May 12, 2026, Global Connections (GC) Executive Committee (EC) Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date and Time: May 12, 2026, 7:00 PM
Location: Zoom
Officers Present
President: Bob Persiko
Vice President: Ciara Halloran
Treasurer: Bruce Truitt
Secretary: Alexandra Persiko
Public Relations Officer: Rose Sharp
Committee Chairs
Small Groups: Deb Leo (not present)
Membership: vacant
Cultural Events: vacant
Penn State Global Representative
Wenjie Fu
Call To Order: 7:08 PM
April 14, 2026, EC meeting minutes were accepted as submitted.
The meeting began with introductions for new member Shea-Geneau Pasha, a Smeal MBA student referred by our previous MBA student assistants Destiny and Grace, who will be joining formally in August.
Reports of Officers & Standing Committees
President – Bob Persiko
– Bob provided an update on the Kazakh cultural event, which is scheduled for 6PM on May 23. 22 people are currently registered, and we would like to increase this number. We have enough volunteers cooking, but some help will be needed to transport dishes to the event site. Bob added that a vegetarian dish will replace a meat dish.
– Bob addressed declining membership numbers, with Bruce reporting a significant drop from 98 members in 2022 to 52 current members. The group discussed strategies for improving engagement through more consistent communication and events throughout the year.
– Rose suggested the creation of an events calendar with Shea-Geneau, which could drive engagement.
Cultural events position: Bob reported that Jordan Durst, a graduate student at Penn State, is interested in the position. Jordan will register to become a member and plans to apply for the Conversation Partners program as well.
Vice President – Ciara Halloran
Nothing to report
Treasurer – Bruce Truitt
– Bruce noted a checking account balance of $5,348, which is prior to cash flow from Centre Gives or stretch funds (June), and $18,308 in the money market account.
– Centre Gives Campaign: A sum of $1,891 was raised for GC, which signifies an increase of 16% in average contribution but a drop of one-third in donors overall. The funds will be put towards the English Language Literacy Fund.
– Bruce reported that he completed the development of active and accurate organizational contact points for the whittled-down Centre County nonprofit organization list, which is down to 44 organizations. He noted that it is difficult to contact organizations through the school district and would try again, but if not possible, then the overall list would be reduced by a further seven entities.
Secretary – Alexandra Persiko
– Alexandra mentioned that she and Rose met to review the posting of items to the website. She discussed the new website’s improved functionality for uploading meeting minutes, noting it is simpler to use than the previous system.
– She will draft the minutes and distribute them to the Executive Committee for review before posting them.
Public Relations – Rose Sharp
– The group discussed a summer potluck and settled on July 18th at Sunset Park, which will coincide with a World Cup soccer match and potentially include a watch party. Wenjie offered to check on a reservation.
As in previous years, GC will pay for the pavilion rental and Penn State Global will pay for supplemental food; participants will share food potluck style. Bruce will provide payment once he receives details.
– Rose mentioned that she reached out to undergraduate organization to share the Kazakh meal and listed it in the Global Gazette and Applied Linguistics group. She offered to post it on the WPSU Community Calendar and create a Facebook event with Ciara’s help. This type of advertisement will also be used for the July potluck.
Penn State Representative – Wenjie Fu
– Wenjie offered to reserve a pavilion at Sunset Park and provide rental information and details to Bruce. Note: Wenjie confirmed availability of a pavilion for July 18 at 11AM and provided the rental request form to Bruce. Total rental cost $80. The reservation is not guaranteed until the form is submitted and payment received.
Small Groups – Deb Leo
Special Orders – None
Unfinished Business — None
New Business – see Officer Reports
Action Items
Bruce
– Finalize the list of organizational contact points for the Centre County nonprofit organization list and close the loop with the school district.
– Locate and share the correct Global Connections Google Drive address.
– Process rental payment for the summer potluck at Sunset Park.
Rose
– Send Shea-Geneau Pasha’s contact information to Bob.
– Announce the upcoming cultural dinner event on the WPSU community calendar and on Facebook. Coordinate with Ciara on how to set that up on FB.
– Upload the citizenship test practice materials to the website.
– Add photos from the poetry evening to the website.
– Rename the “Meeting Notes” section on the website to “News and Notes” and upload the last 1-2 newsletters as an experiment.
– Set up a shared photo album (e.g., via Google Photos/Drive) for event photos, using the Global Connections email, and invite relevant members.
Alexandra
– Circulate the meeting minutes and upload them to the website after meeting with Rose.
Wenjie: – Check availability of Sunset Park for July 18th and coordinate with Centre Office; once confirmed, send details to Bruce. Update: see above.
All – review the Google Drive and see about posting photos there.
Next Meeting: June 16, 2026
Meeting adjournment: 8:05PM
Submitted By: Alexandra Persiko Date of Submission: May 16, 2026