President’s Message

2005-2006
International President
Carolyn Rice

May 31, 2006

Dear Fellow Quotarians,

The change of seasons is always an interesting time, autumn leaves falling or the blossoming of flowers and new growth. The seasons of Quota are changing, too—clubs and districts are installing new officers, end-of-year meetings are taking place, and the organization prepares for a new year of Quota programs and leadership. Only nine of our 2006 district conferences remain, and I know that our international representatives have enjoyed visiting with you, sharing their important international messages, and learning more about your Quota district successes from the past year.

I was particularly fortunate to have had the opportunity to join the Quotarians of District 41 at their conference in Pampanga in the Philippines. One highlight was attending Fellowship Night, which featured the Quota Goes Latin Dance Contest—Quotarians dressed in colorful costumes performing intricate as well as dramatic choreographed dances. What a spectacle it was to behold as each club took to the floor, all vying to win the many cash prizes. It was a special evening that I will long remember along with the other fun and fellowship opportunities that occurred during the conference. The warm hospitality so generously shared with me by members was greatly appreciated.

And now, I am enjoying my schedule of conferences taking place here in the South Pacific Area, which will keep me busy until convention. Speaking of convention, the excitement is building, and I urge you to join in all the fun and fellowship, help celebrate our success, participate in important discussions regarding the business and future of our organization, learn new things, and extend your Quota knowledge.

And, please do remember that if your club is not planning to attend Convention 2006, it is your club's right and responsibility to have its vote counted in the 2006 international officer elections via absentee ballot. All absentee ballots must be received at the Quota International office no later than June 15, 2006. Absentee ballots received AFTER this date will not be counted.

Now, I have a major news announcement to share with you—the launching of two Quota International governance task forces—one focusing on Quota International's structure and the other on Quota International voting issues. These two research task forces officially began operating on May 15.

How did these task forces come about? Earlier this year, we received a resolution from Quota International of Liverpool, Australia, and a separate one from District 30, also in Australia. After reviewing the resolutions closely, I felt that they both held merit for future study. Because Quota International bylaws provide the president with task force appointing powers, I made the decision to go forward as follows:

Task Force 1: Research alternate models that increase access of all members to Quota International leadership positions. (This continues a task force review initiated by Past International President Mary Cotter two years ago.)

Task Force 2: Research methods by which all clubs shall be able to vote on bylaws.

Task forces will first meet together at Convention 2006 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and they will be asked to report preliminary findings and progress to the 2006-2007 board of directors at their January 2007 meeting. Final findings will be reported to the 2007-2008 board of directors at their July 2007 meeting. This allows approximately 15 months for study of the issues. It will be the responsibility of the 2007-2008 board of directors to determine any future action on the findings of the two task forces. Certainly, Quota members will be informed of findings and future actions as this information is available.

Now, I am pleased to announce the members who have accepted my invitation to serve:

Structure Task Force

• Chair: Rosemary Hannie, 2004-2006 South Area Director (United States, South Area)
• Janet Ahrens, Past Governor, District 24 (Australia, South Pacific Area)
• Chander Aurora, Advisor to Clubs in India (India, Southeast Asia)
• Lea Celis, Governor, District 41 (Philippines, Southeast Asia)
• Pattie Mhoon, Past Governor, District 14 (United States, West Area)
• Maureen Taylor, 2004-2006 Canada Area Director (Canada, Canada Area)

Voting Task Force

• Chair: M. Isabelle Butters, Past Canada Area Director (Canada, Canada Area)
• Ma. Lourdes Del Rosario, Past Governor, District 41 (Philippines, Southeast Asia)
• Vicki S. Grimes, Past Central Area Director (United States, Central Area)
• Saundra Maisey, Governor, District 29 (United States, East Area)
• Karen Murphy, Governor, District 30 (Australia, South Pacific Area)
• Bonnie Roger, Governor, District 37 (New Zealand, South Pacific Area)
• Judith Timber, Governor, District 42 (Curacao; represents Caribbean/Europe)

Please note that I appointed task force members based on current membership numbers of major membership countries and/or regions of Quota International, while also considering the expertise needed for serving on these task forces. We have one representative from each U.S. Quota area (for a total of four representatives), three representatives from the South Pacific (two from Australia and one from New Zealand), three representatives from Southeast Asia (one from India and two from the Philippines), two representatives from Canada, and one representative from Quota's Caribbean/European constituency of members.

Because the work of these two task forces takes place during the leadership of three international presidents (my current presidency and the presidencies of 2006-2007 President Enid Croes-Marugg and 2007-2008 President Daryl Perrine), Enid, Daryl, and I are serving as ex-officio members of both task forces. Executive Director Kathleen Treiber will serve as the staff liaison to both task forces, and Quota International Parliamentarian Carolyn Stubbs will serve as the parliamentary adviser.

In closing, I wish to convey my deepest appreciation and thanks to all task force members, who have agreed to take on these important governance issues. I know we all look forward to learning more about their findings in July 2007.

Yours sincerely,

Carolyn Rice

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