President’s Message

We are still in need of Board Members and Committee Chairs. If you’re interested in serving on the Board of Directors or as a Committee Chair, please contact Lisa Zuk at zuk@wlake.org. Serving on the Board of Director as a director or committee chair doesn’t take a lot out of your busy schedule, we meet virtually three times a fiscal year and in person at our annual conference. The virtual meetings usually last an hour. We are in need of the following volunteers, please read our Bylaws for detailed job descriptions.

• Director – Secretary: One-Year Term Only (Take Minutes at Board Meetings & Annual Meetings)
• Director – Membership: One-Year Term Only (Recruit new members, follow-up with current members dues, promote EOPO, etc.)
• Committee – Retiree: Stay in touch with EOPO retirees, plan fund events, lunches, etc.
• Committee – Sunshine: Send cards to membership for Congratulations, Get Well, Sympathy. Provide members Birthdays to Marketing & Social Media Chairperson

• Bylaws Proposal – The membership approved the proposed revised Bylaws. Effective June 1, 2024 the revised bylaws will take effect. One of the major changes was membership fees, please go online and review the fees prior to renewing. Another new fee that was voted on at the May 21st Board Meeting was credit card charges. We as a group receive charges every time the credit card machine is used. Beginning June 1, 2024 members who uses their credit card to renew their membership or registered for conferences will be charge a convenience fee of:
  • New or Renewal Membership – $1 credit card convenience fee
  • Associates Membership – $1 credit card convenience fee
  • Retired and POPs Membership – No charge for credit cards
  • Conference Registration – $5 credit card convenience fee
  • Miscellaneous Charges, I.e. Raffle Ticket, Way & Means purchases – $1 credit card convenience fee

• EOPO 2024 Conference – The Board of Directors along with our Vice President, Chelsea Glezen, has been working hard behind the scenes preparing for our annual conference. This year the conference will be held at Marion Technical College/OSU Marion Campus in Marion, OH. We’ve finalized the speakers, food, social event and hotel. The registration packet is included in this issue of the newsletter. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, October 3rd, Social Hour and Friday, October 4th, day of Conference. We hope you can make it. Note, if you’re paying for the conference by credit card; there will be a $5 convenience fee added.
• Marketing & Social Media – Not following us on Facebook, then you will need to click HERE to follow. We try to place information about members, upcoming events, etc. for members to view. Also if you would like to share good news about yourself or a member, email Taylor Reed and she will input into the quarterly newsletter. Also if you’re a new member within the last six months, please EMAIL a picture of yourself and a small bio so Taylor can input into the newsletter and on Facebook.
• Next Board of Directors Meeting – The next meeting for FY 24-25 with our new Board of Directors is scheduled for July 30, 2024 at 3pm. A google greet link was emailed to the new board. If you’re interested but still unsure about becoming a director or chair person, join our board meeting to see how we operate. Contact me and I will send you the link. Sometimes seeing things in action helps with the decision making.

EOPO is excited to announce that a Westlake High School student, Caraleena Colon, was awarded the NAEOP 2024 Student with Special Needs scholarship in the amount of $500. Congratulations to Caraleena. And thank you Katherine Reichley, CEOE, for your assistance in making this scholarship possible.

This is what Caraleena stated to her teacher. “I was shocked! At first I couldn’t believe it – but then I was filled with happiness and relief. I felt really proud of myself when I realized all the hard work had paid off. And very thankful for all of the support I received!”

I know this is a lot of information but this is also the busiest time of the year for EOPO. Please read everything in this issue of the newsletter to stay up to date. Start planning now to attend the 2024 annual conference. Take time for yourself to relax over the summer months.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Happy Summer!

Lisa Zuk

EOPO President