AAJA-DC Board Meeting Minutes
Sunday 10/15/06

Officers Attending: President Tan Ly, Vice-President (Print) Hyunju Chappell-Hine, Secretary Susan Yoo

1. Co-sponsor film at APA film fest (9/30): This event went well. We had a table at the festival with a banner for our chapter. HJ gave Janice (member of APA Film committee, works at "Asian Fortune" - publication for Washington, DC-area Asian Am. community) DVDs produced by AAJA and showcasing Asian-American male broadcasters. We had literature on upcoming events out on the table and signed up a new member. Scott Tong moderated a panel on the representation of Asian/Asian-Am. men in American media. There were 2 filmmakers on the panel. We'll try to do this again next year.

2. Asian American Leadership Speaker Series - Luncheon with Former Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta (9/23): We had 23 people signed up for this event and 3 no-shows. Of the 3, 2 had already paid for their tickets. HJ is waiting for final receipts. HJ needs to be reimbursed, since she covered the $300 deposit as well as fees for AV services and parking validation. We all agreed the event was a success and wondered if we should go with the same format for the next speaker. The Hyatt is eager to keep the event at their hotel. HJ would like to find someone in the non-profit sector to be our next speaker. She said it would be good to have 2 different people act as organizer and moderator, since both roles are demanding. We discussed the need to line up moderators for future events. In thinking of moderators, Sara Goo's name came up. Tan pointed out that she's our chapter's MediaWatch agent, and we agreed that we should give her some presence on our web site. Another possibility is Francine Unemaya, who works at washingtonpost.com and is organizing a table for our Trivia Bowl. A Wash. Post reporter who attended the luncheon said he could approach Sec. of Labor Elaine Chao to ask her if she could participate in this series as a speaker.

3. Mixer/Book party for Rajiv Chandrasekaran (Oct. 12): We co-hosted this event with SAJA at NPR. The turnout was around 30. This event was outstanding. Rajiv gave a great talk, and his book was just named a finalist for a National Book award. Tan commented on how much he learned from the talk and said he really appreciated the level of intellectual engagement that was offered. We agreed that partnering with SAJA went well, and we'd like to continue to do so as much as possible. A dozen books were sold.

4. Trivia Bowl (Fall fundraiser): Wanita and Sherri weren't at the meeting, so we didn't have an update for this item. We have 1 team signed up so far, but several of us have lined up teams or are working on doing so. Wanita should have Trivia Bowl assignments -- what role we'll each play the evening of the Bowl -- out to board members soon. All volunteers should contact Wanita.

5. Mid-career seminar - "Sharpening Your Investigative Skills: How to Dig Deeper Faster." This event will take place in late January 2007. Tan is meeting with the president of the National Press Club, and with reps from Investigative Reporters & Editors to talk about the event. Tan will also discuss hosting the East Coast Mini-Conference and the next fundraiser (both 2007) with the Press Club pres., since that's where we plan to hold those events. We need to plan early and book the venue, so that we can get a head start on seeking sponsors.

6. Program idea - "Middle East Crisis through American Lenses" or "Asian-Americans in the Media" - 11/15: This will be at Bloomberg. Lister wasn't at the meeting, so we didn't have an update for this one. We've sent out an announcement, though. Panel is lined up, and the event should go smoothly.

7. Elections: We have 1 candidate for each office, so all candidates will run uncontested.

8. Networking opportunities: Susan said that we might consider trying to help our members network professionally. The problem is that it's a lot of work, and we don't have the same resources (like staff) as a national fraternity/sorority or college alumni offices. However, Tan mentioned that he often passes along contact information among members and other people who contact him in his capacity as AAJA-DC president. Tan said in 2007 he could send out an email callout, say, once a month or so, to people looking for connections or help networking. It could be a "Letter from the president," sending out the message that we're here to help, but we need to know what you need.

9. Next meeting - Sun., Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m. - Cafe Salsa in Old Town Alexandria: This will be a Thank You brunch/board meeting in honor of all the hard work we put in to put on the Trivia Bowl. Rides from the metro can be arranged for those who need them. Board meetings are open to all members, but we'll need RSVP's for this one.