L to R back row: Board Members Elect Jinky Gardner, Christine Wenrich, Adena Ishii, President Elect, Board Members Elect: Ken Bukowski, Diz Swift, Jessica Powell,  Preston Jordan. With mic, Nancy Bickel, Nominating Committee Chair.  Photo Emma Ishii

Phyllis Gale

The LWVBAE Officers and Board for 2017-18 elected at the Annual Meeting on May 11 will begin their terms July 1. The new officers will be: Adena Ishii, President, Christine Wenrich, Secretary, and Emily Beckhusen, Treasurer.  The six Board Members will be: Ken Bukowski, Phyllis Gale, Jinky Gardner, Preston Jordan, Jessica Powell and Diz Swift.  The Board will include six members and officers who were elected to and served on the 2016-17 Board.  Jessica Powell was appointed to the Board this spring.  Ken Bukowski and Adena Ishii will be new to the Board.

Emily Beckhusen

Most of the nominated slate of officers and six board members were elected by unanimous voice vote of the members at the meeting. League Member Bill Chapman nominated Adena Ishii for President in response to a call for nominees from the floor, a regular feature of every annual meeting. Adena Ishii is a member and current membership growth consultant for LWVBAE.

The election for president was carried out by paper ballot. Before members cast their ballots, each of the candidates had an opportunity to speak for about three minutes and respond to several questions from the floor. Adena Ishii received 34 votes; Deborah Malbec, current President and slate nominee, received 24 votes. Ms. Ishii had announced her intention to run for president through floor nomination in a letter to the League Board on April 12.

LWVBAE Board 2016–17 at Annual meeting 2016; from left Jinky Gardner, Christine Wenrich, Preston , Margo Schueler, Regina Beatus, Diz Swift, Deborah Malbec. Not in photo: Phyllis Gale and Emily Beckhusen

Current President Deborah Malbec will  complete her  term at the end of June, after leading the League through a demanding and successful year of expanding voter services and membership growth. Although many of the current Board members have been elected to serve on the 2017-18 Board, Regina Beatus will also complete her Board term at the end of June. Margo Schueler resigned shortly after the 2016 meeting when photo above was taken. [For the report of League accomplishments in the 2016-17 League year see related League article.]

The Nominating Committee for 2017-18 will be chaired by Nancy Bickel, who also chaired the current Committee. Elise Mills was elected as a member. The other elected position remains vacant, as Adena Ishii had been nominated, but, having been elected president, could not serve on the Nominating Committee. The elected position and two appointed positions on the Nominating Committee will be filled by the new Board after it takes office. Interested members may apply to the current Nominating Comm. at nancy@lwvbae.org.

To learn more about each of the newly elected officers and board members, please read the short bios published in the 2017 Annual Meeting Kit here. [link to be supplied.] Adena Ishii’s will be found in the bios of the proposed 2017-18 Nominating Committee.  Deborah Malbec also provided an introduction to the Kit.

See neighboring articles for further reports on the Annual Meeting.