2003 - 2004 Committees And Projects

The By-laws provide for the appointment of permanent committees, special committees, and other committees specifically described therein. At the 2002 Council Retreat, we decided to streamline the committee structure to provide for the first seven committees listed below. The eighth committee, By-laws Revision, is a special committee proposed by this year's Executive Committee for the purpose of making certain needed revisions. Following the list of committees is a listing of three special projects which do not readily fall within the scope of one of the committees, but which need to be staffed with volunteers.

COMMITTEES

1. Executive Committee - This is a permanent committee composed of the officers of the Section. Although the duties of the Executive Committee are not described in the By-laws, they have historically included setting the agenda for council meetings and making other decisions regarding the operation of the Section, subject to the approval of the Council. The Chair of the Section serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee.

   Mike Schless, Chair
   Bill Lemons
   Danielle Hargrove
   Michael Wilk
   Debbie McElvaney

   
   
   

2. Annual Meeting Committee - The Section holds its annual meeting at the same time and place as the State Bar's Annual Meeting. It is the duty of this committee to plan the activities of the annual meeting. Traditionally, those activities include the annual meeting itself (a business meeting at which officers and council members for the coming year are elected); a luncheon at which the Evans Award and other awards are presented, followed by a continuing education event; and the first council meeting of the newly elected council. Traditionally, the chair if this committee is the Chair-Elect of the Section.

   Bill Lemons, Chair
   Kathy Fragnoli
   Mike Kopp

   
   
   

3. Legislative Committee - Consistent with the requirements imposed by the State Bar Board of Directors, this committee identifies legislation which the Section may wish to propose or oppose. It also monitors each legislative session for any bills effecting mediation, arbitration, or other dispute resolution processes, or other matters of interest to the Section.

   Arbitration Project - Do we want to be proactive in this field in the 2005 legislative session? Should we sponsor a roundtable to which we invite the various stakeholders with interests in the important issues facing arbitration?

   John Fleming, Chair
   Danielle Hargrove
   Mike Kopp
   Bill Lemons
   Mike Schless
   Michael Wilk
   Bud Silverberg

   
   
   

4. Liaison Committee - The Liaison Committee seeks to establish relationships with other sections of the State Bar and with other organizations which the council may deem beneficial to our section.

   Service to the State Bar Project - The Rules of Disciplinary Procedure were amended to provide for a voluntary mediation and dispute resolution procedure in certain instances. We have offered the services of our Section to the State Bar in designing that system and providing mediators statewide. Separately, some groups have had difficulty in getting CLE credit approval for their continuing education programs on mediation, perhaps the result of the tension between mediation not being the practice of law on the one hand, and the need to have a topic qualify as law related in order to get CLE credit on the other. Can our Section be of service on that issue?
   
   National Leadership/ National Issues Project - Texas has a more sophisticated and highly evolved system of mediation than most, if not all, other states in the union. Our position on the UMA, for example, was a voice of reason which caught the attention of ADR professionals nationwide. Do we want to foster that role as a national leader? What does that mean? How can we do that? (National Leadership) Furthermore, there are many issues out there which face ADR professionals nationally. Defining the practice of law, UPL, and MDP are just a few examples. What is our role in keeping our members informed? In taking a position? In seeking to influence outcomes? (National Issues)

   Cecilia Morgan, Chair
   John Fleming- Service to Bar
   Kathy Fragnoli-National
   Bill Lemons-Service to Bar, National
   Ann MacNaughton-National
   Joe Nagy-Service to Bar
   Mike Schless- Service to Bar, National

   
   
   

5. Member Services Committee - This committee was created at one of our earlier council retreats. Its primary function is to plan all aspects of our major annual continuing education event and any other continuing education events we may choose to plan (other than the event which is held in conjunction with the luncheon at the annual meeting). The committee is also responsible for determining what services are requested by or needed to address the desires of the membership of the Section. For the major annual continuing education event scheduled for Dallas in October, 2003, a separate planning committee was named by the previous council.

   Member Recruitment and Retention Project - This will be a special project of the Member Services Committee. Membership in the Section fluctuates. In order to be able to afford the services of our Executive Director, and to fund other projects as the Section and Council determines appropriate, it is important to maintain an appropriate level of membership. When a member fails to renew, have we failed that member? What do we need to do to keep our members interested in maintaining their membership?

October Planning Committee	Member Services Committee
Virginia Bowers, Chair	Romeo Flores, Chair
John Fleming	Claudia Dixon
Bill Lemons	Joe Nagy
Mike Schless	Walter Wright
Rena Silverberg
Michael Wilk
John Connolly
Kay Elkins Elliott
Bud Silverberg
Ross Stoddard
Jetta Todaro





1. Nominating Committee - The nominating committee is the only committee specifically established by name in the By-laws. Its purpose is to make and report nominations for officers and council positions for the coming year. The committee is composed of the Immediate-Past Chair, who will serve as Chair, and four members of the Council, one of whom may be a public member and one of whom may be an ex-officio member.

   Debbie McElvaney, Chair
   Jim Knowles
   Mike Kopp
   Bill Lemons
   Josefina Rendon

   
   
   

2. Publications Committee - The By-laws provide for the appointment of a publications committee to oversee the publication of the newsletter. Those by-laws have not been revised since the Section established a website, but traditionally, a member of the council and this committee has been responsible for overseeing the website. Additionally, the Section has published an ADR Handbook and the most recently revised edition of that handbook is about to be published. It makes sense to include management of that project within the functions of this committee.

   Josefina Rendon, Chair
   Danielle Hargrove, Website
   Walter Wright - Newsletter
   Suzanne Duvall
   Kay Elkins Elliott - ADR Handbook
   Frank Elliott- ADR Handbook
   Robyn Pietsch - Newsletter Editor

   
   
   

3. By-laws Revision Committee - There are several provisions of the By-laws which need clarification and updating. The terms of Council members who are officers needs to be clarified. We have no provisions which specifically allow e-mail voting by the Council, and yet we do it all the time. The publications committee is silent as to the website. There may be other revisions necessary to bring us up to date. This committee should be prepared to conclude its work this year with the presentation to the Section of its proposed revisions for adoption by the Section.

   Jim Knowles, Chair
   Claudia Dixon
   Mike Schless
   Rena Silverberg

   
   
   

PROJECTS

1. Cross Cultural ADR Project - What began as a reaction to the events of September 11 has evolved into a project to provide training in cross cultural disputes. The pilot version of the project is in Houston, but should we attempt to export it to other Texas cities?

   Ann MacNaughton, Chair
   Danielle Hargrove
   Romeo Flores
   Josefina Rendon

   
   
   

2. History/ Central Record Retention - Kim Kovach was generous with her time and memory in creating for us an informal history of the Section, dating back to its days as a committee of the State Bar before it even became a section. Can we add to that history annually so that we do not have to rely on the memories of the "old-timers"? Also, we need to have a central depository for records of the section so that we will have ready access to that historic data. The Texas Association of Mediators has created an office of Historian. Should we do so?

   Suzanne Duvall, Chair
   Kim Kovach
   Bill Lemons
   Mike Schless

   
   
   

3. Long Range Financial Plan - Last year's council decided we need a long range financial plan. What is the most effective use of the Section's treasury? Will we be able to afford the services of our Executive Director in the future? When request are made for grants or "seed money" what should be the criteria by which we determine our response?

   Michael Wilk, Chair
   Jim Knowles
   Bill Lemons
   Mike Schless
   Wayne Fagan