STATEWIDE INDEPENDENT LIVING COUNCIL
May 18, 2022
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
FULL SILC Meeting
IN-PERSON AND ZOOM

Members and Ex-Officios Attending:  First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey, Secretary Jeff Dickinson,  Member Michelle McConaghy (Remote), Member Sarah Sweeney (Remote), and DSE representative Daniel Frye (Remote).
Staff: Jennifer Beaulieu (SILC Assistant) 	
Guests: Matthew Greenwood (Member of the Public, Remote), Marcia Golembeski (Member of the Public, Remote), Lorrie Ripley (Governor’s Commission on Disability, Remote), Carrie Dudley (Pending Reappointment), Ryan Witterschein (Nominee).
Communication Access: Laurie Meyer (ASL Interpreter, Remote), Aimee Stevens (ASL Interpreter, Remote), and Denise Gracia (CART, Remote)

The SILC meeting was called to order at 1:22 PM by First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey. Attendance was taken via roll call. 

*Quorum was reached. 

Deborah will be facilitating this meeting in lieu of Carrie because Carrie is not officially a member as of a few days ago. 

The Chair will follow the federal health emergency guidelines as it relates to the rising cases of COVID and allow this body to be remote with the ability to meet with quorum while being remote.

Approval of Minutes of 3/16 Full SILC Meetings
*Member Michelle McConaghy made a motion to accept the minutes. 
Second: 			 Secretary Jeff Dickinson
Discussion:			None				
All in Favor: 	Yes		Abstaining: None
Motion Carried.

Committee Updates
A.	Governance Committee Report
Deborah reported out for the Governance Committee. The Committee was not able to have their May meeting, but they did have their April meeting. At that meeting, they talked about the annual Part B vendor consumer satisfaction survey and the policy regarding evaluations of the Part B vendors. Deborah mentioned that we are going to stay with the current survey, at least for the second year of the SPIL. There continues to be questions and answers regarding the survey. The committee came to that decision because three of the five Part B vendors conduct their surveys differently, we have two new Part B vendors, and we have new people at the table. She noted that we need to have a survey that is rich and generic enough but gives us the information we need to understand what programs are running well and what programs need improvement. Daniel opined on the survey and said he is fine with the survey that has been historically used and the SILC reserves the right to change the survey in later years. 

Deborah noted that  Daniel has completed the policy regarding evaluations of the Part B vendors  and that the policy was presented to the Executive Committee in April. The policy will go before the Governance Committee, not for an approval but as a requirement of the SPIL. The SPIL indicated that the Governance Committee will design, approve, and implement the policy. The policy is meant to inform Part B vendors what the expectations are of the DSE on an annual basis or on an AD HOC basis should there be some type of reportable event or complaint. 

B.	Membership Committee Report
Jeff reported out for the Membership Committee. The Committee met as a group on ZOOM a couple of times since the last full SILC meeting. The Committee have been going through the vetting of new nominees for the SILC. Today, the Committee will present two nominees to the SILC for a vote to be sent to the Governor. He noted that there are a few other nominees that the Committee hopes to put forward at the next full SILC meeting. The Committee decided on this action because more information is needed on one nominee, and they would like to stagger the terms so multiple members aren’t terming off at the same time. 

C.	Advocacy Committee Report
Due to there not being a Chair for the Advocacy Committee, there was not much new to report. 
Deborah asked if Marcia had anything to report. Marcia mentioned that it was only her and Ellie that attended meetings. There were other members, but they never came to any meetings. 

Marcia mentioned that she has some good notes that she kept from when she and Ellie met on the phone together for meetings. She would like to pass the notes on to whoever takes over the Advocacy Committee. 

Marcia also mentioned that for future Committee meetings, there needs to be a schedule set up in advance. Discussion ensued. An idea was raised on creating a policy that requires Committee meeting dates to be scheduled in advance. 

Deborah will reach out to Marcia once the Advocacy Committee is reformed. 

The Council will work on reforming the Advocacy Committee. 

Q & A and Vote on Applicant(s)
Deborah moved on to the next agenda item. Deborah started off the Q & A with Ryan Witterschein. Deborah noted she would like to go around the room to see if anybody has any questions concerning Ryan or if Ryan has any questions for the SILC. Carrie made a comment that she is glad Ryan is here and would like to thank him for sticking through the membership process. She asked if Ryan could speak about his new job. Ryan noted that he is currently the Director of Behavioral Services at Alternative Programs and Treatment which is a behavioral therapeutic company that specializes in providing home ownership and residential services for individuals with ID (Intellectual Disability) and DD (Developmental Disability) as well as comorbid disabilities. He manages and directs the staff and provides group therapy treatment. He is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and works for Simmons University as an Adjunct Professor for Applied Behavior Analysis. Sarah asked what his initial interest was in joining the SILC. Ryan responded that often in his field, they take a lot of adults as they transition into adult services and he personally sees a lot of times, for the lack of a better word, the football being dropped in terms of coordination of care. He would like to try to bring to light what is out there for supports as young adults transition into adult services. There were additional questions relating to his licensures, certifications, and involvement with the SCC (State Coordinating Council for Community Transportation).
*Secretary Jeff Dickinson made a motion that the SILC accept Ryan Witterschein as a member and put the nomination to the Governor for approval. 
Second: 			Member Michelle McConaghy
Discussion:			None				
All in Favor: 	Yes		Abstaining: None
Motion Carried.

Jeff moved onto the next candidate who is Randy Pierce from Future in Sight. Future in Sight is an organization that serves individuals who are blind or have visual impairments. Randy is the CEO and President of the organization. On his application, he indicated he is open to all aspects of the SILC and wants to help the committee that would be the best fit for his services. The Membership Committee thought that it would be a real selling point to have him as a member representing the community of individuals who are blind or have visual impairments, and for his leadership in Future in Sight. Jeff noted that we really do not have a lot of members who know about visual impairments or blindness. He thinks it would be great to have his experience and expertise within the SILC. Matthew Knee noted that with Randy not being present to answer additional questions from the membership, should we move forward with the passing his nomination or should we hold off until we can speak with him. Discussion ensued. A few members agreed with Matthew Knee but there were concerns over delaying the appointment process. Deborah noted that as the CEO and President of one of the agencies that received funds from the SPIL, we are kind of required to have him as a member. 
*First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey made a motion that we put forth Randy’s nomination to the Governor’s office. 
Second: 			Secretary Jeff Dickinson

Roll Call:
•	First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey: Yes
•	Secretary Jeff Dickinson: Yes
•	Member Sarah Sweeney: Yes
•	Member Michelle McConaghy: Yes
•	Member Christopher Emerson: Abstention
Discussion: 				See paragraph above
All in Favor: Yes			Abstention: Member Christopher Emerson 
Motion Carried.
After the vote, Deborah noted that policies and procedures fall under Governance Committee which she Chairs. The Committee can put on the agenda for their next meeting, the development of a policy around the nomination process. The draft policy can then go before the EC and SILC for approval. 

Recognition of Marcia Golembeski’s Service to the NH SILC
Deborah handed the discussion on the next agenda item over to Carrie. Carrie noted that Marcia has been on the SILC longer than her but was one of the two people that convinced her to be part of this council and if it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t be here today. 

There was a question on if Marcia would continue as a member of the public and if she would apply as a member after a year off the council. She responded that she would try to get back on the council again but can’t make any promises. She noted that her phone would always be open if anybody wants to call her for information or suggestions. She thanked everyone and wished all SILC members a good year ahead with the SPIL. A Certificate of Appreciation for Marcia was shared on the screen.

Discussion ensued over transportation in NH. Deborah noted that as of July 1st, she will be the Chair of the SCC. She will send everyone a link to the SCC so individuals can attend. 

Other Business 
Deborah reported that she had a conversation with the Governor’s Office regarding appointments and what our expectations should be. After the discussion, it was clear to Deborah that turnout times would be within a month. 

Deborah noted that she does have a nomination to put forth to this council. Given that Jeff Dickinson received his appointment letter from the Governor’s Office, she has asked Jeff if he would be willing to take on the position of Secretary for the Council. Jeff agreed. 

*First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey made a motion to appoint Jeff Dickinson as Secretary. 
Second: 			Member Sarah Sweeney
Roll Call:
•	First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey: Yes
•	Member Sarah Sweeney: Yes
•	Member Michelle McConaghy: Yes
•	Member Christopher Emerson: Yes
•	Secretary Jeff Dickinson: Abstention 
Discussion: 			No
All in Favor: Yes		Abstention: Secretary Jeff Dickinson 		
Motion Carried.
Jeff noted that the legislature in NH is wrapping up this week into next week. He will put together some sort of a summary on what passed and what didn’t pass relative to the disability rights community. He will share that before the next meeting.  

Matthew Knee asked if there is a list of dates for the committee. Deborah noted that the Governance Committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 11:00am. Jeff noted that he’s still working on a schedule. He will send the schedule out for the Membership Committee meetings. 

*First Vice-Chair Deborah Ritcey made a motion to adjourn this meeting a few minutes early.
Second: 			Secretary Jeff Dickinson
Discussion:			None				
All in Favor: 	Yes		Abstaining: None
Motion Carried.

Meeting adjourned at 2:24pm.

Minutes Recorded by Jennifer Beaulieu