Multicultural Affairs Committee

Meeting Minutes

Elm Street Building
Jefferson City, MO
April 2, 2002

Attendees (per sign-in sheet)

Tanya Black**, Rachel Griffin**, Mary Jo Horn*, Jeff Jaquess**, Kevin Johnson**, Celine Koier, Manley Lampkin, Robert Mesa*, G. Lawson Penny and Steve Wyatt**

** MAC Officer, * Division Representative/Alternate

Quorum noted. Chairman Johnson called meeting to order at 1:23 p.m.

Diversity Conference:

Was positive, coordinated, teamwork to do the impossible. Upper Management will wait on final bill and then get more comments.
Video and pictures taken at the conference by Scott Myers to Jeff Jaquess for use on Intranet.
Paying the bill – Steve Wyatt, Budget Officer and Karen Kremer, DAS are to work together to pay MAC's invoices through SAM II. The Ramada Inn and the individual speakers invoices need to be submitted to billing. Next year the bills will be sent to one person (budget officer).
Send comments by email to Kevin Johnson about what went right, wrong or indifferent. Conference assistants could tell the chain-of-events and what was on the happening on the floor.
Mr. Johnson knows about the OAC issue. This issue is being resolved. MAC is waiting for the facts to be gathered before the next MAC meeting and then will go before Executive Staff to report.
Billy Garriott - "Deadtime" comments from the Diversity Conference survey, explain why DAS was invited to present a session i.e., people who hear it could influence people who do make the purchasing.
Some media (newspaper and radio people) came (KWOS-AM) - microphone on dais. Ask Connie Patterson whom she contacted on behalf of department and ask her for a report.
Get audio/visual equipment to rooms beforehand and not the day of the conference.
Bob Mesa asked if there was a cash fund for one-time miscellaneous purchase. Ms. Black and Mr. Johnson explained that MAC does have an account balance at Target. At the conference, a person had to go and get an Audio/visual patch cable and magic markers for presenters.
Chris Buckland – tabulating conference info and will forward electronic and paper copy.

New Business:

Jeff Jaquess has updated Representatives/Alternatives page with Llona Weiss name.
MAC upcoming Meeting Events page now includes the "Lunch and Learn" sessions.
Gave rough draft of MAC attendance to Mr. Johnson.

Old Business:

In April, the officer nomination process will be started
Once Scott Myers develops the Diversity conference photos, they need to be sent to Kevin Johnson. Mr. Johnson and Kenny Seeney will work together and pick 10-14 pictures to be posters on the MAC Intranet pages. Before posting, the pages will be reviewed by Deborah C Harris, Debbie Boeckman, Valerie Johnson and Connie Patterson.
The MAC bylaws did pass. Secretary Jaquess sent out the bylaws "Return Receipt Requested" and received 40 out of 80 replies. Mr. Jaquess then resent the bylaws and got a 30 out of 40 response.
MAC Meetings
- Get more attendance to MAC meetings.
- Sign in on the MAC attendance sheets.
- Robert Mesa and Kevin Johnson – what motivates people to get here "come hell or high water"?
- Maybe e-mail program directors or secretaries about the importance of attending.
- Let MAC members know it is okay to go and you can code time at the meeting to this accounting code (under Public Involvement for SAM II: UMAC).
- Maybe have MAC go to Program Directors’ meeting and have a membership drive.
- Give the "atta boy" praise and recognition factor. For example: a letter from Steve Mahfood "we would like to thank State Parks for allowing Robert Mesa to be able to attend the MAC meetings and Diversity Conference this past year."
- Acknowledge DNR’s commitment to diversity. Send mission statement to Division Director or immediate supervisor.
- Find out who is the MAC member's gatekeeper is and what level (Division, Program, Section, and Unit) they are. Stress to them the importance of meetings.
Lunch and Learn – person attending can take a one-half hour lunch, then take Annual Leave.
Rachel – Lunch and Learn wants to have live speakers occasionally.
Celine Koier – send an e-mail announcement letting people know they can attend Lunch and Learn
People do not check Intranet on a regular basis for new Department or MAC information.
MAC members need to fulfill their responsibilities as Representatives and Alternates
Standard Operating Procedure for submitting items to MAC is: Director's Office Liaison, MAC chair, Division Directors and then individual members within the Department.
Mr. Johnson mentioned that the Black Caucus Conference would be held on July 7-10, 2002. Due to budget constraints, there will only be a limited number of DNR employees attending.
Historical Archives Subcommittee – consolidate, label and move items before June 30, 2002.
Adjourned at 2:45 p.m.

Mr. Jaquess recorded these minutes.