The Complete History of GGEU: From the Beginning to Today

Green Gavel Electronic Unit

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PARLIAMENTARIANS®

The Complete History of GGEU: From the Beginning to Today

March 2017 ~ December 2018

Monica Fontenot-Poindexter

H I S T O R I A N

Lucy Hicks Anderson, Esq., PRP P R E S I D E N T

Version 1.0

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The Complete History of GGEU: From The Beginning to Today

March 2017 ~ December 2018

Green Gavel Electronic Unit (GGEU), a constituent division of the National Association of Parliamentarians® (NAP), was chartered on June 15, 2017 with 62 members from 33 chapters, eight states, and two areas of The Links, Incorporated. GGEU began as a Western Area initiative of The Links, Incorporated under the leadership of Roxann Thomas Chargois, Western Area Director and Lucy Hicks Anderson, Esq., PRP, Western Area Parliamentarian. GGEU is a chartering unit of the Electronic Association of Parliamentarians (EAP). GGEU hosts regular unit meetings using the GoToWebinar platform, promotes NAP educational programs, and assists its members with further study to obtain credentials as a Registered Parliamentarian® (RP) and/or Professional Registered Parliamentarian® (PRP).

After generating an increased interest in parliamentary procedure and the underlying rules of deliberative assemblies, Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP organized a study group with members of the Western Area of The Links, Incorporated and encouraged them to read Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, 2nd Edition. Two 1.5-hour workshops were hosted via GoToWebinar as a part of the training process in preparation for the NAP membership exam and to help members learn more about chartering a new unit of NAP.

On March 16, 2017, participants attended the Parliamentary Q&A Study Group

Session No. 1 covering Chapters 1-6 of “In Brief.” On March 30, 2017, Parliamentary Study Q&A Group Session No. 2 covering Chapters 7-11 was held. The webinar presenters were Margaret Winn, PRP-R, Elizabeth Sapp James, RP, and Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP. From March 1, 2017 – April 30, 2017, study group members prepared by reading “In Brief” and reviewing both training webinars in anticipation of taking the membership exam. As a result, 52 members of The Links, Incorporated became new members of NAP.

The first organizational meeting of GGEU was held on May 4, 2017, with the 52 members that passed NAP membership exam along with another 10 ladies who were already members of NAP including one PRP, one PRP-R, and two RPs.


GGEU’s 62 charter members are predominantly from the Western Area of The Links, Incorporated with one member from the Southern Area* of The Links, Incorporated (as noted below): ALASKA: Anchorage (AK) Chapter – Beverly Anne Jones ARIZONA: Tucson (AZ) Chapter – Wilette Coddie Diggs CALIFORNIA: Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter – Saundra Jones; Beverly Hills West (CA) Chapter – Karen Cole, Evelyn Duckett, Andrea Martin Inokon, and Lovene Knight; Claremont Area (CA) Chapter – Pamela Chavira and Valerie Betty Lewis-Corder; Eden Rose (CA) Chapter – Regina Guillory; Harbor Area (CA) Chapter – Anita Moore-Millon; Inglewood-Pacific (CA) Chapter – Susan Hall Comrie; Los Angeles (CA) Chapter – Barbara Denson Trotter; Pasadena-Altadena (CA) Chapter – Victoria Johnson and Carol Alexander Myers; San Bernardino Valley (CA) Chapter – Joyce Ballard and Dawn Belton; San Fernando Valley (CA) Chapter – Tamla Roberts and Joy C. Williams; San Francisco (CA) Chapter – Hazel Belasco Jones COLORADO: Colorado Springs (CO) Chapter – Pandora Osler and Patricia Randle HAWAII: Hawaii (HI) Chapter – Robin Sherrod LOUISIANA: Pontchartrain (LA) Chapter – Eneid Francis* TEXAS: Austin (TX) Chapter – Alta Y. Alexander, Amber Hackett Crosby and Susan Johnson; Dallas (TX) Chapter – Joyce Dennis and Barbara Lord Watkins; East Texas (TX) Chapter – Crystal Lewis; Fort Bend County (TX) Chapter – Amber D. Slaughter and Artice Hedgemon; Gulf Coast Apollo (TX) Chapter – Charina Lynette Allen-Beasley, Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP, Gladys Henderson, Patricia Ingram, Elizabeth Sapp James, RP; Greater Pearland Area (TX) Chapter – LaChelle Fields; Houston (TX) Chapter – Gladys Bransford and Lorraine E. Breckenridge-Sterling; Lone Star (TX) Chapter – Alta Y. Alexander; Mid-Cities (TX) Chapter – Karla Fuller (deceased) and Carmen Johnson; Missouri City (TX) Chapter – Lillie J. Fontenot, Monica Fontenot-Poindexter, Stephanie T. Meads, Sharon Henderson Sanders and Delores Tarver Smith; Plano North Metroplex (TX) Chapter – Mina LaGrange and Mona Tates; Port City (TX) Chapter – Sabrina Loeb; San Antonio (TX) Chapter – Edra Anderson Bush, Harriet Kelley, Jennifer Kelley, Margaret Ann Kelley, Alice Rose Kennedy, RP and Margaret Winn, PRP-R; Town Lake (TX) Chapter – Toya Cirica Bell, Cynthia Watkins Clanton, Kizzy LeJay and Joyce O’Jean Turner; Waco Central Texas (TX) Chapter – Terri Woods-Campbell WASHINGTON: Tacoma (WA) Chapter – Iris Williams West

On May 4, 2017, Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP was elected to serve as Chair ProTem and Karen Cole was elected as the Secretary ProTem. The members adopted the name “Green Gavel Electronic Unit” suggested by Beth Sapp James and adopted a resolution of Intent to Form an unaffiliated electronic unit. A committee was appointed to draft the


Unit Bylaws: LaChelle Fields (Chair), Jennifer Kelley, and Lorraine Breckenridge-Sterling.

The second organizational meeting of GGEU was held on May 25, 2017. The bylaws were amended and approved. Officers were elected to serve GGEU: President – Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP 1st Vice President – Elizabeth Sapp James, RP, 2nd Vice President – Karen Cole, Secretary – Lorraine Breckenridge Sterling, Treasurer – Patricia Ingram, Corresponding Secretary – Tamla Roberts, Publicity Officer – Victoria Johnson, and Historian – Monica Fontenot-Poindexter. After the meeting, the application was submitted on May 25, 2017 and the unit was officially chartered on June 15, 2017. President Anderson appointed Susan Comrie to serve as Parliamentarian and Robin Sherrod to serve as Chaplain.

GGEU charter members were honored at a reception hosted by the Western Area Director Roxann Thomas Chargois at the Western Area Conference of The Links, Incorporated on June 17, 2017. Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP was recognized for her leadership by increasing the interest in parliamentary study and the establishment of the GGEU.

The first Executive Committee Meeting of GGEU was held on August 1, 2017. The first official regular meeting of GGEU was held on August 24, 2017 where members voted to endorse the establishment of the Electronic Association of Parliamentarians (EAP). GGEU was one of four units that chartered EAP in August 2017. At the inaugural meeting of EAP on October 19, 2017, two GGEU members were elected -- Elizabeth Sapp James, PRP as Secretary and Amber Slaughter as Treasurer. During the first EAP Annual Meeting on March 23-24, 2018 two GGEU members were elected to serve on the EAP Nominating Committee: Terri Woods-Campbell (Chair) and Monica Fontenot-Poindexter. Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP served as the EAP Chair of Education and presented a workshop entitled, “What A Single Member Can Do” on March 24, 2018.

GGEU provides extensive training throughout the year to foster the study of parliamentary procedure, promote the educational programs of NAP and assist its members with the credentialing process. Since its inception, the following GGEU members have advanced to Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) including: Elizabeth Sapp James, PRP, Mona Tates, PRP, and Lee Woodward, PRP. GGEU members have also obtained the designation of RP including: Gladys Bransford, RP; Karen Cole, RP; Brenda Kennedy, RP; and Gail Lover, RP.

To further GGEU’s primary purpose of education, each monthly meeting begins with a Parliamentary Moment with one or two members presenting information about a topic found in RONR for approximately two minutes each; which is followed by a


Parliamentary Lesson that is approximately 45 minutes along with a business meeting or either 90 minutes of parliamentary training. The instructors of each Parliamentary Lesson are members of various NAP units in addition to members of GGEU. Another feature of GGEU’s meeting framework is the inclusion of a Membership Spotlight, where a membership committee member conducts a live interview with a GGEU member to add a personal element to the electronic meeting format.

In addition to monthly study sessions, the Education Committee, chaired by Karen Cole, RP, initiated the 2018 Summer Study Hall to help GGEU members who wanted to prepare for the RP exam. The following education and training sessions were provided for all members:

Date Topic Event Presenter September 28, 2017 Part I: Research Regular Meeting Kirk Overbey, PRP

October 26, 2017 Part V: Rules of the Assembly Regular Meeting Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP

November 16, 2017 Part III: Meetings, Sessions, Conventions Regular Meeting Elizabeth Sapp James, PRP

Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP

January 25, 2018 Part III: Meetings, Sessions, Conventions Regular Meeting Elizabeth Sapp James, PRP

Ramona M. Hill, PRP

February 22, 2018 Part IV: Officers, Elections, Boards and Committees Regular Meeting Weldon Merritt, PRP

David Whittaker, RP

March 22, 2018 Part IV: Officers, Elections, Boards and Committees Regular Meeting Shannon Sun, PRP

Allison Wallis, PRP

April 26, 2018 Part II: Motions & Related Procedures Regular Meeting Darlene Allen, PRP

Dennis Clark, PRP

May 24, 2018 Part II: Motions & Related Procedures Regular Meeting Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP

June 7, 2018 Part I: Research Summer Study Hall Series Lovene Knight

July 6, 2018 Part V: Rules of the Assembly

Summer Study Hall Series Lovene Knight

July 20, 2018 Part III: Meetings, Sessions, Conventions


August 13, 2018 Part IV: Officers, Elections, Boards and Committees


September 3, 2018 Part II: Motions & Related Procedures


September 27, 2018 The Creation of Bylaws Regular Meeting Elizabeth Sapp James, PRP

October 25, 2018 Officers Regular Meeting LaChelle Fields

November 29, 2018 Minutes Unit Meeting Karen Cole, RP

As of November 1, 2018, GGEU is the largest unit of NAP with 119 members from

18 states, Canada, and Japan. GGEU has 67 Primary Members, 37 Affiliate Members, and 14 Provisional Members. The number of credentialed GGEU members has increased to: 12 PRPs, one PRP-R, and six RPs.


Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the 2018 History Committee and the President for input with the

Green Gavel Electronic Unit’s inaugural History Document.

Monica Fontenot-Poindexter, Chair Karen Cole, RP

Elizabeth Sapp James, PRP Lucy Hicks Anderson, PRP, President (ex-officio)

The Complete History of GGEU: From The Beginning to Today Written by Monica Fontenot-Poindexter, Historian, 2017-Present

Copyright © 2017-2018 by Green Gavel Electronic Unit. All rights reserved.

The Complete History of GGEU: From the Beginning to Today

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