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ICWP Membership Meeting–Baltimore Annual Meeting Oct. 5, 2017

MINUTES

Interstate Council on Water Policy

Board of Directors Meeting (Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD)

October 5, 2017

The meeting took place at the Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore during ICWP’s Annual Meeting.  Director participants included:  Heidi Moltz (Chair), Brian Atkins (2ndVice Chair), Drew DeHoff (Treasurer), Pam Bush (Secretary), Dru Buntin and Ed Swaim.  Executive Director Ryan Mueller was also present. ICWP members and sponsors in attendance included Andrea Collier, Richard Friesner, Ginger Harper, Carlton Haywood, Jennifer Hoggatt, Rhonda Manning, Hope Mizzell, Karen Rouse, Peter Evans, Jim Schneider, Julie Ekman, Grantley Pyke, Jim Schneider, Josh Weiss, Ben Wright and Tony Willardson. USGS representatives included Sonya Jones, Doug Yeskis, and Cheryl Dieter.

Call to order – Heidi Moltz called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.  No additions to the draft agenda were proposed.  These minutes reflect the significant issues reviewed and resolutions adopted.

  1. Treasurer’s Report (Drew DeHoff) – Drew described ICWP’s financial status as healthy.  He reported a checking account balance of $32,500 with pending deposits of $13,387, a positive PayPal account balance of $781, and an expected $2,050 in registration fees, for total assets of $48,718.  Drew reported expenditures for the Executive Director ($6000 Oct. invoice) and $6,500 in payments to the Admiral Fell Inn, making for current liabilities of $12,500 and net assets of $36,218.
  2. Executive Director’s Report (Ryan Mueller) – Ryan reported that the FY18 stream gage support letter had garnered 62 signatures, including some first-time signatories, reflecting strong support across the country. The level of support has been encouraging.  The letter is usually submitted in early Spring; however, ICWP’s submission this year will be made a week before release of the Senate mark-up of the Energy and Water appropriations bill.
  3. Election of Directors and Officers – Executive Director Ryan Mueller noted that the Board of Directors remained five (5) members short, and urged anyone interested in serving to nominate themselves.  Ginger Harper, Chief of Policy and Communication of the Kansas Water Office did so.  The following slate of Directors and Officers was elected by unanimous vote of the members present:

Directors with terms ending 2019:  Kirsten Mickelsen, Upper Mississippi River Basin Association; Dru Buntin, Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Directors with terms ending 2020:  Pam Bush, Delaware River Basin Commission; Ginger Harper, Kansas Water Office


Officers for 2017-2018:  

Chair:                    Julie Cunningham, Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Treasurer:             Andrew DeHoff, Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Secretary:              Pam Bush, Delaware River Basin Commission
1stVice Chair:        Brian Atkins, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
2ndVice Chair:       Pam Bush, Delaware River Basin Commission

  • Executive Director’s Report (Ryan Mueller) 

Southeastern U.S. Water Conference.  Ryan reported that ICWP had been asked by the University of Georgia’s River Basin Center to mount the third southeastern U.S. water conference.  A large transboundary session is planned during the conference on October 24 in Phenix City, AL.  ICPRB and SRBC will be represented, and Dean Edson, Director of Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts, will speak about groundwater management.  Ryan noted that it is part of the job of the Executive Director to look for opportunities to collaborate and to promote membership in ICWP.  The University of Alabama’s Water Policy Center joined ICWP last year as a result of this type of outreach.  

      New opportunity for Ryan.  While promoting ICWP membership to the State of Indiana, Ryan was recruited to head the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Water.  He has accepted the job and is due to start on October 16. Ryan will continue as ICWP’s Executive Director to fulfill his previous ICWP commitments through October 31 and will support the leadership transition on a voluntary basis after that date. Ryan promised to bring Indiana in as a member.  He thanked the ICWP Directors and members for the opportunity he had been given to lead the organization.  He said it had been a terrific experience and had allowed his wife to make an important career move that was beneficial to the family.  

Washington, D.C. Roundtable.  Ryan said he hoped to see everyone at the D.C. Roundtable in March.  The event will be co-sponsored by the Western States Water Council (WSWC) and will run from March 13thto 16th, 2018 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel.  The format is expected to be similar to previous years, with a day focused on water resources planning, a day for speakers from the current administration and the hill, and a day devoted to meetings at agency and hill offices.  Ryan noted that last year’s Roundtable had 80 attendees.   

  • Executive Director Search (Heidi Moltz) – AtHeidi’s suggestion, a search committee was formed to search for a new executive director. The committee will be led by ICWP’s incoming (2017-18) Chair, Julie Cunningham.  Brian Atkins, Dru Buntin, Drew Dehoff, and Pam Bush volunteered to serve as members.  They will develop and publish advertisements and conduct interviews.  It is hoped the process can be competed in six months or less. Ryan suggested that the Board and search committee be open to reducing the expense of compensating an executive director by considering affiliation with another organization and/or co-locating and sharing support services.  Ryan noted that administrative support would have been very helpful to him and could be considered in the future.
  • Adjournment (Heidi) –It was agreed Board meetings would continue to take place on the first Thursday of the month at 11 a.m. Eastern.  The next meeting will take place November 2, 2017.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 a.m.
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