By Beth Pellicciotti, Civics Education Portfolio Director, LWV of Washington 

Are you curious about the work of the LWVWA Board of Directors? You can learn more about being a Board member at the Nominating Committee Meet-and-Greet sessions on Thursday, Dec. 9, at either 10:30 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. Use the following links for each session: 

Thursday, Dec. 9, 10:30 a.m.: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85267741867?pwd=blU1SzBRMDhNZCtvbE9jZytnL0NRQT09 

Thursday, Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85017328048?pwd=dUhmVExGb1J0R0preGtKSXhWb3lNZz09 

For more information about joining the LWVWA Board of Directors, check the LWVWA website. Read further to hear about the Board experiences of two new Board members, Dee Ann Kline and Julie Sarkissian. 

Dee Ann Kline, LWV of Mason County 

Dee Ann is the (c)(4) treasurer on the LWVWA Board, and her League work started right after the LWVWA 2021 Convention.  

As (c)(4) treasurer, she pays the bills and balances the books. She is the Board liaison to the current LWVWA Local and Regional News Study and to one of the Membership Engagement and Leadership Development (MELD) groups, which are called pods. She said that Board members are asked to participate in any number of Board activities. 

When asked how she became interested in LWVWA work, she answered, “It was not on my radar. I was very surprised to be contacted last year.”  

During the nomination, application, and interview process, she worked closely with a member of the Nominating Committee, who guided her through all the steps. For Dee Ann, it was a “comfortable” process, and she was in the loop the whole time. 

After a few months doing LWVWA Board work, she believes the position suits her. She managed hospital laboratories for years, tracking a budget, and enjoys being a “behind-the-scenes person.” As she currently relocates for months in the spring, Zoom meetings will help her connect to her work on the state Board and continue working with her local League.  

When asked how her local League experience prepared her for LWVWA Board work, Dee Ann answered, “My local League members are very collaborative and very supportive of each other and League activities, and I see that same thing in the state Board.” She noted that the (c)(3) treasurer, Myra Howrey, has been very helpful and that President Lunell Haught stresses that Board members are there to help each other.  

What is Dee Ann’s advice to members thinking of applying to the state Board? “If you are at all interested in taking your expertise to the state Board, just do it. Apply. It is scary to put yourself out there, but I know you will have enough conversations with the Nominating Committee to know if this is the right fit for you.”  

Julie Sarkissian, LWV of Seattle-King County 

Julie Sarkissian is the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) portfolio director on the LWVWA Board. She describes her work this way: “The DEI portfolio is a good example of how portfolios interrelate. I want to understand if we are reaching our DEI goals in many other areas—voter services, civics education, and advocacy.” 

Julie emphasizes that DEI is a process. “I want to focus and support what our local Leagues want to do, not to mention how we can all become more inclusive.”  

When asked how she became a state Board member, she said, “There was a recruitment process; two members of the Nominating Committee contacted me, encouraging me to apply.” 

She was both surprised and intrigued, “I hadn’t really thought about it before. That got me thinking. It would be interesting to learn about the League. I wanted to support an organization that has made it 100 years. We stand on some amazing shoulders.”  

During the interview, she learned more about the work of the LWVWA Board. The interview was about an hour and the questions were structured. Julie said, “It gave me the feeling that the organization is going to be professionally run and structured as well. I had seen President Lunell Haught in action at the 2020 Council, and she seemed like a really good leader.” 

When asked what was surprising about state Board work, Julie said, “The biggest surprise was how many projects and portfolios and activities were going on. My own weakness was not understanding the portfolio process. On the application form and during the interview, I was asked what I was interested in; some background on this would have been helpful.” 

She then described her entry into the organization, “I was appointed to one portfolio, but soon switched with another Board member to a different portfolio.” DEI seems to be a good fit for her talents and interests. 

She recommends that anyone interested in learning more about state Board meetings and work should attend a monthly Board meeting (open to all members and on Zoom).  

She added, “Realize that state Board work is a fairly big commitment. You have two (three-hour) Board meetings a month, a portfolio, and possibly a MELD meeting monthly.” 

She believes state Board members should be hard-working, creative, and committed to collaboration. She explained, “We have a lot of people who are champions, but we also need collaborators. I think this quality is needed. Collaboration implies give and take.”