Winter Board Update

By Kathy Gaines

Thank You to Phase Forward Team and Medical Advisory Group
 
The COVID pandemic brought about many new and challenging circumstances in our lives. One of these was how to keep our KSC sangha safe while supporting members’ practice.
 
To address these concerns, a Medical Advisory Group (MAG) and the Phase Forward Team were established.  MAG consists of David Teegarden and Sara Smith, both healthcare professionals. 

Members of the Phase Forward team include David Teegarden, Sara Smith, Sue Kretschmann, Barbara Mathieson, Nell LeFebvre, David Kennedy, Martha Wilhelm, Lacey Segal, and Lama Yeshe.
 
From the beginning of the pandemic, David and Sara (MAG) synthesized information from the CDC, the Oregon Health Authority, Jackson County Public Health, and other available national and state guidelines. Then they presented recommendations for discussion to the Phase Forward team. 

Meeting throughout the first 2+ years of the pandemic and using the recommendations from MAG, Phase Forward adopted and periodically revised safety protocols for activities within the meditation center.  As the nature of the pandemic shifted and in-person restrictions were loosened, the Phase Forward Team went on hiatus to convene again if needed.

The Board of Directors would like to thank the MAG and Phase Forward teams for all of their time, hard work, and due diligence in keeping our KSC family safe.
 
Note: with the winter and flu season upon us and an uptick in COVID, please be careful. If you are not feeling well, please stay home, take care of yourself, and attend activities via zoom.


Board of Directors (BOD) Reorganization
 
Do you know how your KSC Board of Directors is structured and what they do to support KSC? This article is the first of several to provide insight into the workings of KSC’s board.
 
2023 was a year of reorganization for the BOD. The reorganization to streamline BOD processes was achieved through forming these 5 committees:
 

  • Executive Committee

  • Administrative Oversight Committee

  • Board Governance and Development Committee

  • Financial Oversight Committee

  • Resource Development Committee

 
Each board member participates in 2-3 committees. Committees meet monthly and report on their work to the Executive Committee. Updates are provided to the entire board at quarterly meetings when feedback and suggestions are requested also when the board’s full involvement is needed, such as for approvals or voting.

An additional benefit of the reorganization is more effective use of board members’ time empowering them to become subject matter experts in the various areas of board responsibility. 
 
Board Governance and Development Committee
For this edition of the newsletter, we will highlight the Board Governance and Development Committee, whose members are Martha Wilhelm, David Kennedy, Sue Kretschmann, and Kathy Gaines. This committee’s overall work focus and a few examples of its 2023 accomplishments include:

  • Oversight of policies & procedures, By-laws, and board officer job descriptions

    • review board policies to ensure they are current

    • update the secretary job description

    • update policy on Vacancy and Selection of Board members,

  • Write procedures including recruitment and mentoring new members

    • create a workflow to clarify, simplify and standardize the recruitment process

    • finalize new member position description

    • develop new member orientation packet

    • recruit, interview, and welcome our newest member, Kristienne McFarland,

  • Plan for board training and sangha meeting

    • coordinated 2023 annual sangha meeting.

We plan to monitor our new committee structure and refine it as necessary, always with the goal of supporting KSC’s mission and our Lamas. 
 
KSC’s Mission (available on the website):

Kagyu Sukha Chöling is a Tibetan Buddhist center where the authentic teachings of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages are openly offered to the community. Timeless and accessible, these teachings cultivate inner peace, compassion and insight. KSC is dedicated to welcoming and supporting individuals at any stage of their spiritual journeys. 

Kagyu Sukha Chöling (KSC)