2022 Business Meeting

MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL
MEOC Business Meeting Minutes
Monday, November 14, 2022, 8:00 - 9:00 PM EST
Conducted via Zoom
 
Participants: Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President/Membership Chair), Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); President-Elect), Craig Cangemi (QFI; Past-President), Greg Hill (John D. Horn High School (TX); Board Member), Sandra Makielski (Davisville Middle School (RI); Board Member), Christopher Rose (Professional Adjunct Lecturer; Treasurer), Joe Stanik (Anne Arundel Community College (MD); Secretary), Susan Douglass (Georgetown University), Krishna Kulkarni (University of Chicago), Abby Limmer (University of Arizona), Gabriel Valdez (Fort Worth Independent School District), Trisha Van Wagner (Digital Harbor High School (MD)).
 
Welcome:
President Craig Cangemi brought the meeting to order at 8:10 PM and welcomed all attendees.
 
Approval of 2021 Business Meeting Minutes:
Prior to the meeting, Secretary Joe Stanik distributed to the MEOC membership, via email, the minutes of the previous business meeting, which was held November 17, 2021, via Zoom. A motion to approve the 2021 business meeting minutes was introduced, the motion was seconded, and the minutes were approved.
 
Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Chris Rose presented the 2022 MEOC financial statement, dated November 7, 2022:
Checking Account:
Opening balance (11/5/2021): $5,078.99
Income:
Qatar Foundation International Grant: $100,000
Membership renewals: $2,190.15
Amazon Associates income: $37.94
Total income: $102,228.00
Expenses:
QFI-MEOC workshop expenses: $47,117.10
Google Suite: $791.25
Website fees/renewal: $149.60
Book Awards marketing/shipping: $1,509.53
Corporation renewal fee: $10.00
Total expenditures: $49,703.50
Closing Balance (11/7/2022): $54.551.31
Savings Account:
Opening balance: (11/5/2021) $48.621.07
Interest paid: $5.28
Tax withholding: -$1.22
Closing balance (11/7/2022): $48,624.83
Total Assets (11/7/2022): $103,176.14
A motion to approve the treasurer’s report was introduced, the motion was seconded, and the report was approved.
 
2022 Election Results and Installation of Katie Aslan as President:
Craig announced that Will Daniel was elected president-elect and Sandra Makielski was elected to a seat on the Board of Directors. Congratulations, Will and Sandra! Craig passed the gavel to Katie Aslan, who assumed the presidency of MEOC. Thank you, Craig, for guiding MEOC over the past four years, a term made very challenging by the COVID pandemic!
 
Special Election to Board of Directors:
The MEOC by-laws require that the Board be comprised of at least five voting members and there be a minimum of three voting members elected from the ranks of outreach professionals. To fulfill the requirement of three outreach-professional members, Rima Hassouneh (Council for International Education Exchange) agreed to serve a second term on the Board, subject to the approval of the MEOC membership. A motion was introduced proposing Rima as a member of the Board, to serve until 2024. The motion was seconded, and the MEOC members present unanimously elected Rima to a second two-year term. Congratulations, Rima!
 
Membership:
Katie reported that MEOC currently has 13 institutional members, 33 educator/outreach professional members, and 372 access members.
 
The Global Reads Webinar Series:
Katie announced that one of the 2022 MEOC Book Award Winners will be featured at the June 2023 webinar.
 
Book Awards:
Katie announced the winners and honorable mentions of the 2022 MEOC Book Awards and shared video messages from the three winning authors. Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions and to the members of the selection committees and Katie, Craig, and Chris for their outstanding work on this year’s book awards!
PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY:
Committee: Angela Williams (Chair), Larry Michalak, Suriati Abas, Lori Stubben, Abby Limmer, Erin Sears
Award Winner:
Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers: A Story Inspired by Loujain Alhathloul, by Lini AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery; illustrated by Rebecca Green (mineditionUS, 2022)
Honorable Mentions:
A Sky-Blue Bench, by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Peggy Collins (Pajama Press, 2021)
Nour's Secret Library, by Wafa' Tarnowska; illustrated by Vali Mintzi (Barefoot Books, 2022)
YOUTH LITERATURE CATEGORY:
Committee: Emily Bollinger (Chair), Dilara Hafiz, Krishna Kulkarni, Gretchen Stulock, Lucy Thiboutot
Award Winners:
Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix, by Aminah Mae Safi (Feiwel & Friends, 2022)
Honorable Mention:
Tunnels, by Rutu Modan, translated by Ishai Mishory (Drawn and Quarterly, 2021)
YOUTH NON-FICTION CATEGORY, Awarded in Memory of Lisa Adeli:
Committee: Brielle Carlson (Chair), Brock Beaver, Alice Davidson, Zeena Faulk, Marina Huyler, Victoria Longoria
Winner:
A Land With a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism, edited by Esther Farmer, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Sarah Sills (Monthly Review Press, 2021)
 
New Business:

• Craig reminded the membership that the NCSS Annual Conference is scheduled for 2-4 December in Philadelphia. MEOC will maintain an informational booth at the meeting.
• Abby Limmer thanked MEOC for naming the Youth Non-Fiction Book Award in memory of Lisa Adeli.

 
Outreach Professional Updates – 2022 Success Stories:
Attendees of the meeting shared exciting accomplishments from the past year.
 
Katie adjourned the meeting at 9:00 PM.
 
Respectfully Submitted,

Joseph T. Stanik
MEOC Secretary