by Marsha Gebhardt
President, St. Louis Chapter
November is the time for each Wild Ones chapter to elect its Board of Directors for the following year. It’s also the best time for us to honor any outgoing board member, appreciate the work of continuing members, and get to know new members.
Fran Glass is our outgoing member, after 14 years of outstanding leadership! Fran’s official roles have been as secretary and as membership chair; sometimes both at the same time. Unofficially, and equally important, Fran has been the chapter historian. She has recruited and engaged many, many new members over the years, and has a remarkable memory for names and faces. Fran will continue to serve in these unofficial roles and sharing her warmth and enthusiasm with lucky fellow members at our Gatherings.
According to National’s Chapter Guidebook, chapters are to have annual elections. We are to have a nominating committee submit the slate they create to the membership in October, and have the election vote at our November Gathering. Kathy Bildner and the Grant Committee served as the nominating committee this year. They put forth the following slate for the five required officers:
President – Marsha Gebhardt
Vice President – Dawn Weber
Treasurer – Penny Holtzman
Secretary – Ginny Johnson
Membership Chair – Reneé Benage
Reneé Benage has been serving as our Membership Chair for most of this year, and we are lucky to have her.
Kate Lovelady is our board’s newest member-at-large, but she comes with lots of pertinent experience.
Rounding out our leadership team are:
Sue Leahy – board member-at-large and Publicity/Marketing Chair
Kathy Bildner – Grants Chair
Susan Orr, Program Chair
I encourage members to visit the Who’s Who in Our Chapter page to learn more about leaders of our outstanding Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter. Because of them, and you, our passionate and active membership, it’s no surprise that we’ve become the largest chapter in the country!
