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May 2 Docent Council Meeting Summary

by Jill Carlson, Class or 2013

The May 2 docent council meeting was held in person at CAC. A copy of the official minutes with all the details will be posted on The Bridge next week. The following is a summary of the meeting.

Everyone was delighted to have our CEO Eleanor Gorski, joining us. Eleanor reported on her work since her arrival in December.

  • After getting the “lay of the land,” she dug into financials, staff evaluation, and programs. 
  • The review revealed that we are climbing back to pre-Covid numbers. 
  • She plans to better define the mission statement with action words. 
  • She is implementing a management and staff reorganization that includes a Chief Advancement Officer whose portfolio includes the docents and volunteers.
  • She plans to increase the reach-out to neighborhoods and encourage more engagement, present panel discussions, adult education, and pop up exhibits. 
  • She would like to partner with city colleges and universities. 

Eleanor’s interest and energy were apparent in her ambitious plans for the future. She recognizes the vital importance of docents to CAC and will seek more collaboration between staff and docents. Her upbeat remarks were well received, and she answered many individual questions.

Old Business – Three task forces are still in the planning stages. They are: Improving Staff/Docent Interaction, Defining the Docent Experience, and Digital Growth. By the June meeting President Ross Wirth expects to have co-chairs for these task forces. Then members will be recruited to develop mission statements, goals, and objectives for each of them.

Tour Committee – Jessica Williams, Tour Committee co-chair, will have reports about numbers and scheduling of building and neighborhood tours ready for the June meeting. The updated process for submitting new tours is now available. Matt Scheffer is the new co-director of the Discover Chinatown tour.

New Business – Tom Stelmack noted the ACBL National Bridge Tournament coming to Chicago in July and suggested marketing appropriate tours to the organization. The river cruise, nearby walking tours, possibly the bridge tour were recommended.

Catherine Thomson, the Class of 2023 representative, reported that 24 out of 30 of the trainees have certified for Historic Treasures, and all trainees have begun training for their second tour – either Magnificent Mile or What’s New. River Cruise trainees will do on-board presentations of half of their cruises to coaches Sunday morning, May 7. The class will soon join the ranks of certified CAC docents on the street and on the river. 

Don’t forget to check The Bridge next week for the complete and official minutes.

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