A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend an AKC Parent Club Conference. This was a very large event where each parent club was allowed to send two representatives, I believe there were well over 1,000 members attending. Joan Fox and I represented the GSDCA. The conference lasted two days with a number of very interesting sessions offered throughout both days. One of the sessions was called "Specialty Clubs Governance" - AKC's Mike Liosis was one of the speakers and he spoke specifically about the issues discussed on this list regarding closed sessions and confidentiality. After the session was over I asked Mr. Liosis to share, in writing, the same things he emphasized in his lecture so that I could pass it on to my fellow board members. Below is my e-mail to him requesting this information, followed by his response. DK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- From: DKARLOFF@xxxxxxx [mailto:DKARLOFF@xxxxxxx] Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 11:48 AM To: Michael Liosis Subject: AKC Parent Club Conference Dear Mr. Liosis, As per your suggestion, I am writing to ask for a formal written statement of the information you emphasized at the AKC Parent Club Conference regarding the need to maintain absolute confidence regarding items discussed in closed/executive sessions; and the recommendation to only discuss personal matters, including membership applications and discipline, in closed/executive sessions. I will be presenting the AKC position, as provided by you, at our upcoming board meeting at the end of this week. Once again, thanks for an excellent seminar. Sincerely, Dania M. Karloff, Membership Chair German Shepherd Dog Club of America ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good Morning, In its discussion of Executive Session, RRONR, advises, among other things that: (1) In any society, matters relating to disciplineâ??particularly trialsâ?? properly should be handled only in executive session. (2) A member can be punished under disciplinary procedure if he violates the secrecy of an executive session. Anyone else permitted to be present is honor-bound not to divulge anything that occurred. (3) If (after trial) a member is expelled, the society has the right to disclose the fact that he is no longer a memberâ??circulating it only to the extent required for the protection of the society or, possibly, of other organizations. Neither the society nor any of its members has the right to make public the charge of which an expelled member has been found guilty, or to reveal any other details connected with the case. With respect to the PCC, it was our great pleasure to be given the opportunity to meet and share our thoughts on the many important issues that you as club members and officers face. Michael A. Liosis AKC/Director of Club Relations 260 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 (212) 696-8237 ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================