Task Forces

Task Forces

1. Sesquicentennial Task Force

Chair: Wendy Frieman

Charge: The Cosmos Club will be celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2028, and the Board is assembling this task force to carry out four tasks:

  • • Define what constitutes a sesquicentennial event
  • • Plan a timeline for events and activities leading up to 2028. Determine how any events will be needed each year to be impactful, without being overwhelming
  • • Coordinate with committees to determine what events and activities they may want to propose as sesquicentennial events
  • • Make a recommendation to the Board of Management about what type(s)of publication(s) should be produced in conjunction with the sesquicentennial

The Task Force will make regular reports to the Board of Management, seeking approval for the general plans and for any activities that have a financial dimension.

In addition to the Chair, the Task Force includes: Three members of the Board of Management (one in year three, one in year two, and one in year one) so that there is both continuity and an influx of new ideas over time; Chair of the History Committee; two members from the broad membership; one past president.

Formation of Task Force approved by the Board of Management, July 26, 2018

2. Membership Task Force

Chairs: Gary Cohen and Hazel Denton

The Cosmos Club’s Board of Management designated a special Membership Project during the 2018-2019 Club year and established the goal of reaching 2,500 full-dues, resident and non-resident, members by the Club’s 150th anniversary in 2028. In 2020, the project was turned into a Membership Task Force which also complements 2021 Club President Paul Taskier’s membership initiative. The task force has expanded its scope to include member retention. 

The task force is led by members Gary Cohen (’05) and Hazel Denton (’09) and includes Board members Janice Koch (’13) and Miriam Nisbet (’16), and members Donna Ari (’19), (Roselyn Epps (’07), Susan Farrell (’16), Wendy Frieman (’92), Shane Harris (’12), Nancy E. Weiss (’19), and General Manager Mitchell Platt.

3. Task Force for Committee Selection

Chair: Susan Koch

The majority of Cosmos Club committees are staffed by members who volunteer for assignments. The bylaws of the Club give the Board of Management (the “Board”) responsibility for selecting volunteering members for various committees. Because space in the Club for meetings is limited, and because a large committee can become unwieldy, all committee candidates cannot be placed on the committees of their choice. To assist it in balancing the applicants against the spaces available on committees, the Board annually delegates to a task force of members of the Board (the Task Force for Committee Selection) the responsibility for providing recommendations to the Board of Management for selecting committee membership.

Task Force members are Michael Pocalyco (’11), Susan Koch (’10), Clarion Johnson (’11), and Phil Marion (’12).

4. IT Task Force

Chair: Jody Westby

The IT Task Force was established in 2015 to provide direct counsel and advice to the Club’s professional staff who manage IT. The task force is regularly used for advice on vendor selection, best practices and all matters related to infrastructure and cybersecurity.

The three-person committee meets on an as needed basis, but the Chair is in regular contact with Club staff. The members are IT specialists, and their bios are linked below.

Jody Westby (’10) (Chair) – https://www.globalcyberrisk.com/our-team/jody-westby/
Todd McAllister (’16) – https://es.ndu.edu/People/Academic-Faculty/FacBio/Article/2914865/dr-todd-mcallister/
Lucy Thomson (’14) – https://www.globalcyberrisk.com/our-team/lucy-thomson/

In addition, Chris Buynak (Club Controller), Yonatan Teferi (System Administrator) and Mitchell Platt also serve on this task force.

5. Task Force on Reviewing Committee Mission Statements

Chair: Miriam Nisbet

The Task Force on Reviewing Committee Mission Statements was appointed by President Elizabeth Beck in June 2022. The goal of the task force is to look at how the committees currently define their missions and their scope of responsibility and authority, an effort that was last undertaken in 2014. As was done then, the task force will identify conflicting or overlapping duties as well as club activities that are not yet assigned.

Assistant Club Secretary Miriam Nisbet (chair), Club Secretary Janice Koch and former Board of Management member Winston Haythe make up the task force.

6. Task Force on Policies re Foreign Visitor Privileges

President Beck appointed a Task Force on Policies re Foreign Visitor Privileges in July 2022 to revise the relevant Club policies [#86 and #179] to reflect a change in how the Club handles the granting of requests for Foreign Visitor Privileges (FVP). At its June 30, 2022 meeting the Board approved the request of the Admissions Committee that the Admissions Committee no longer be responsible for reviewing or voting on FVP requests. Instead, the International Affairs Committee Chair or Acting Chair will continue to initiate all FVP requests, thereby preserving the role of the IAC, as a whole, to continue to serve as the sponsoring Club members for ambassadors and other foreign visitors including embassy staff. The IAC’s recommendation will be made directly to the Board of Management for the BOM to take appropriate action.

In addition to President Beck, the task force consists of Club Vice President Mike Pocalyko, Janice Koch (Secretary & past chair, Admissions), Naseer Ahmed (chair, International Affairs Committee), Mitchell Platt (General Manager), and Joanne Pierre (Manager for Membership and Administrative Affairs). The Admissions Committee would no longer be responsible for reviewing or voting on FVP requests.

7. Task Force for the Sesquicentennial Book

Details coming soon!

Task Force Reports