WILPF Welcomes New Director of Operations

Dear Members,

I’ve been hearing from a number of branches about plans for commemorating International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament on Thursday, May 24. This day began in Europe in the early 1980s, when hundreds of thousands of women organized against nuclear weapons and the arms race, and offers a perfect opportunity for raising awareness about WILPF’s agenda for structural change and vision of human security. Kudos to those who have chosen to observe this rather obscure holiday with local vigils and events, and I hope that in the years to come it will have greater recognition and be a catalyst for coordinated WILPF action around the world.

But the purpose of this communication is to share important information about our organization!

I am thrilled to announce that Ria Kulenovic has joined our National team as Director of Operations. Ria is originally from Sarajevo and was attending college there during the siege; she moved to the U.S. obtaining refugee status in 1995. She has worked with the International Rescue Committee in several different capacities and most recently she served as the executive director of the Center for Balkan Development. Ria has served on the Boards of Directors and the Executive Committees of Refugee Women’s Network and Women's Refugee Commission. Ria comes highly recommended for her attention to detail, ability to grow organizations and interpersonal communications. You can see her professional profile on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ria-kulenovic/6/565/180. Ria has managed budgets ranging from 300K to 2M and is expert at negotiating the accounting rules governing 501c3 and c4 corporations; she has recently completed requirements for a masters degree in Public Administration with a emphasis on non-profit organizations, at Suffolk University's Sawyer School of Management.

The Director of Operations is responsible for managing WILPF’s membership database, financial transactions, internship program, and organizational infrastructure. Ria can be reached at rkulenovic@wilpfus.org or by calling 617-266-0999.

Other News of Importance to WILPF Members:

The WILPF National Board will be holding a meeting via conference call at 5 p.m. EDT on Sunday July 22. Decision items on the agenda for that meeting include: continuance of the Local2Global program for seasoned WILPF members; continuance of the Practicum in Advocacy at the United Nations program for college women; and at least one (but possibly more) proposed changes to WILPF’s By-Laws (check www.wilpf.org/bylaws for details). Meetings of the National Board are open to all WILPF members. If you would like to participate, please email dialogue@wilpfus.org for dial in information; if you are unable to participate in the call itself but would like to weigh in on any of the agenda items, please send your comments to dialogue@wilpfus.org no later than July 15 so that they can be shared with all board members prior to the meeting.

The survey collecting data for possible re-invention of our WILPF Triennial National Congress will close on June 30. If you haven’t already responded, please take a few moments to do so now by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WILPF_NCPS   or by filling out the paper version on p. 24 of the spring 2012 issue of Peace and Freedom. Your ideas and thoughts are essential to inform the National Board’s decision-making process. In addition, if you believe that WILPF Congresses serve an important function in connecting our members and deepening our shared learnings, are adept at negotiating change and an organizer at heart, consider volunteering as Chair of the National Congress Committee (NCC). The Chair of the NCC does not serve on the National Board and has a term of service that will extend until six months after the next National Congress. If interested, you can write directly to the nominations@wilpfus.org or down load a full job description and application at http://wilpf.org/JoinCommittee

Deep appreciation to all those members and branches who supported our spring call to GROW WILPF by reaching out their families and friends with warm invitations to join WILPF. We hope that all the opportunities for involvement offered here will strengthen your engagement and help strengthen WILPF as a national and international organization.

Sincerely,

Laura Roskos
President, U.S. Section

P.S.  Don’t forget to use WILPF’s Facebook page to communicate with other WILPF members and share your activism with the world!