President's December Message

What Does the Temple Board Do?

After a career spent in Human Resources departments, I still smile when employees ask me about their Personnel File. I am capitalizing that phrase because it seems to have a great deal of mystery and power for the ordinary mortals who ask about it. In fact, employee files contain little more than records of transactions such as insurance changes and tax information. Despite employees’ ideas that managers can put anything in their files, the truth is that only documents the employee has reviewed – and signed – can be placed there.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that the same air of mystery and intrigue surround the Board of Directors here at Temple Emunah. Who are they? What do they do? Is it a secret?

The reality is that the Board is a group of hard-working volunteers who give their time and energy to support the congregants whom they represent (and by whom they were elected). The Board’s job is, quite simply, “the management and administration of the affairs of the Temple,” with which it is vested according to our Bylaws. So here’s a peek behind the curtain at how the Board functions.

Actually, there is no curtain! All Board meetings are open to the Congregation and we welcome visitors. The meetings are generally held on the third Tuesday of every month with the exception of August, immediately following evening Minyan. Minutes of the meetings are available from the Office. We operate according to Roberts Rules of Order and all of our actions are governed by our Bylaws – also available through the office.

The Board is comprised of the following officers:

o President
o Executive Vice President
o Vice Presidents of Education, Religious Affairs, Membership, Finance, and Administration
o Secretary
o Financial Secretary
o Treasurer,
o Associate Financial Officer.

Chairs of these Standing Committees are also members of the Board:

o 55+
o Adult Ed
o Beautification
o Budget
o Family Ed
o Finance
o House
o Human Resources
o Kitchen
o Membership
o Publicity
o Religious
o School
o Social Action
o Ways and Means
o Youth.

The Presidents of Brotherhood and Sisterhood, the President of the Pre-School Board of Directors, and five Directors at Large, are also mandated by the Bylaws to be part of the Board. The Rabbis and Executive Director are ex officio members that do not vote. We also invite other committee chairs, such as Keruv, Bereavement, and Minyan Katan, to be part of the Board.

While the Board continually fulfills the duties prescribed by the Bylaws, such as controlling real property, expending funds, long-range planning, and hiring staff (except for within the Pre-School), we also focus on specific priorities each year. We have recently identified strategic priorities for 2011-12. This was accomplished through discussion among the Board members, representing the perspectives of the committees and groups they represent. I am writing this one week before our November Board meeting, at which we will finalize the priorities. The overall areas of focus this year are:

o Get more people involved in the synagogue and develop new leadership
o Improve congregational awareness of Temple finances
o Enhance integration of programs across committees and constituencies, and clarify the guidelines for running a program

Since the Bylaws charge the Board with “negotiating and executing employment contracts with the Rabbis,” we will also be working this year on the process of renewing the Temple’s employment agreement with Rabbi Lerner. Last year, a lot of time and energy were devoted to selecting and negotiating a contract with Rabbi Fel.

At our monthly Board meetings, we review financial reports, discuss issues brought forward by Committee chairs, and get updates on Temple operations. Over the past year, we have spent more time on understanding the Temple’s financial processes.

Each month, there is an electronic listing of Board meeting highlights on the Temple website. It’s listed on the left side of the homepage under “Communications.” I try to get the update done within a few days of the Board meeting.

Every Congregant has a voice in electing the Board of Directors. Each year, the President appoints a Nominating Committee charged with identifying candidates for the upcoming year. The Nominating Committee includes two Board members and three non-Board members – as stated in the Bylaws. If you have an interest in participating on the Nominating Committee, please let me know by e-mailing me at

. The Nominating Committee presents a slate which is then voted on (with any additional nominations from the floor) at the annual Congregational Meeting in May.
I hope this information provides some insight into the Board – who we are, how we function, and where we are headed. I look forward to your questions and suggestions, and invite you to attend any Board meeting. The remaining dates this year are:

11/15
12/20
1/17
2/28
3/20
4/24
5/15
6/19

L’Shalom,
Marcy Lidman

My thanks to Teddi Marin for her suggestion to write about the Board in this column.