12:00PM
Zoom Meeting - State of Emergency
Council Members Present
Officers:
Jeffrey W. Haislip (Fluvanna County), Chairman
Colin D. Stolle (Virginia Beach), First Vice Chairman
Nathan R. Green (James City County/Williamsburg), Second Vice Chairman
Shannon L. Taylor (Henrico County), Secretary
Roy F. Evans (Smyth County), Past Chairman
Council District Representatives:
1. LaBravia J. Jenkins (Fredericksburg)
2. Benjamin M. Hahn (York County)
3. Georgette C. Phillips (Isle of Wight)
5. Megan L. Clark (Prince Edward County)
9. Charles H. Slemp, III (Wise County)
10. Amy M. Ashworth (Prince William County)
Other Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Present
Donald S. Caldwell (Roanoke City)
Nancy G. Parr (Chesapeake)
Eric L. Olsen (Stafford County)
Beverly P. Leatherbury (Northampton County)
Benjamin M. Hahn (York County/Poquoson)
Anton A. Bell (Hampton)
Gregory D. Underwood (Norfolk)
C. Phillips Ferguson (Suffolk)
Tracy Q. Martin (Halifax County)
R. Bryan Haskins (Pittsylvania County)
Marsha L. Garst (Rockingham County/Harrisonburg)
John Alexander (Botetourt County)
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (Arlington County/Falls Church)
Christian E. Rehak (Radford)
Marc H. Abrams (Winchester)
Howard Gwynn (Newport News)
Clarissa Berry (Madison County)
Derek Davis (Surry County)
Leanne Watrous (Nottoway County)
Tiffany Buckner (Petersburg)
Colette McEachin (Richmond)
Julia Sichol (Westmoreland County)
Jim Hingeley (Albemarle County)
Matt Kite (King William County)
Roger Brooks (Carroll County)
Joe Platania (Charlottesville)
Guests
None
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorneys Present
David Chappell
Ramin Fatehi
CASC Staff Present
Jane Sherman Chambers
Elliott Casey
Nancy Oglesby
VACA Staff Present
N/A
Call to Order
Mr. Haislip called the meeting to order at 12:01 p.m.
Minutes
The draft minutes from the July 29, 2020, meeting were previously posted and circulated to Council. The minutes were approved as submitted.
Chairman’s Report
None.
Administrator’s Report
Ms. Chambers reviewed the agenda items:
Old Business
CATF Update
Ms. Chambers reported that she has not yet received an updated CATF report for July. The last report she received was through June 30, 2020, and reflected that the CATF was ending the year in the black, despite the economic upheavals related to COVID-19.
2020 Curriculum Retreat Status
Ms. Chambers reported that the 2020 Curriculum Retreat will be a one-day meeting in the new CASC training facility in Richmond. It will be held on September 2, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is space sufficient to safely social distance. Masks will be required. So far 15 committee members have committed to attend.
Upcoming Council Meetings – Live or Zoom?
Ms. Chambers asked members their preference on handling upcoming Council meetings. Members unanimously chose to continue to hold Zoom meetings while the COVID-19 emergency continues.
December Executive Program – Live or Zoom?
Ms. Chambers asked members their preference for handling the 2020 Executive Program scheduled to be held at the Hotel Roanoke in December. Members unanimously chose to hold the conference remotely and to cancel the in-person event.
Ms. Chambers stated that she would notify the hotel.
New Business
Upcoming CASC Webinar Series on Implicit Bias in the Workplace
Ms. Chambers reported that she and Ms. Oglesby are working with Jennifer Joyce and Susan Ryan at Vera Causa Group to organize a webinar series addressing implicit bias in the workplace. The plan is to hold a large plenary webinar, followed by smaller, more interactive webinars. Vera Causa Group will be submitting a formal proposal by the end of the week. Ms. Oglesby will be organizing these events on behalf of CASC and will be seeking input from VACA’s Justice & Professionalism Committee.
CASC Policy on Webinar Attendees
Ms. Chambers requested guidance from Council on a policy to clarify who can attend CASC webinars. Ms. Oglesby and Mr. Casey reported that defense attorneys, private attorneys and law enforcement officers have attempted to register for CASC online events. Recognizing that every program is different, Council ultimately authorized CASC staff to decide before each event who would be invited to attend each program and to make the parameters clear in the registration announcement.
COVID-19 Impact on CASC Budget
Ms. Chambers reported that the recent reliance on online training events has resulted in CASC events being less expensive to run. She explained that CASC has two primary sources of income: the General Fund and the Commonwealth’s Attorneys Training Fund (CATF). Staff salaries come out of General Fund monies, so any training savings cannot be applied to salaries. She anticipates that there will be General Fund budget cuts due to COVID-19, but she has not yet been advised of the percentage.
CASC Finance Committee Meeting
Ms. Chambers recommended that the annual CASC Finance Committee Meeting be scheduled once she knows more about potential budget cuts. Members agreed.
Adjournment
There being no further business before Council, the meeting adjourned at 12:29 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting is September 23, 2020, 12:00 noon, via Zoom.