September 2023 CCF Board Meeting Minutes

City of Chandler — Regular Meeting (2023-10-26)

View PDF Meeting page

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 10144 characters
Meeting Minutes 
Chandler Cultural Foundation 
Regular Meeting 
 
September 28, 2023 | 5:30 p.m. 
Chandler Museum, Saguaro Room 
300 S. Chandler Village Dr., Chandler, AZ 
 
 
Call to Order 
The meeting was called to order by David Woodruff at 5:32 p.m.  
 
Roll Call 
Board Member Attendance 
Staff Attendance 
David Woodruff, Chair 
Michelle Mac Lennan, General Manager 
LaTricia Woods, Vice-Chair 
Terri Rettig, Assistant Arts Center Manager  
Julia Marreel, Secretary 
Anna Camino 
Christopher McMullan 
Cynde Cerf 
Erika Castro 
Kim Moyers  
Jeanne Forbis 
 
Jennifer Sanchez 
 
Mari Jo Woolf-Whitaker 
Guests 
Mike Halle 
Debbie Rubenstrunk 
Peppur Chambers 
GarWen Jackson 
Sherida McMullan 
Janet McNaught 
Susan Baker  
Laura Schairer 
 
 
Absent 
 
Candy Yu 
 
Linda Yarbrough 
 
Steena Murray 
 
 
 
 
 
Scheduled and Unscheduled Public Appearances 
None

Page 2 of 6 
 
Consent Agenda  
1. June Cultural Foundation Board Meeting Minutes 
 Erika Castro made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from the June 22, 2023, 
Cultural Foundation Board Meeting.  
 Susan Baker seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously, 12-0. The minutes 
were approved as written.  
 
Action Agenda  
2. Approve Special Event Sponsorship Funding Recommendations 
 Erika Castro made a motion to approve the Special Event Sponsorship Funding 
Recommendations.  
 Peppur Chambers seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously, 12-0. The 
Funding Recommendations were approved as presented.  
 Hermelinda Llamas distributed the 2023-24 Special Event Sponsorship Funding 
Allocation Matrix.  
 Llamas thanked Peppur Chambers and Erika Castro for serving on the Special Event 
Sponsorship Funding Committee.  
 Llamas summarized the outcome of the funding allocation and mentioned there 
were some new four new applicants this year and one who had not submitted in a 
while.  
 
3. Approve Event Budgets    
 Julia Marreel made a motion to approve the Event Budgets for Joss Stone, Lee Brice 
– Solo Acoustic, An Evening with William H. Macy, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, 
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Volandos Juntos: A Border Story, Get the Led Out, Lila Downs, 
Barenaked Ladies w/Toad The Wet Sprocket, The String Queens, Brian McKnight – 
Holiday Show, STOMP, Pink Martini 30th Anniversary, The Texas Tenors: 15th 
Anniversary, KODO, Syncopated Ladies, At the Movies: Grace Kelly with Strings, 
Celtic Spells, Drumline LIVE!, and Black Violin. 
 LaTricia Woods seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously, 12-0. The Event 
Budgets were approved with one date correction.  
 
Briefing 
4. Annual Thank You Notes 
 Per the Fundraising Policy, Thank You Notes are sent to donors who contributed 
$1,000 or more during the Season, and donations $5,000 and above also receive a 
phone call from the Chair or Vice-Chair.   
 Thank You Notes and donors’ information were distributed to the Chair, Vice-Chair, 
and four board members accordingly for the annual Thank You Notes and phone 
calls.

Page 3 of 6 
 
 The cards and phone calls should be completed by the next board meeting, which 
is October 26, 2023.  
 
5. Executive Subcommittee Update  
 David Woodruff provided an update from the most recent Executive Subcommittee 
Meeting. 
 Steena Murray will remain on the board but will be stepping down as Treasurer.  
o Murray has maintained this role for 34 years.  
o Board members and staff are very grateful for Murray’s services. Thank You! 
 Michelle Mac Lennan will send the duties of the Treasurer.  
 If anyone is interested in self-nominating themselves, contact Mac Lennan or David 
Woodruff.  
 
6. Equity Readiness Workshop Discussion  
 Michelle Mac Lennan reviewed the workshop facilitator’s, Teniqua Broughton, 
summary of the Equity Readiness Workshop held on Friday, August 25, 2023.  
 Feedback by Broughton and others believed the workshop was a safe space to 
speak and be heard.  
 There will be more information and discussion at a future board meeting.  
  
7. Review of Annual Accomplishments for FY23 
 There were many Chandler Cultural Foundation (CCF) accomplishments achieved 
during the 2023-24 Season. 
 These accomplishments are encompassed in the City’s accomplishments.  
 Some of the highlighted accomplishments include: 
o Two Arizona Premieres: NORTH The Musical and Las Cafeteras presentation 
of Hasta La Muerte, both receiving many accolades.  
o The Center for the Arts served more than 160,530 attendees and hosted free 
programs that served over 15,500 people.  
o The Vision Gallery served over 5,000 visitors and hosted 90 free events, that 
included exhibits, opening receptions, Vision Kids classes, youth activities, 
and special events.  
o For the first time, the Center for the Arts (CCA) led the efforts to participate 
and collect data from Chandler attendees at events and organizations in the 
National Arts and Economic Prosperity Study.  
o The CCA completed its second year with Artist-in-Residence Michael Mwenso, 
which included multiple Ancestral Communal Listening Experiences, 
culminating in a live performance with Michael Mwenso and the Shakes.  
 These were just a few of the CCF’s Annual Accomplishments!

Page 4 of 6 
 
8. Review of Annual Patron Survey Results for FY23 
 Cynde Cerf presented the results from the Annual Patron Survey for FY2022-23. 
 A summary of the survey results was included in the board packet.  
 Some of the areas highlighted included Demographics, Patron Satisfaction, 
Awareness, and Programming. Also included were some of the written 
responses/comments from survey responders and from CCA members.  
  
9. Financial Report for FY2022-23 
 Several components from fiscal year FY2022-23 were detailed for an annual review 
of this past fiscal year: Profit & Loss Budget versus Actual, Profit & Loss Comparison 
between the last 2 fiscal years, and the Balance Sheet.  
 
10. August Financial Report  
 Michelle Mac Lennan reviewed the August 2023 Financial Report.  
 
11. Special Events Subcommittee Update  
 Julia Marreel reminded the board that the Center Stage Brunch is Sunday, October 
22, 2023.  
 Sandra Bassett and Sherida McMullan are the cohosts this year.  
 Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. with the stanchions around the Mystery Boxes taken 
down at 12:00 p.m.  
 There will be a QR Code at the table for attendees to donate after The Ask. 
 
12. Board Development Subcommittee Update 
 LaTricia Woods provided an update from the Board Development Subcommittee 
Meeting held earlier this evening. 
 Several applications have been received for interest in serving on the Chandler 
Cultural Foundation.  
o The subcommittee is currently updating the interview questions. 
 A one-page reference sheet is being created for board members to be a quick and 
easy item that can be referenced on a variety of topics, such as fundraising.  
 
13. Facilities/Construction Updates 
 There are several facilities and construction projects occurring at the Chandler 
Center for the Arts. Terri Rettig provided a summary for many of these projects: 
o The Back-of-House Renovation Project is continuing. Due to several areas at 
the CCA shut down during this renovation, staff is utilizing alternative spaces. 
The board will also see additional hotel costs in some of the Profit and Loss 
Reports.  
o The HVAC System is being updated and will be completed in two phases. 
Each phase will take about 6 weeks to complete. There may be partial or full

Page 5 of 6 
 
closures during the phase(s). The equipment for this project will be available 
in February 2024. More details will be provided as the time nears. 
o The replacement of the seats will include Americans with Disabilities Act 
(ADA) accommodations and new carpet.  
 Jeanne Forbis inquired if the North ramp will be part of this project.  
 City staff responded the railing was raised to meet ADA requirements.  
 It seems there is still an issue with the incline of this ramp.  
 City staff has made a note of this and will research options.  
o The rigging replacement will take about 6 weeks to complete. There will be no 
shows on the Steena Murray Main Stage during this time.  
 Julia Marreel inquired if Buildings & Facilities (B&F) has provided a timeline for the 
B&F projects. 
o Buildings & Facilities is working on facilities improvement projects 
throughout the City, not just at the Center for the Arts (CCA), but they will 
continue to work with CCA staff on scheduling of projects housed at the 
Center.  
 
Friends Announcements 
Garwen Jackson announced there were 24 events since the last board meeting, which equated to 
1143.25 volunteer hours. There are 117 active volunteers. 
 
Member Comments/Announcements 
Jennifer Sanchez announced the Intel STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and 
mathematics) grant opens this week and will run through November 30, 2023. Each grant is worth 
$2,500. Educators, schools, and nonprofits can apply. STEAM promotes to include more women 
and people of color in STEAM careers to reflect the diverse current and future workforce.  
 
Articles featuring Erika Castro and Laura Schairer were recently spotted in various publications.  
 Erika Castro selected the Chandler Center for the Arts as the recipient for the SRP 
President’s Volunteer Spirit Award (PVSA) she recently was rewarded. She was 
featured in the ON Stage – Phoenix publication. 
 Laura Schairer was featured in ON Media for her 30+ years of supporting the art’s 
community. The article showed how Schairer is a true arts hero.  
 
Peppur Chambers shared a Facebook post congratulating LaTricia Woods recognition by Goldman 
Sachs as Woods became an honoree of Goldman Sachs prestigious One Million Black Women.  
 
Calendar 
14. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 5:30 p.m., at 
the Chandler Museum, Saguaro Room, 300 S. Chandler Village Drive.

Page 6 of 6 
 
Adjourn 
The meeting was adjourned at 7:03 p.m. 
 
 
______________________________ 
 
 
             
________________________________  
 
David Woodruff, Chair 
 
 
 
 
 
Michelle Mac Lennan, Staff Liaison