Executive Council Meeting Report

July 27–28, 2016

The NSSLHA Executive Council met on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. Here you'll find the Summary Report of the meeting.

Executive Council members in attendance were President Chelsea Walker, Vice President for Finance Tatiana Windley, Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally Wilson, Vice President for Student State Officers (AuD) Madison Saunders, Vice President for Student State Officers (SLP) Margaret Pierce, Vice President for Audiology Programming Erica Gardner, Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy Garrett Nathan, and National NSSLHA Advisor Kathy Shapley.

Executive Council member Vice President for Speech-Language Pathology Programming Melanie Riland was not in attendance.

Program Director Tracy White and Chief Staff Officer Kyle Vickers were in attendance.

President's Opening Remarks

President Walker welcomed the Executive Council and opened the meeting promptly at 3:00 p.m.

She stated that she especially appreciated the dedication of the Executive Council members as NSSLHA undergoes its restructuring.

National Office Updates

In addition to welcoming the Executive Council to the National Office, White introduced the NSSLHA staff.

Introduction to Advocacy and Social Media

Ingrida Lusis, Director of Federal and Political Advocacy, and Erik Lazdins, Associate Director of Grassroots Member Engagement for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) team, met and shared GRPP's mission with the Executive Council. The team is working with Nathan, NSSLHA's Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy, to develop a year-long effort that will provide National NSSLHA Members the tools to become advocates at the state and federal levels. This initiative is scheduled to launch in early 2017.

Introduction and Update From ASHA CEO

ASHA Chief Executive Officer Arlene A. Pietranton shared the purpose of ASHA and the services ASHA provides to its members—many of which are also available to National NSSLHA members. Of note to students, the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology continue to experience steady, unbroken growth and boast a 1% unemployment rate as well as a high level of professional satisfaction.

Student State Officers—Roles and Responsibilities

Jess Salley, NSSLHA's Regional Councilor—Central, joined the meeting via conference call to discuss the proposed roles and responsibilities of NSSLHA's new Student State Officer (SSO) positions. Similar to ASHA's Advisory Council, NSSLHA's goal is to have one audiology SSO (AuD SSO) and one speech-language pathology SSO (SLP SSO) from each state where there is at least one NSSLHA chapter.

The application period for these positions opens in August 2016, and the first 50 positions will be filled by the end of September 2016. By September 2017, all 100 positions will be filled.

Brief History of NSSLHA

Shapley provided a brief background of the association and the number of students currently in CSD programs. She also provided a brief overview of NSSLHA's financial history, and she explained the reasons behind the new governance restructure implemented this year.

NSSLHA'S Mission and Strategic Plan

Killian, NSSLHA's Vice President for Planning, reviewed the 2016–2018 NSSLHA Strategic Plan. The plan was developed in 2015 and was based on NSSLHA's mission to inspire, empower, and support students in CSD programs to engage in leadership opportunities, grow professionally, and excel in their careers.

NSSLHA set to accomplish this mission through four goals. The first two goals focused on the organization as a whole, as NSSLHA aimed to (1) optimize operational performance and (2) collaborate with other groups. The last two goals were centralized around serving NSSLHA's membership at a higher degree, achieved by (3) deepening NSSLHA leadership's understanding of membership needs and (4) building a strong yet diverse membership community.

As the new Executive Council moves forward, it will continue focusing its efforts on moving the organization toward these goals.

Executive Council Roles and Relationships

Walker and Shapley reviewed roles and responsibilities under the new governance structure. The team discussed the roles and responsibilities of the Executive Council, which includes the Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Fidelity of Purpose. Finally, they discussed the new mentorship opportunities available to Executive Council members as they begin to be paired with their ASHA Board of Directors counterparts.

Restructuring of Programs

Walker reviewed the programmatic changes that were implemented in the Spring 2016 Council meeting. Chapter Honors was restructured to streamline how chapters receive honors and to align Chapter Honors with NSSLHA's Strategic Plan. The last issue of Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders was published in June 2016.

Member Honors

Walker led a discussion about NSSLHA's Member Honors program. The Executive Council is evaluating a proposal to revise the Member Honors program so that it more closely aligns with NSSLHA's Strategic Plan. The revision will be rolled out later this fall.

GRPP Update

Nathan, NSSLHA's Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy, presented the progress he is making on developing a 12-month grassroots advocacy plan to engage NSSLHA members. Once the plan is finalized and approved by the Executive Council, NSSLHA will send the information to its local chapters and SSOs.

NSSLHA Experience at ASHA Convention

Riland, NSSLHA Vice President for Speech-Language Pathology Programming, provided an update on the NSSLHA Experience activities at this year's ASHA Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Riland then co-presented with Gardner, NSSLHA Vice President for Audiology Programming, to discuss the planning progress of upcoming NSSLHA events at the ASHA Convention, such as the NSSLHA Lounge, the NSSLHA Honors Luncheon, Student Social, Knowledge Bowl, Rapid Roundtables, and Praxis Prep course.

Executive Council members contributed to the discussion to enable the best possible planning of each activity. NSSLHA is making great progress in the planning of each event, which will significantly enhance the student experience at the 2016 ASHA Convention.

CFCC Update

Gardner, Vice President for Audiology Programming, provided a report from the Council for Clinical Certification (CFCC) Executive Council meeting that she attended on July 14–16, 2016. The CFCC created an online application for the clinical certificate, discussed disclosure policies and English language proficiency, and reviewed addiction and probation period guidelines.

Executive Council Leadership Education

Walker introduced Turn the Ship Around as this year's leadership training guide. She selected this book because leadership and leaving a legacy is an essential part of her presidential term. Each month, the Executive Council will meet to discuss a chapter from the book.

Exploring Non-Dues Revenue Opportunities

Shapley and White presented opportunities for NSSLHA to diversify its revenue stream, which will allow it to offer additional programs and services to its members. The Executive Council engaged in generative discussion to explore possibilities.

"Student's Say" Column in The ASHA Leader

Bridget Murray-Law, Editor-in-Chief of The ASHA Leader, informed the Executive Council about opportunities for Executive Council members and other students to contribute to the Leader's "Student's Say" column.

Review Handbook and Processes

White reviewed the Executive Council Handbook, which contains the recently revised bylaws, governance structure, policies, and other information about NSSLHA.

Dismissal Policy for NSSLHA Officers

Walker led the Executive Council in a generative discussion to establish a dismissal policy. Walker will take the lead to draft a policy for the Executive Council to review and vote on through the NSSLHA Community site.

Introduction to the ASHFoundation

Nancy Minghetti, American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) Executive Director, and Beverly Ryan, ASHFoundation Manager of Annual Fundraising, provided the Executive Council an overview of the ASHFoundation and its events at the ASHA Convention. They also discussed the NSSLHA Scholarship and other funding opportunities that are available to CSD students.

Financial Review

Windley, Vice President for Finance, presented NSSLHA's financial update and reviewed the second quarter financial report through June 2016. NSSLHA's total revenue is down by $3,403, which is 1% lower than last year. On the other hand, expenses are also down by $28,551—an 8% decrease. In all, NSSLHA is moving toward a stronger financial standing.

Generative Discussion

To advance the NSSLHA Strategic Plan, the Executive Council engaged in generative discussion on the following topics:

How can NSSLHA engage students in advocacy activities throughout the year?
What are the most effective ways NSSLHA can communicate with members and chapters?

National Advisor Update to ASHA Board of Directors

Shapley presented her NSSLHA update, which she had prepared to share at the July 2016 ASHA Board of Directors meeting. Since May 2016, NSSLHA has updated and approved its bylaws, and the NSSLHA Board of Directors approved them, as well. NSSLHA held its first national elections. NSSLHA has created a new handbook and is currently drafting policies and procedures.

Closing Remarks

The meeting was adjourned at 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, 2016.