This meeting enabled the members to meet face to face, to accomplish three things:

1. Prepare plans for activities of the board’s eight committees.

2. Prepare for the leadership training workshops which VALUE will conduct this year.

3. Help board members get to know each other better, to build "teamwork" within the board.

One of the most important decisions made during the meeting was to name board member, Marty Finsterbusch, as VALUE’s new Executive Director. Marty is a long-time learner leader from Pennsylvania and this year is serving as a Literacy Leader Fellow at the National Institute for Literacy.

Marty has been very active in VALUE in the past year. He helped to organize our June 1999 Adult Learner Leadership Institute in Indiana, and he has helped the board to develop a strategic plan for its many activities in 2000 and 2001.

Marty will become the Executive Director starting in September 2000. He will take over some of the duties now performed by Paul Jurmo, a literacy professional based in New Jersey, who has served as VALUE’s Administrator for the past two years.

Paul is moving on to another job in New York City, but will continue to give one day per week to VALUE during the coming year.

The board is now preparing a full report about the three-day meeting. It will give details of the many decisions made during the meeting. The report will be available in mid-June to VALUE members and others upon request.

Revised 6/5/00