brief overview of the two committees: the Balloting Committee will handle the mechanics of an election (should there be one) and how candidates are presented; the Nominating Committee will select candidates for the Association of Alumni executive committee to replace those who are cycling off next year.
4. The next agenda item was the treasurer’s report and any matter of business from the executive committee. Mariah reported on behalf of Lisa that $3,180 was spent by the Association of Alumni since the last annual meeting for digital trustee vacancy advertisements in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. There was no election so there are no election-specific expenses to report.
5. The next agenda item was communications, if any, from the president or the board of trustees of Dartmouth College. There were none.
6. The next agenda item was the election of honorary members. There were none.
7. The next agenda item was the report of the committee on nominations and report of special committees. There were none.
8. The next agenda item was miscellaneous business. Mariah said that she would reach out to the incoming committee to schedule a meeting over the summer/early fall. Stephanie adjourned the meeting.

March 16, 2023
Via Zoom

Participating: Missy Attridge ’77, Stephanie Yu ’97, Lisa Caldeira ’07, Steve Adnopoz ’78, Libby Roberts ’79, Barry Caldwell ’82, Dan Parish ’89, Delfina Gonzalez ’11, Morris “Rocky” Whitaker ’74, Regan Plekenpol ’17, Mariah Farbotko, Joe Piedrafite, Carolyn Kimberlin

Association of Alumni president Missy Attridge opened the virtual meeting and greeted the group.

The first item on the agenda was the secretary’s minutes. Mariah Farbotko reported that the minutes of last year’s Association of Alumni annual meeting were approved after that meeting and were posted on the Association of Alumni website. In addition, the minutes of the two conference calls held by the Association of Alumni Executive Committee since last year’s annual meeting have been approved and are also posted on that same website.

The second item on the agenda was brief remarks from the first vice president, on behalf of the president. Stephanie Yu acknowledged the retiring officers/members of the Association of Alumni executive committee (Missy Attridge and Monik Walters) and welcomed the new members (Morris “Rocky” Whitaker and Regan Plekenpol). The Association of Alumni nominated slate was not contested, so as a result of the constitutional amendment approved by an alumni vote which addressed uncontested elections, no election was held for the Association of Alumni executive committee and officers. The 2023-2024 Association of Alumni Officers and Executive Committee are as follows, effective today (March 16, 2023):

President
Morris “Rocky” Whitaker ‘74

First Vice President
Stephanie Yu ’97

Second Vice President
John Valdez ‘07

Secretary-Treasurer
Lisa Caldeira ’07

Executive Committee
Steve Adnopoz ’78
Barry Caldwell ‘82
Delfina Gonzalez ‘11
Maxine Lum Mauricio ‘93
Dan Parish ‘89
Regan Plekenpol ‘17
Libby Roberts ’79

The next agenda item was the appointment by the president of the regular committees. This will be done by the 2023-2024 executive committee. Missy provided an overview of the two committees: the Balloting Committee will handle the mechanics of an election (should there be one) and how candidates are presented; the Nominating Committee will select candidates for the Association of Alumni executive committee to replace those who are cycling off next year.

The next agenda item was the treasurer’s report and any matter of business from the executive committee. Mariah reported on behalf of Lisa that there have been no funds spent by the Association of Alumni since the last annual meeting. There was no election so there are no election-specific expenses to report.

The next agenda item was communications, if any, from the president or the board of trustees of Dartmouth College. Missy announced that a trustee vacancy has arisen as Dan Black ’82 has chosen not to renew his term on the Board of Trustees. The AOA executive committee should always be prepared to run an election if necessary, so Mariah reviewed the timeline for the year ahead with the group. The first order of business was to vote on the print notification method to alert all alumni of the trustee vacancy. The AOA Executive Committee unanimously approved the following:

• July/Aug DAM print advertisement – full page color ad
• Alumni Relations will prepare copy for class newsletters
• 1 email blast from Alumni Relations
• 2 advertisements in DAM e-newsletter

The next agenda item was the election of honorary members. There were none.

The next agenda item was the report of the committee on nominations and report of special committees. There were none.

The next agenda item was miscellaneous business. Mariah said that she would reach out to the incoming committee to schedule a meeting in June. Missy adjourned the meeting.

March 16, 2022
Via Zoom

Participating: Stephanie Yu ’97, John Valdez ’07, Steve Adnopoz ’78, Barry Caldwell ’82, Delfina Gonzalez ’11, Maxine Lum Mauricio ’93, Dan Parish ’89, Libby Roberts ’79, Monik Walters ’19, David Millane ’67, Kyle Huebner ’92, Kalina Newmark ’11, Lee Merkle-Raymond ’86, Mariah Farbotko, Joe Piedrafite, Amberlee Barbagallo

Association of Alumni first vice president Stephanie Yu opened the virtual meeting and greeted the group.

The first item on the agenda was the secretary’s minutes. Mariah Farbotko reported that the minutes of last year’s Association of Alumni annual meeting were approved after that meeting and were posted on the Association of Alumni website. In addition, the minutes of the two conference calls held by the Association of Alumni Executive Committee since last year’s annual meeting have been approved and are also posted on that same website.

The second item on the agenda was brief remarks from the first vice president, filling in for the president. Stephanie Yu acknowledged the retiring officers/members of the Association of Alumni executive committee (Kalina Newmark, Kyle Huebner, David Millane, and Lee Merkle-Raymond), and welcomed the new members (John Valdez, Barry Caldwell, Delfina Gonzalez, Maxine Lum Mauricio, and Dan Parish). The Association of Alumni nominated slate was not contested, so as a result of the constitutional amendment approved by an alumni vote which addressed uncontested elections, no election was held for the Association of Alumni executive committee and officers. Additionally, the slate of one alumni-nominated trustee candidate was not contested, so no trustee election was held. Stephanie acknowledged that while there are no trustee vacancies anticipated this year and for the next two years, there is always the chance of a trustee needing to retire early from the board. The AOA executive committee should always be prepared to run an election if necessary. The 2022-2023 Association of Alumni Officers and Executive Committee are as follows, effective today (March 16, 2022):

President
Missy Asbill Attridge ’77

First Vice President
Stephanie Yu ’97

Second Vice President
John Valdez ‘07

Secretary-Treasurer
Lisa Caldeira ’07

Executive Committee
Steve Adnopoz ’78
Barry Caldwell ‘82
Delfina Gonzalez ‘11
Maxine Lum Mauricio ‘93
Dan Parish ‘89
Libby Roberts ’79
Monik Walters ’19

The next agenda item was the appointment by the president of the regular committees. This will be done by the 2022-2023 Executive Committee.

The next agenda item was the treasurer’s report and any matter of business from the executive committee. Mariah Farbotko reported that $748.71 was spent by Dartmouth Alumni Relations to conduct business on behalf of the Association of Alumni since the last meeting. There was no election so there are no election-specific expenses to report.

The next agenda item was communications, if any, from the president or the board of trustees of Dartmouth College. There were none.

The next agenda item was the election of honorary members. There were none.

The next agenda item was the report of the committee on nominations and report of special committees. There were none.

The next agenda item was miscellaneous business. Mariah said that she would reach out to the incoming committee to schedule a meeting in June. Stephanie adjourned the meeting.

Friday, September 23, 2022
Via Zoom

Participants: Libby Roberts, Missy Attridge, Delfina Gonzalez, Steve Adnopoz, John
Valdez, Monik Walters, Barry Caldwell, Lisa Caldeira, Mariah Farbotko, Amber
Rydjeski, Carolyn Kimberlin

Missy Attridge opened the call and welcomed the group, and brief introductions
were made. There are four new members of the Association of Alumni (AOA)
Executive Committee: John Valdez ’07, Barry Caldwell ’82, Delfina Gonzalez ’11,
Dan Parish ’89, and Maxine Mauricio ’93. She asked for a motion to approve the
minutes of the March 16, 2022 annual meeting of the AOA. All approved.

Missy indicated that the purpose of the call was to review the timeline for the AOA
process and trustee candidate elections and to convene the nominating and
balloting committees of the AOA.

The committee reviewed the timeline, noting if there was a trustee vacancy it would
have been announced Dartmouth commencement in June. There was not a vacancy
announced but the committee briefly discussed they would swing into the
notification and balloting process if necessary, as laid out in the AOA constitution.
Missy reiterated that the role of the AOA is to oversee the notification and balloting
processes for alumni-nominated trustees. There will only be an election if an Alumni
Council-nominated trustee candidate or an AOA Executive Committee candidate
were opposed by petition candidates. Recommendations of outstanding alumni for
the trustee seat are welcome and can be made online.

The committee discussed formation of the nominating and balloting committees.
The nominating committee identifies and selects candidates for the AOA Executive
Committee. Two members will compete their terms next March: Missy Attridge ’77
(President) and Monik Walters ’19. The Nominating Committee will consider
replacements for them. Sources of outreach for names of potential new members
include affiliated groups and classes. Committee members are encouraged to
nominate fellow volunteers.

As referenced above, the balloting committee oversees the election process, should
an election be required. If the nominated AOA candidates are not contested, an
election does not need to be held, per the 2014 constitutional amendment. If a
petition candidate arises, Alumni Relations would work with the committee on an
information campaign.

Mariah Farbotko will follow up in writing with volunteer assignments for each
committee. Separate meetings for each subcommittee will be scheduled within the
next month, and then one more meeting with the full executive committee will be
scheduled by year end. Alumni Relations will circulate the active list as well as a list
of alumni who have recently served on the AOA.

The meeting was adjourned.

Balloting Committee

Missy Attridge
Dan Parish
Libby Roberts
Monik Walters
John Valdez
Lisa Caldeira
Maxine Mauricio
Mariah Farbotko
Carolyn Kimberlin
Amber Rydjeski

Nominating Committee

Missy Attridge
Monik Walters
Stephanie Yu
Barry Caldwell
Delfina Ginzalez
Steve Adnopoz
Mariah Farbotko
Carolyn Kimberlin
Amber Rydjeski

October 28, 2021
4-5 PM ET

Participants: Missy Attridge, Kalina Newmark, Libby Roberts, Kyle Huebner, Stephanie Yu, Lisa Caldeira, Steve Adnopoz, Monik Walters, Lee Merkle-Raymond, Cheryl Bascomb, Joe Piedrafite, Liz Nunez

President of the Association of Alumni Missy Attridge opened the meeting and thanked the group for their service on the Executive Committee. The purpose of the meeting is to review and approve the recommendations of the Nominating and Balloting Committees.

Missy gave a report from the Association of Alumni Balloting Committee. The Balloting Committee consists of Missy Attridge (chair, as required by the Association of Alumni constitution); Monik Walters, Stephanie Yu, David Millane, and Steve Adnopoz. They held a Zoom meeting on October 4. The VoxtheVote website has been updated with information pertaining to this year’s timeline and potential election. The timeline was posted on the VoxtheVote website and the Association of Alumni website and announced in a news item on October 7. The committee approved the same word count limitations for all candidates as in the 2010-2020 elections which are a 400-word statement and bio combination for each officer and a 250-word statement and bio combination for each executive committee member.

Missy Attridge gave a report from the Association of Alumni Nominating Committee, which consists of Missy, Kyle Huebner, Lee Merkle-Raymond, and Stephanie Yu. They held a Zoom meeting on September 29. All current Association of Alumni Officers and Executive Committee members who are eligible to serve another term will remain on the nominated slate. Second Vice President Kalina Newmark and Executive Committee members Kyle Huebner, Lee Merkle-Raymond, David Millane, and Robert Charles will complete their terms this year. The committee recently received sad news of the death of Robert Charles due to cancer.

The Executive Committee shared feedback with the Nominating Committee regarding suggestions about individuals to consider for the other vacancies, and those recommendations were endorsed after a discussion about the process continuing to build the robust pipeline of candidates. The Nominating Committee approved five alumni to be on the nominated slate to replace the outgoing members. These invitations will be extended as soon as possible so that the nominated slate can be posted online by November 23, 2021. Liz Nunez will circulate the bios of existing members for any updates.

The nominated AOA slate will be posted online by November 23, 2021. The deadline for petition candidates to file the necessary signatures to run is December 11, 2021. An email notification will be sent to alumni on December 12, 2021 informing them about the Association of Alumni nominated slate and any petition candidates if they have filed to run.

Lee Merkle-Raymond made a motion to approve the recommendations of the Nominating and Balloting Committees. Steve Adnopoz second the motion. The committee voted unanimously to approve the recommendations as detailed above.

The meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by,

Liz Nunez
Associate Director, Alumni Leadership

Association of Alumni Executive Committee

Virtual Meeting
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
12-1 PM ET

Participants: Steve Adnopoz, Missy Attridge, Lisa Caldeira, Bob Charles, Kyle Huebner, Lee Merkle-Raymond, David Millane, Kalina Newmark, Liz Nunez, Meg Ramsden, Libby Roberts, Monik Walters, Stephanie Yu.

Missy Attridge opened the call and welcomed the group, and brief introductions were made. There are four new members of the Association of Alumni (AOA) Executive Committee: Stephanie Yu ’97, Lisa Caldeira ’07, Steve Adnopoz ’78, and Libby Roberts ’79. She asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the March 17, 2021 annual meeting of the AOA. All approved.

Missy indicated that the purpose of the call was to review the timeline for the AOA process and trustee candidate elections and to convene the nominating and balloting committees of the AOA.

The committee reviewed the timeline, noting if there was a trustee vacancy it would have been announced Dartmouth commencement on June 13. There was not a vacancy announced but the committee briefly discussed they would swing into the notification and balloting process if necessary, as laid out in the AOA constitution.

Missy reiterated that the role of the AOA is to oversee the notification and balloting processes for alumni-nominated trustees. There will only be an election if an Alumni Council-nominated trustee candidate or an AOA Executive Committee candidate were opposed by petition candidates. Recommendations of outstanding alumni for the trustee seat are welcome and can be made online.   

The committee discussed formation of the nominating and balloting committees. The nominating committee identifies and selects candidates for the AOA Executive Committee. Five members will compete their terms next March: Kalina Newmark, Kyle Huebner, Lee Merkle-Raymond, David Millane and Bob Charles. The Nominating Committee will consider replacements for them. Sources of outreach for names of potential new members include affiliated groups and classes. Committee members are encouraged to nominate fellow volunteers.

As referenced above, the balloting committee oversees the election process, should an election be required. If the nominated AOA candidates are not contested, an election does not need to be held, per the 2014 constitutional amendment. If a petition candidate arises, Alumni Relations would work with the committee on an information campaign.

Meg Ramsden will follow up in writing to solicit volunteers for each committee.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Meg Ramsden ‘87