Written by Administrator Friday, 06 November 2009 00:00

At a recent meeting the UNA Southern New York State Division Board agreed to develop a multi-year Strategic Plan for the Division.  George Garland, Catherine D. White, Marcia Brewster and Jeanne Betsock Stillman form the planning committee and are beginning to interview Board members and others.  George Garland was previously involved with the the National Capital Area's 2003-2006 Strategic Plan. The new Plan will guide the Division's new officers who will take their positions in January..

Last Updated on Friday, 06 November 2009 12:30 Written by Administrator Monday, 26 October 2009 13:48

More than 30 people attended the Annual Meeting of the UNA Southern New York State Division, held on October 20th at the National Arts Club in Manhattan.  In addition to the beautiful surroundings, participants enjoyed a wine and cheese buffet.  Photos may be viewed under "Links of Interest" in the Event Image Gallery.

Catherine D. White, Division President, presided, and Joan A. Levy, Vice President and chair of the Nominating Committee, introduced the slate of officers for 2010-2011. Elected by acclamation were: Jeanne Betsock Stillman, President; Catherine D. White and Marcia Brewster, Vice Presidents, Margaret Shannon, Secretary, and Lee H. Bloom, Treasurer.  The Nominating Committee also included David Cockroft, Patricia Sacristan and Dr. Lester Wilson.  The two-year terms begin January 1, 2010.  Hope S. Miller, a Division Board Member and long-standing member of the National Arts Club, which is located on Gramercy Park South, arranged for the event.

The group welcomed Ambassador Tom Miller, President of UNA-USA, speaking at the Division for the first time since becoming UNA-USA president in May.  He spoke of his vision for UNA-USA and especially about the importance of working closely with the 135 Chapters and Divisions. He mentioned that the strength of UNA-USA is in its 12,000+ members, and that this gives a presence around the US that no other UN-related organization has.  The challenge is to educate the American people about the UN, and to work on certain policy issues. He concluded by saying, "We have the wind at our backs, with an administration that 'gets' multilateral diplomacy, and the challenge for us is to take advantage of this."

Jeffrey Laurenti, UNA-USA Board member representing the Mid-Atlantic Region, spoke on international policy issues before the Obama administration as well as how chapters, divisions and individuals can be strong advocates for a positive US policy vis-a-vis the United Nations. Laurenti is senior fellow and director of foreign policy programs at The Century Foundation.

Dr. Joseph Baxer, president of the UNA Connecticut Division, spoke about his travel to South Korea to attend the International Plenary of the World Federaion of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), held in Seoul from August 10-12, 2009. He, Ambassador Miller and Jeff Laurenti were part of a 10-person U.S. delegation to the conference. He gave some of the history of WFUNA, and UNA-USA's important role in it. He urged that chapters and divisions should consider partner relationships with other countries' UNAs. Bilateral relationships were good, but chapters and divisions could also become involved. For example, the Connecticut Division had for some time partnered with the Dominican Republic.

Patricia Sacristan, Chair of the Division's Young Professionals for International Cooperation group, spoke of the upcoming travel by YPIC members to Haiti, as part of their flagship program, The Haiti Expedition Project. The group planned to fly on UN Day to Port-au-Prince, and to return to New York on November 1. They planned to meet with UN, IADB and other officials and to volunteer with several non-profit organizations.

Catherine announced that she and George Garland, co-chairs of the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, are working with Jeff Laurenti and others to plan the next Conference.  The group is currently working with the UN to arrange for space in the new building going up on the UN campus.  The conference is expected to be held in February.

 

Written by Administrator Friday, 04 September 2009 19:35

At its August 24 meeting, the Southern NYS Division Board's nominating committee, chaired by Joan A. Levy, Vice President, presented its slate of officers for the 2010-2011 term.  They are:  President, Jeanne Betsock Stillman; Vice Presidents - Catherine D. White and Marcia Brewster; Secretary, Margaret Shannon and Treasurer, Lee H. Bloom.  Elections will be held at the annual meeting in October.  The date will be announced and posted.

Last Updated on Sunday, 26 July 2009 10:25 Written by Administrator Thursday, 23 July 2009 12:45

Welcome to Gabriel Levitt, who was elected to the Board of the Southern NY State Division at its June 22 meeting.  Gabriel is organizing the Brooklyn group that is working to become a new Brooklyn Chapter.