Minutes of NINA Executive Board Meeting
Jan. 19, 2001
Northern Star office, NIU

Members present: Lonny Cain, president; Rick Nagel, past president; Lois Self, executive secretary; Jan Larsen, first vice president.
Staff / guests present: Dana Ditrichs, Colin O'Donnell, Dave Fornell, Jim Killam.
Members absent: Jim Slonoff, treasurer; Kim Kubiak, second vice president; Pam Lannom, member at large.

Cain called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.

Update on board membership. Cain said the following people no longer are board members: Nick Pullia, Joan Heyers, Will Conkis, Tona Kunz and Rick Baert. Replacing them are Tom Martin of the Bureau County Republican, Joe Corrado of Sun Publications, Dave Fornell of Liberty Suburban Newspapers, Don Lyons of the Kane County Chronicle and Colin O'Donnell of the Daily Herald.

Cain also distributed a sheet outlining proposed committee assignments to be voted upon at the full board meeting (the list appears in the full board minutes). One adjustment was the addition of Lois Self to the Resource Committee as chair, in order to comply with NINA bylaws that require an executive committee member to chair each committee.

Membership. Cain is concerned that NINA mailings and publicity don't always reach the right hands in newsrooms. He intends to propose a new dues/membership structure that would involve each newspaper paying the same flat fee, accompanied by a fee per number of editorial employees. Along with this change, he would seek numerous e-mail addresses for staffers at each member paper, so that NINA can better connect with and serve individuals. He would like to see this enacted in the next couple of months, before the dues bills for next year are mailed. The matter will be discussed at the full board meeting.

Minutes of the Dec. 1 executive committee meeting were approved.

Meeting adjourned at 9:57 a.m.

Minutes submitted by Jim Killam, communications coordinator