Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - 16 March 1998

ATTENDEES:  Shirley Harris,
            Michael Bachmann,    
            Larry Orcutt,
            Kent Bierley,
            Billye Geisinger,
            Raelynn Bryan,
            Larry Benson (Exec Advisor)

1. Briefly covered the four ideas/points that Larry Orcutt had emailed to all on 13 Jan 98 to begin the discussion

2. Wide-ranging discussion (with many points not in prior email) seemed to conclude that the best way for the Chapter to prosper was to focus on and develop an NMA mission/purpose that could be offered to (and relied upon by) senior NAIC management, starting with CC.

3. Training (to including training planning, and developing and providing training classes) came up as an NAIC need that could leverage on NMA current/past strength.

4. Significant number of points were raised wrt NAIC "culture" and "habits" concerning such training problems/potentials.
   • Lack of formal training/career planning beyond journeyman level

   • Contrast: Everyone's 860 plan calls for development of self/organization vs constrained resources.

   • Contrast: Varied values on worth of training, such as some career progression role models say it has NO value. Also, for promotion in some parts of NAIC, advanced formal degree is a necessary (but not in itself fully sufficient) way to advance beyond journeyman. We agreed we can't expect a "ticketpunch" contract mentality of promotion reward for education alone.

   • Questions on how NAIC does training resource allocation/plans (some dated info shared, but not fully known/understood)

   • Possibility NMA has (or could develop) measures of training effect such as career progression of those attending chapter training and Certified Manager tests to assess NAIC personnel.

   • Contrasting NAIC supervisors needs/roles:
     1. Supervisors have development of self/organization in their own 860's
     2. No formal continuing education requirements/system
     3. Culture that managers already know what they need.
     4. Few NAIC managers attend/teach NMA courses

5. Concluded we need a series of meetings. Next meeting is 23 Mar, 1000, PO Conf Rm. We will begin with briefing Bill Bartlett has given to past NAIC CC's.

6. Meeting was adjourned.