Message from the Executive Director

OFFICERS President Airielle Hansford, CMCA, AMS, PCAM President-elect Michael Gartner, ESQ. Vice President Ruth Katz, ESQ. Secretary Sara Ross, ESQ. Treasurer Kristen Melson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Immediate Past President Rafael A. Martinez, CTP (EX OFFICIO) Executive Director Jaime Barnhart, CMP, CAE (EX OFFICIO)

DIRECTORS Leslie Brown, ESQ., Doug Carroll, Hilary Lape, AMS, PCAM, Judyann Lee, ESQ., Sara Ross, ESQ., Gary Simon, CMCA, AMS, Jon Stehle

COUNCIL CHAIRS Communications Council Jennifer Bennett, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Education Council Kevin Kernan, ESQ. Member Services Council Bernie Guthrie, CMCA, AMS, PCAM

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Conference & Expo Donna Aker, CMCA, AMS, PCAM and Chris Goodman D.C. Legislative/LAC Scott Burka, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, and Jane Rogers, ESQ. Education Kathryn Hutchinson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM and Todd El-Taher Golf Adrienne Zaleski and Brian Lord, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Maryland Legislative Scott Silverman, ESQ. and Aimee Winegar, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM Public Outreach Elisabeth Kirk and Kim Myles, CMCA Membership Jeffrey Stepp, CMCA, AMS, and Noni Roan, CMCA Quorum Editorial Christopher Carlson, PE, SECB and Liliana Martinez, CMCA, AMS Chapter Events Kristen Adams and Jen Ann Santiago, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Virginia Legislative Ronda DeSplinter, LSM, PCAM and William A. Marr Jr., ESQ.

QUORUM Managing Editor Morgan Gaines, mgaines@caidc.org Design Six Half Dozen

QUORUM EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Co-chairs Christopher Carlson, PE, SECB and Liliana Martinez, CMCA, AMS

Members Michelle Baquero, CMCA, AMS, Dan Blom, ESQ., Mira Brown, CMCA, AMS, Leslie Brown, ESQ., Kristen Buck, ESQ., Doug Carroll, Deborah Carter, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Sara Castle, Traci Castrovinci, CMCA, AMS, Frannie Crouse, Brittanie Davis, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Katie Halfhill, CMCA, AMS, Iman Jackson, CMCA, AMS, Kevin Kelly, Jessica Knutsen, EBP, CIC, Richard Kuziomko, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Crishana Loritsch, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Liliana Martinez, CMCA, AMS, Kirby McCleary, Susan Miller, CMCA, AMS, Kara Permisohn, Tracy Plazyk, CMCA, AMS, Brandi Ruff, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Lauri Ryder, CIC, CRM, CMCA, Janet Smith, Gunnar Thompson, Susan L. Truskey, ESQ., Olga Tseliak, ESQ., Lee Ann Weir, CMCA, AMS, Doug White, P.E., Aimee Winegar, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, Jim Wisniewski, Michael Zupan, ESQ.

Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute, a 501(c)(6) organization, serves the educational, business and networking needs of the community association industry in 80 cities/counties in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Members include community association homeowner volunteer leaders, professional managers, association management companies, and other businesses and professionals who provide products and services to planned communities, cooperatives and condominiums. WMCCAI has more than 3,200 members including 300+ businesses, 1,100 professional managers from 85 management companies, and approximately 1,500 community association homeowners. WMCCAI is the largest of Community Associations Institute’s 62 chapters worldwide. Quorum is the award-winning premiere publication of WMCCAI, dedicated to providing WMCCAI’s membership with information on community association issues. Authors are responsible for developing the logic of their expressed opinions and for the authenticity of all presented facts in articles. WMCCAI does not necessarily endorse or approve statements of fact or opinion made in these pages and assumes no responsibility for those statements. This publication is issued with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services and nothing published in Quorum is intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied on as such. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought directly by the person requiring such advice or services. Articles appearing in Quorum may not be reprinted without first obtaining written approval from the editor of Quorum. In the event that such permission is granted, the following legend must be added to the reprint: Reprinted with permission from Quorum™ magazine. Copyright 2019 Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute. Quorum is a trademark of WMCCAI. Receipt of Quorum is a privilege of WMCCAI membership for which $65 in nonrefundable annual dues is allocated. The subscription price for nonmembers is $75 per year; contact publications@caidc.org or call (703) 750-3644. 2020 is coming to an end — it felt like the longest year ever, didn’t it? In October, I wrote about the things we learned in kindergarten that continue to apply to us now. This month, Quorum is focused on Lessons Learned in 2020. And wow, did we learn some! The year started off amazing – JumpStart January broke records with attendance and the number of new committee member signups. Conference & Expo in February was an all-new experience with multiple days of education, more networking opportunities and a partnership with the Chesapeake and Central Virginia chapters of CAI. We crossed regional lines to bring our members top notch education and more exhibitors than ever before. PLOT TWIST!

Along came COVID. For the past 9 months, the chapter has been operating virtually – from closing the office and staff working remotely to launching free educational sessions focused on the pandemic and creating online networking opportunities to keep members connected. We transitioned our regularly scheduled education schedule to the online platform. While nothing replaces the power of connecting in-person, these virtual sessions have kept members learning and connected to each other and the chapter. It has been a tough year for all of us. But…PLOT TWIST! Maybe 2020 is not the worst year ever. Maybe we can change the perspective just a bit and find the hidden gems in this uncertain year. What I have learned about the chapter is that we are a dedicated and resilient group. We are creative and innovative. And we can do hard things and come out the other side with perspective and optimism. The chapter felt the pandemic impact beyond program delivery. Financially, because we could not deliver the same kind of programs and many chapter events were canceled, revenues fell dramatically. Hard decisions were made to tighten up expenses and we all had to get creative with virtual programs to continue to bring in revenues. We are a strong chapter and remain so. The financial impact will continue into 2021 and until we can return to large in-person events. While the budget looks different, the staff and chapter leaders are committed to our vision of being the leading resource for community associations and business partners. Going virtual allowed committees to continue to meet regularly. One of the greatest aspects of virtual meetings is that chapter members who had to commute long distances to the office each month could regularly attend the virtual meetings. Members were actively engaged with each other over Zoom and continued to plan education sessions, develop new event ideas, and participate in advocacy on behalf of community associations. I want to take a moment to thank the Board of Directors for their guidance and support throughout this challenging year; the committee leaders and members for their dedication and for reinventing chapter programs in a virtual world; and to the chapter staff for their teamwork and positive attitudes as we realigned the office and roles. None of this has been easy but we are an amazing group. 2021 – here we come!

JAIME BARNHART, CMP, CAE

Jaime Barnhart, as the chapter’s executive director, is responsible for implementing the organization’s mission and goals, and managing its staff. Jaime has worked in non-profits/associations in the D.C. Metro area for over 15 years focusing on program management, events and trade shows, and marketing. She joined WMCCAI as the events manager in 2015.