This was the first of a series of monthly meetings that the Board will hold until the Annual Conference in March 2023. My sincere apologies for not having the meeting announced publicly prior to the meeting for additional member attendance. Truly an oversight during this time of transition.

Lea Asbell-Swanger, Interim Executive Director, gave a brief overview of the operations of the Institute. The Digital Media Symposium held in Binghamton, NY, Sept. 8-10, was well received with enthusiastic post-event comments. With more than $7500 in sponsorships along with an additional $6700 in in-kind assistance, the event was live streamed with the sessions recorded.

This year’s Annual Conference & Stage Expo will be held in St. Louis, March 15-18, 2023. Currently the Expo floor space is selling well with Conference registration scheduled to open to the membership on Nov. 15. Many of the elements that were new to the 2022 Conference will return. We encourage you to register early!

Lea announced that USITT has received two donations from Disney in the form of a grant of $10,000 with one half designated toward the Gateway Program and the other being available to support general operating expenses. The second for $10,000 is for Conference support for HBCU students to attend. I humbly thank you Disney for these two gifts and for their ongoing support of USITT. If you have contacts at Disney, please thank them for their generosity.

I reported to the Board that the Executive Director Search Committee is beginning its dialog with Isaacson Miller, who is facilitating the candidate search. A review of potential candidates will continue through early December.

Treasurer Kim Scott reported that we are in a positive, yet cautious place. The Finance team headed by Fran Taylor is doing an excellent job in keeping on course. The Finance Committee of USITT meets on a consistent basis with Kim and Fran.

Paul Brunner, Secretary, presented two motions for approval, regarding further amendments to the bylaws and for position description updates for Board positions. Both were approved. 

The Board meeting was adjourned after moving to Executive Session.

In closing, I thank you for your passion for and membership with USITT. Together we will achieve what can be and is possible.

Grateful for your support, 
Carolyn Satter, president