(please submit agenda items to membership president by first day of the month)
Meetings are held on first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 PM, all are welcome
- New Faces / New Member Introductions - Please give us a 30 second 'elevator pitch' introduction (What brings you to Makersmiths? Interests? Your background or profession? Etc.?)
- Tom Bendien (restarting)
- Edward Dapper
Mike DeWan
Melinda DeWan
- Matt Dickinson
- Alan Eldridge III
- Dan Maze
- Don Netsch
- Jen Netsch
- Michael Sittner
- Martin Peek (HHMI ambassador)
- Tanya Wolff (HHMI ambassador)
- Parker Benzie (Windpact Intern)
- Mimi Laplace
- Jesse Trutna
- Associates to Full Members
- Justin Cooper
- Bob Ragsdale
- Jesse Trunta
- Membership
- 128 members (+26 from last month)
- 63 FTE memberships (58.5 FTE last month)
- 128 active members
- 26 new members in last 30 days, 3 new members in last 7 days
- Board of Directors Report - Brandon or Michael or Dave
- Committee Reports
- New Member Orientation Committee (Chairperson John Dubelko)
- Members have an obligation to attend a New Member Orientation Class. These classes are offered at least twice a month and at both Purcellville and Leesburg locations. This is the BEST way to become aware of how-to, policies and procedures, as well as get your photo ID, Key Card, and Makersmiths Tee Shirt
- Members have an obligation to attend a New Member Orientation Class. These classes are offered at least twice a month and at both Purcellville and Leesburg locations. This is the BEST way to become aware of how-to, policies and procedures, as well as get your photo ID, Key Card, and Makersmiths Tee Shirt
- Social Outreach Committee: (Chairperson Jessee M)
- Leesburg Facility Committee (Chairperson Brad Hess)
- Purcellville Facility Committee (Chairperson Tom Hill)
- Status of addressing crowdfunding liability?
- Status of build-out efforts? What's next on list to do?
- Scheduling Committee (Chairperson John Dubelko, Diane & Zack)
- Updates?
- Can you teach a class, lead an event, lead a group buy / group build (IoT, home automation, robot, smart home device app, check-in app, tool control, etc., etc., etc. LETS GET THIS PARTY GOING!)
- More CNC classes coming / less Red Tool Training classes coming unless someone else is willing to lead.
- Special Projects / Events Committee (Chairperson Mike Werling)
- Educational Programs Committee - (Chairperson Diane)
- Kid Wind Challenge
- Advanced Kid Wind Challenge
- 100Women Strong Grant Application
- Newsletter Committee (Chairperson Erin Werling)
- Policy Regarding Minors & Abuse Prevention Committee (Chairperson Brandon Bullis)
- Long-Term Status of Facilities Committee (Chairperson TBD)
- Dust Collection / Compressed Air Committee (Chairperson Dave Painter)
- New Member Orientation Committee (Chairperson John Dubelko)
- Member Submitted feedback/issues/agenda items
- Note from President: So the Board of Directors has a fiduciary duty to members and to certain governmental entities. In other words, to watch the money and to watch that members are conducting themselves responsibly. And that's about it. We cannot rely on a Board of Directors to solely provide leadership or to run the business. Let me repeat that . . . Don't expect the Board of Directors to solely provide leadership or to run and operate the business of our makerspace for the members. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. So who then is running the business??? Answer: No one person is running the business. We're all running the business of our makerspace. Now in any organization like ours, typically there are about 20% of the people doing all the work. Let's call these people "usual suspects" after the famous line in the movie 'Cassablanca' (great movie, by the way). About 10% of the usual suspects are starting to realize the need to come together, set goals for ourselves, then make a plan to achieve those goals via running and operating the business of a makerspace. Are you a usual suspect? Join us after this membership meeting for the first in a series of usual suspects meetings. Lots to talk about . . . And please lean in on the next usual suspect meeting!
- Second note from President: So as of June 2019 I will have held the title of President of Makersmiths for four years. It's been a lot of work (I spend usually between 20 and 40 hours a week, sometimes more, on such things as hosting Open Houses (also a four year effort, most every Thursday night), keeping up with correspondence that comes in thru the 'contact us' form, or thru email, answering people's questions about membership, who to talk to about such and such, keeping the WildApricot backend up to snuff, twisting people's arms to teach a class, move stuff around, fix this or fix that, running the monthly membership meetings, and on and on. I would like the membership to consider replacing me in the role as President at that time. If so, I'm willing to work with others and show em what I do, what I know, etc. so that they and the membership can make that consideration as to what you'd like me to do or what role to play next.