Monday, July 13, 2020

The meeting was called to order by Chair Sales at 7:20 p.m.

Attendance

Commissioners in attendance: Emily McCoy, Lee; Chair Lisa Sales, Mount Vernon; Helen Cole, Hunter Mill; Sondra Seba Hemenway, At-Large; Mattie Palmore, At-Large Minority; Phylicia Woods, Providence District; Jane Materna, Mason District; Vice Chair Nancy Hopkins, Dranesville; Chelsea Smith, Springfield District; Shafuq Naseem, Braddock District

Commissioners absent: Kayla Rothstein, Student Representative

Vacant: Sully District

Staff in attendance: Toni Zollicoffer, Mery Juarez

• Visitors: none
• Introductions: New Commissioners, Chelsea Smith and Shafuq Naseem
• Financial Report: Ms. Zollicoffer provided Commissioners with the Financial Report for FY20. There were some questions regarding some of the details of the report. Ms. Zollicoffer will request back up with transaction details from Finance and provide this information at the next meeting.
• Funding priorities: Chair Sales opened the floor to suggestions on what the Commissioners would like to do with carryover funds. The Commissioners have not met or had normal activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in some carryover money. Chair Sales shared some examples of how funds were previously allocated in the past. Ms. McCoy proposed a donation for Turning Point, which is a project to develop a national memorial to honor suffragists and is being built in the Occoquan Regional Park. Ms. Seba Hemenway proposed that Friends of Guest House be considered to receive a donation. Friends of Guest House takes in incarcerated women when they are released and they assist with clothing, jobs, resumes, healthcare, housing, etc. Due to increased demands, which continues to grow, they added additional beds in a second location. Ms. Cole suggested that each Commissioner select a program in their district that the CFW could donate to. The Commissioners’ names could be associated with the donation; it would create an opportunity for the CFW name/brand to get out. Ms. Zollicoffer added to the suggestion that the program who received the donation be asked to provide a briefing for the Commission around the issues or trends they notice. Chair Sales indicated that the programs could be invited to do this during introductions at the monthly meetings. Commissioners will research and submit proposals for any additional programs to be considered for donations and will reconvene at the next meeting. Ms. Seba Hemenway made a motion to donate $1,000 to Friends of Guest House. Vice Chair Hopkins seconded the motion. The motion carried.
• March 2020 Minutes: Ms. McCoy pointed out some grammatical errors and made the motion to approve with amendments. Ms. Palmore seconded the motion. Vice Chair Hopkins, Ms. Naseem, and Ms. Smith abstained. The motion carried.

• Ms. Palmore has been working cases and reports that cases are on the rise.
• Ms. Naseem shared that she has been planning on a need-based scholarship that could be implemented to support high school seniors in low-income communities doing work related to the CFW mission. There would a formal application process and/or interview. A packet will be put together to present to the Commission for consideration and voting.
• Ms. Smith shared her preliminary research on a possible project regarding women in prison, looking specifically into women incarcerated as a result of SA, DV or HT. She will be providing her findings on existing projects/reports and organizations that we could partner with for this project. Ms. Smith has also researched other CFWs in the country and found that some are doing COVID heroes/memoriams/grants to honor healthcare professionals responding to the crisis. Ms. Smith will bring forth more information at upcoming meetings.
• Ms. Materna cedes her time.
• Ms. Cole cedes her time.
• Ms. McCoy shared involvement with a Turning Point Suffragist Memorial committee putting together 3 videos to be pushed out in a webinar, social media, and via conventional media on August 26th to celebrate Women’s Equality Day. Ms. McCoy shared some preliminary plans for this project and asked for the Commission’s support in spreading the word.
• Ms. Woods expressed appreciation on Ms. Smith’s ideas of honoring healthcare heroes during this time. Her organization has been working on a similar effort in honor of cancer patients and COVID-19 and would love to work with Ms. Smith on this effort.
• Vice Chair Hopkins cedes her time.
• Ms. Seba Hemenway shared that she sits on the board for Visit Fairfax and pointed out that local businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and travel, have been drastically hurt by COVID-19 and encouraged Commissioners to support them by ordering out.
• Chair Sales turned the gavel over to Vice Chair Hopkins. Chair Sales shared the concept of the “Face the Music 4ERA” concert event being held via Facebook Live on August 26th. This will be a virtual only event and there is no cost. Chair Sales made a motion for the CFW to lend their support and endorse this event by sharing the Commission’s logo. Ms. Seba Hemenway seconded the motion. The motion passed.

• Policy and Legislation Updates: Chair Sales reported that the Policy Committee worked hard on the protective orders and firearms surrender bill, which passed and was signed into law by the Governor a couple of months ago. Chair Sales was one of forty people invited by the Governor and the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to the signing ceremony of all the firearm bills last week, July 9th. This effort was a great success and a large part was due to the advocacy of the Commission. The bill mandates that people who commit any violent act and are subject to protective orders must surrender their firearms and certify surrendering of firearms. The Committee also researched and prepared a legislative brief on Paid Family and Medical Leave and was responsible for seeing that it got into the Board of Supervisors legislative package for presentation to the 2020 General Assembly (GA). More advocacy by Commissioners and other advocacy organizations will need to be conducted at future GA sessions to realize successful legislation -- this is a longer-term endeavor and we hope more is to come at the 2021 session, particularly in light of the pandemic when many families are hurting and inequities are underscored. 
• Bylaws and Governance Committee: Chair Sales indicated that Ms. McCoy and Ms. Palmore are working on updating the new Board resolution and they will present this in advance of the next meeting for review and it will be up for discussion at the August meeting. Ms. McCoy shared that the County Attorney attended a recent meeting and is also reviewing the current resolution. Ms. McCoy expressed appreciation for input provided by Ms. Zollicoffer. A copy of the resolution will be provided in advance for inclusion in the packets for the next meeting. Chair Sales shared that she and Vice Chair Hopkins have also been working on the bylaws. A copy of this has been provided to Ms. Zollicoffer and they have also been meeting with the County Attorney. Vice Chair Hopkins added that they are doing a revision to clarify, update, and reflect the change of law regarding electronic communications and attempt to expand the Commission with at least two At-Large seats to include representation for marginalized populations such as LGBQ and transgender women.

• National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW) Conference: Chair Sales reported that the conference scheduled for 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19. Chair Sales shared that the Planning Committee continues to work on the conference which will be held in 2021 and will remain in the Northern Virginia area. Commissioners will reconvene on this topic to determine which Commissioners can attend the next year’s annual conference. It may be possible for all Commissioners to attend in light of the fact that the conference is local and will not require a large travel budget. Chair Sales shared that she has been tasked to work with NACW to put together a virtual event to be held in August and to potentially culminate with Women’s Equality Day. Chair Sales shared some details for this event, however many were still to be determined; she will share more information as it becomes available.
• Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) Update: Ms. Zollicoffer reported that the Department of Family Services (DFS) is in the process of its reopening plan. DFS is starting with the opening of lobbies and is directing the public to specific locations for assistance. The "Assistance from a Distance" program is still being pushed and a lot of services are probably going to be moved to a virtual environment permanently, particularly around self-sufficiency issues which can be done online and has been conducted this way, already, for many years. DSVS will probably reopen the Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC) at the main courthouse first; all other services will remain virtual for a while and this is mostly due to space issues and the ability to social distance. DSVS is starting its strategic planning in earnest. Consultants have been hired to do the work and the kick-off session took place last week. DSVS conducted a community survey and received over 400 responses. The results of the survey will be shared with the Commission in the next month. The County is putting together its Equity Impact and Strategic Plan, and DSVS is working strategically to keep in line with the County’s plan. Ms. Zollicoffer reported that the Artemis House contract has moved to the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (OPEH) as of July 1st. An MOU has been put in place between DSVS and OPEH which outlines clinical provisions of services will still be managed by DSVS and the contract will be managed by OPEH. There was some conversation between the Commissioners and Ms. Zollicoffer on the previous and the new org structure for DSVS and OPEH. Ms. Zollicoffer shared that DFS and DSVS have been working on various one-pagers, marketing, and outreach around all the services. This information is being pushed out to the communities and will be provided to the Commissioners to share. DSVS tele-counseling services are now open to the community as of July 1st. There was some conversation about the Commissioners keeping in mind the various social media platforms available for their use and ability to amplify messaging through DSVS and DFS and how to collaborate in conveying communications.

• Chair Sales created a Google Doc for the HHS Human Services Issue Paper and has shared this with Commissioners for editing purposes. Commissioners are being asked to review and provide high-level thoughts by providing comments in the margin section on the shared Google Docs drive, including names of Commissioners providing each comment. Commissioners shared possible examples such as funding deficiencies in the system as it related to older people or those with disabilities, incarcerated women, human trafficking, or teen sex trafficking. Ms. Zollicoffer pointed out that all comments by the Commissioners should be concise and sent to Chair Sales by July 25th to allow time to collate. Chair Sales will then share the version with Ms. Zollicoffer by July 29th to ensure it is submitted to the county office coordinating the effort by the July 30th deadline.
• Chair Sales pointed out that there is a Vice Chair opening now because Ms. Lippa passed away. There will be another opening when Vice Chair Hopkins steps down at the next meeting. Nominations will be accepted in a paragraph form stating why there is an interest in the position and why those nominated feel they would be good candidates. Statements of interest and qualification will be submitted prior to the next meeting for review and may also be submitted the same day of the next meeting to be considered for elections at the August 10th meeting. Ms. Seba Hemenway nominated Ms. Cole and the nomination was accepted. Vice Chair Hopkins nominated Ms. Materna and the nomination was accepted. Vice Chair Hopkins provided an overview of the Vice Chair responsibilities, which includes a 2-year commitment, providing support to the Chair and running the meeting in the Chair’s absence. Chair Sales nominated Ms. Woods and the nomination was accepted. Commissioners held a discussion about the cycle of the current Commission positions and Ms. Zollicoffer indicated she would need to research this and provide this information at the next meeting.
• Ms. Seba Hemenway made a motion to extend the meeting until 9:30 p.m. Vice Chair Hopkins seconded the motion. The motion carried.
• Chair Sales addressed the need to conduct a new Commissioner orientation for Ms. Woods, Ms. Smith and Ms. Naseem. A meeting date was selected and set for Sunday, July 26th at 1:00 p.m. and Chair Sales will send out a calendar invitation.
• Chair Sales discussed the need to recruit a new student Commissioner and asked for edits or suggestions to the current flyer. Commissioners discussed the appropriate age group or grade level to indicate on the flyer. Suggestions included placing the term length of 2 years and to remove the month/year of term start and finish. The corrections will be reflected, and an updated version emailed to Commissioners for dissemination to the wider community to enable successful recruitment. Commissioners were asked to share final flyer with Supervisors and to ask them to advertise the opportunity in their newsletters and via social media platforms.
• Ms. McCoy brought up the subject of a biannual report. Chair Sales indicated that the biannual report was paused for a few reasons. Commissioners had a conversation on where the last report was left off and whether work on this can be restarted. Ms. McCoy will ask for a recommendation on how to address the biannual report at the next meeting when the new bylaws are discussed rather than in a stand-alone discussion.
• Ms. Seba Hemenway asked for an update on the Commission Liaison position. Ms. Zollicoffer reported that due to COVID-19, all non-essential personnel recruitments have been frozen. The interview process had been underway when the pandemic struck; Ms. Zollicoffer will continue to raise this issue at County meetings as things change. Once approval is granted to go forward, we can fill this position quickly.
• Ms. Seba Hemenway made a motion to extend the meeting for another 15 minutes. Ms. Woods seconded the motion. The motion carried.
• Ms. McCoy asked for an update on the broader community survey on the County’s overall Strategic Plan and if it was held up due to COVID-19. Ms. Zollicoffer will look into this matter and bring this information back to the next meeting.
• Ms. McCoy asked for an update on selecting a new Commission project to be the next Chair Sales indicated that the Commission had previously voted for a project addressing the topic of women’s health, and the directive was for Commissioners to do some research and bring back specific ideas on what projects they might wish to pursue. She mentioned that at the last 2 meetings, Commissioners did not submit possible projects and a way forward had not yet been determined. Due to current environment regarding COVID-19, social, gender and racial issues, Chair Sales suggested that the Commission revisit the project and discuss at the August meeting. Commissioners were asked to bring back ideas for long-term projects and short-term activities for the Commission to focus on and for discussion at the next meeting.

Ms. Seba Hemenway made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms Materna seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 9:38 p.m.

The Commission will next meet on August 10, 2020 at 7:15 p.m.

If you have any concerns, issues or thoughts that you would like to share, please send an email to Commission for Women. Your concerns and observations are important in helping the women and girls in Fairfax County.

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