Association of Professional Administrators

Minutes 2026 6

Date/Time: Friday, June 12, 2026, 10am-1pm
Location:Mass Maritime Academy and Zoom

Present

APA Statewide

  • Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, President
  • Rebecca (Becca) Ramirez-McKinley, Vice President
  • Aaron Childs, Membership Coordinator (Non-voting)
  • Julie Dunlap LePoer, Web Manager (Non-voting)
  • Sean Barrett, MTA Field Representative (Non-voting)

APA Chapter Presidents

  • Seth Bean, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Brian Cahillane, Westfield State University
  • Kelly DeMello, Massachusetts Maritime Academy
  • Eric Feibel, Bridgewater State University
  • Peter Fenuccio, Worcester State University
  • Michael Merriam, Framingham State University
  • Susan McNeil, Massachusetts College of Art & Design
  • Rebecca Shersnow, Fitchburg State University
  • Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, Salem State University

Guests

  • n/a

Absent

APA Statewide

  • Sharon Francis, Treasurer (Non-voting)
  • Mark R. Powers, Secretary

APA Chapter Presidents

  • n/a

Call to Order

  • May 18, 2026 Time: 9:08am

Approval of Minutes

  1. Approval of May 18, 2026 Executive Board Meeting Minutes
    • Amendments: None
    • Motion 2026.06.12-00
    • Motion to approved the minutes of the May 18, 2026 Executive Board Meeting as presented/amended made:
    • by: R. Ramirez-McKinley 2nd by: S. McNeil
    • Vote: Unanimous Action: Motion Carries

Public Comments

  1. None

President’s Report –
Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina

  1. Investment allocation: $90,000 in managed moderate growth (option 2), $90,000 in American Funds buy-and-hold (option 3), with annual reevaluation and close monitoring.
  2. Maritime grievance: Authorized arbitration for ship’s crew regarding uncompensated weekend work during sea term and peak periods.
  3. Bylaw amendment proposed: State president cannot simultaneously serve as chapter president due to workload unsustainability.
  4. Contact information: APA email addresses for all board members and chapter presidents will be published on website (institutional emails excluded).
  5. Information requests: State-level requests will be sent directly to individual university HR departments with chapter president signatures to expedite responses.

Treasurer’s Report – Sharon Francis

  1. Payroll due on Sunday, June 21, 2026 by 5:00pm
  2. Approval of May 2026 Treasurer’s Report
    • Amendments: None
    • Motion 2026.06.12-01
    • Motion to approve Treasurer’s report as presented/amended made:
    • by: R. Ramirez-McKinley 2nd by: S. McNeil
    • Vote: Unanimous Action: Motion Carries
  3. Local office support: Received $31,000-$34,000 from MTA for operational expenses including computers and equipment.
    • Projected fiscal year: Expected to end in positive territory (first time in years) due to reduced travel costs and early local aid receipt.
    • Investment returns: Current money market earning 0.45%; new strategy targets 3.5-5.76% annualized returns after all fees.
    • Cash reserves: $25,000 remaining in money market separate from $180,000 investment allocation.
  4. Request accessible PDF format from auditors for future financial reports

Higher Education (HELC) Updates – Rebecca (Becca) Ramirez-McKinley

  1. MSCA coordination: All-MSCA AP meeting scheduled August 22nd via Zoom; working groups formed for shared bargaining priorities and inter-union collaboration with MSCA.
  2. Survey progress: Survey 1 now has over 300 responses with three more surveys scheduled through August; identifying workplace issues and member concerns.
  3. Merchandise timeline: Duffel bags and tote bags in production, delivery mid-to-late July; 100 bags per campus (50 of each style), first-come-first-serve distribution.
  4. Title II demand: Withdrawn temporarily to allow campuses to develop staff compensation plans; will refile as needed.

Membership and Data – Aaron Childs

  1. 1580 Overall Membership since May 2026. An Increase of 4.
  2. 322 Non-Dues Paying Member. An Increase of 5 since May 2026.
  3. Will work with Julie on WordPress plugin for members-only site with scripted account import/export.

Website – Julie Dunlap LePoer

  1. Regular updates made to website.

Health and Welfare Fund Report – Susan McNeil

  1. Sherry has stepped down from the roll as the time commitment was more than originally anticipated.
  2. April 30, 2026 Report available.
  3. HE/MTA Higher Education Health & Welfare Fund Dental RFP Summary Effective Date: July 1, 2026 available.

Committee Reports

  1. Budget Committee – Bean, Cahillane, Francis, Ramirez-McKinley
  2. Committee on Professional Development – Vacant
  3. Special Committees:
    1. Committee on Legislative Action – Vacant
    2. Committee on Health & Safety – Vacant
    3. APA/Management Working Group – Vacant
  4. Employee Relations Committee (ERC) as per the APA CBA
    • Rescheduled to address Board of Trustees meeting notice non-compliance

Old/New Business

  1. Investment monitoring: Sharon to watch portfolio closely; formal reevaluation in one year per buy-and-hold strategy recommendation
  2. Dues proposal: Additional summer meeting scheduled to finalize percentage recommendation (1%, 1.05%, or 1.1%) and transition timeline before presenting to membership.
    • One member making $190,000 would see $600 increase over three years under 1% dues proposal ($200/year).
    • Schedule summer board meeting to finalize dues restructuring proposal before member vote.
  3. ERC meeting: Rescheduled to address Board of Trustees meeting notice non-compliance
  4. Promotion grievances: MassArt Step 2 hearings expected next week with anticipated denials leading to three arbitrations
  5. Statewide MOA standardization: Future settlements to be signed at state level to prevent nine separate campus-specific agreements for identical contract violations

Institutional Issues

Information has been redacted.

Announcements

  1. None

Adjournment

APA Meeting Schedule 2025-2026:

EventTimeDateFormatLocation
APA Executive Board10:00amFriday, September 19, 2025HybridZoom/Worcester
APA Executive Board9:00amFriday, October 17, 2025RemoteZoom
APA Executive Board10:00amFriday, November 21, 2025HybridZoom/TBD
Annual State-wide Membership12:00pmFriday, November 21, 2025HybridZoom/TBD
APA Executive Board10:00amFriday, December 19, 2025HybridZoom/Worcester
APA Executive Board9:00amFriday, January 16, 2026RemoteZoom
APA Executive Board9:00amFriday, February 20, 2026RemoteZoom
APA Executive Board9:00amFriday, March 20, 2026RemoteZoom
APA Executive Board9:00amFriday, April 17, 2026RemoteZoom
APA Executive Board9:00amFriday, May 15, 2026RemoteZoom
APA Executive Board10:00amFriday, June 19, 2026HybridZoom/Worcester
APA Executive Board Meeting Schedule 2025-2026

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