Many of you know me as I have been an active board member and past president, and I am happy to continue my service at this time as Secretary of the Board.  What does the Secretary do?  The main duties of this office are to document, archive and communicate.  The Secretary takes minutes of the board meetings and records key information such as the board's actions and the rationale behind decisions as revealed in discussion.  The minutes must be accurate but also discreet as sometimes confidential information may be disclosed in meetings, but it would not be appropriate to disclose more widely.  The minutes of the board and executive committee as well as committee reports are part of our organization's public record.  We archive these written minutes in the office, and these permanently maintained records are one of the ways we provide transparency, an important value for non-profit status.  The minutes are distributed to board members, and this is an important part of the communication function of the office so all board members are aware of the actions of the board, whether or not they are present at every meeting.  Knowledgeable board members are essential to a well-run organization.  The second important function of the office is to track the terms of board members as well as contact information so we can recruit new people when board members' terms are up.  We strive to find board members who represent the diversity of our membership, both Danish Americans and Danish citizens living in Minnesota and members who bring the wide range of skills we need to operate as a working board.  Our fiscal year ends June 30th and our election cycle is timed with the annual meeting in the fall. Members who wish to participate in a deeper way should reach out to board members and make their interest known prior to the Annual Meeting where we select a new slate of board members whose terms are staggered.  The Secretary, along with the other officers, is charged with keeping an overview of the mission and how we are fulfilling it.  These records help us keep on track and provide continuity.

Susan Jacobsen