Agenda for April 19th Meeting 
To expedite decision making, only the members present at the meeting will be eligible to vote.
1. Vote: Who Are We?
The most important business item to be decided at this meeting, is to vote on the conditions or requirements for membership:
YOU, the active and former brewers and cellarwomen, are the voting members. The Pink Boots Society is YOUR group, so you must decide what form the Society takes.
I have had requests to include women brewery lab techs and packagers. I have also received requests from women suppliers (ie: yeast and other brewing raw materials), and women beer writers.
We have to draw the line somewhere. Do you want the list to include women working at breweries of any size, or just craft brewers? How will we define that line? What about the accountants who work at the breweries? Or do you want to limit membership to production people? How will we define "production people"?
Do you want a non-brewery auxiliary membership group that could help us with our goals? Women suppliers may be willing to sponsor websites, meetings or someday, a scholarship for new women brewers to attend formal brewer training. Women beer writers and media can help us promote women in brewing and attract young women to the profession. These people want to be involved in the group. How can we involve them while maintaining the integrity of the core membership?
The first PBS e-News went out on December 5, 2007. In that issue and in the January 10th e-newsletter, I asked for volunteers to help keep this ball rolling.
Since only Laura Ulrich and Jessica Gilman (Stone Brewing in San Marcos) volunteered, I will recommend keeping the membership limited to active and former women brewers and cellarwomen only - in order to limit my time commitment.
However, it is YOUR group. If the group votes to include women lab techs and packagers, then volunteers from those areas will be needed to collect names and contact info. Additionally, if/when the international-brand breweries start sending us their large lists of women brewers, cellarwomen, lab techs and packagers, then volunteers will be needed for the additional computer work.
2. Vote: Structure of the Organization
Do you prefer a President? How about a Queen, Diva, or Fearless Leader? To be assisted by a Vice-Queen or Vice-Diva? Perhaps a Board of Mavens instead of a Board of Directors? Let's keep it fun!
We will vote on officers (or mavens) at the autumn GABF meeting. Please nominate yourself or another women brewer/cellarwoman.
3. Vote: Committees or No Committees?
Two committees are necessary: A Meeting Committee and an Elections Committee.
Seriously, if nobody volunteers to help with the next meeting (October during the GABF) and nobody volunteers to help with the election of officers/mavens at that meeting, then this group is dead in the water.
If members are too busy to volunteer, then the Pink Boots Society will become nothing more than a list of names on my website.
I am happy to add names as they are sent to me, but I haven't time to actively seek women brewers anymore, nor to force the international-brand breweries to send me their lists, nor to write e-newsletters nor to plan meetings, lunches, or parties.
If you'd like to volunteer, but you'd rather we had a meeting at the next Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), just say so. The BA has not yet listed the location for the 2009 CBC, although I've heard rumors of Boston or New Orleans. Either way, I'm certain it will not be on the west coast. If you can't help with the Denver meeting and/or election in October, but want to work on a 2009 CBC meeting, please speak up.
Additional committee ideas are at the bottom of this newsletter.
4. Vote: On the Organization's Goals
See next section for example Organizational Goals: One idea is to institute an annual "Pink Boots Award" to be awarded during the GABF meeting to the woman who has done the most to advance the organization's goals during the previous year. Members would nominate and vote on candidates via email prior to the GABF meeting.
5. Vote: On a Website & Newsletter Sponsor
If somebody volunteered to pay the expenses. The sponsoring company's name would be listed at the bottom of these e-newsletters and at the bottom of the website.
6. Network: Women Brewers Connecting
Oh yeah! Women talking beer while drinking beer. This what we came here for!
Lunch Menu
Possible Documentary Starting Now!
