Do you enjoy or get a benefit from being a Carder Steuben Glass Association (CSGA) Member? Would you like to contribute or provide fresh ideas to help keep the Association strong?  One very important way is to serve on the CSGA Board! There are actually several board positions opening up this September; they are the office of President, Secretary, and a Board Director position.

I am on the committee to identify possible individuals to fill those positions.  While the nomination committee has identified a couple of individuals that have shared a willingness to serve, we wanted to reach out to all club members and ask if you would like to serve on the CSGA board in some capacity — whether it’s for this coming September election or whether it’s something you would like to consider in the future?     

To help you better understand what board members do, a description of the roles and expectations for each board position and some general comments are provided below. Complete descriptions are included in the CSGA bylaws which are located on the club’s website under the section ‘About the Association’. 

Roles:   

The Board shall be comprised of the Officers and three Directors all of whom shall be elected by the members present at the Annual Meeting. The Officers shall serve for two-year terms and Directors shall serve for three-year terms or until their respective successors have been elected.

The duties of the Officers are as follows:

Section 5.1. President: The President shall be the Chair of Board and shall, whenever possible, preside at all meetings of the Board. The President shall appoint all committees, may remove committee members, and shall be an ex-officio member of each committee. The Committees shall report directly to the President, who shall periodically report the activities of such committees to the Board.

Section 5.2. Vice President: In the event of the absence of the President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President.

Section 5.3. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of proceedings of the CSGA, issue notices of meetings, record all applications for membership and maintain a correct list of members and their addresses.

Section 5.4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall account for all funds received or paid by the CSGA. A financial report shall be made at the annual meeting and at such other times as requested by the President or the Board.

Section 5.5. Webmaster: The Webmaster shall maintain and update the website. A report regarding the website shall be made at the Annual Meeting and at such other times as shall be requested by the Board.

General Comments

The President is not expected to do everything. The President guides CSGA related topics and direction and delegates tasks to other board or non-board members. The President calls board meetings and the Annual Meeting to order. Other examples of responsibilities include identifying people responsible for setting up and running the Symposium, Auction, Gazette, participation in trade shows, and to write or delegate topics for the Gazette articles.  

The Vice-President/Secretary/Treasurer/Webmaster — In addition to the roles defined above, they often assist others with their activities, supporting the symposium or the auction, and/or supporting activities/presentations promoting the association. 

Directors along with Board members may be given special tasks or projects to support / promote the association’s activities, such as writing and proofing Gazette articles, assisting with the Symposium and Auction, and any ad hoc projects that may arise.

CSGA Board Members do not need to live in the Corning area. We have had board members living on the west coast, east coast, and anywhere in between.  If you have a current or future desire to serve as a CSGA board member, please reach out to me, Steve Skalsky, using the link here or any Officer using the club’s emails on our website.

Sincerely,

Steve Skalsky

Vice President CSGA

The Science of Design: Frederick Carder and Paul Vickers Gardner