Board Minutes & Bonefish Grill

I applied to the Care Plus board when I had a baby at home (who is now 15 years old) because I was looking for something else to do and saw an ad for board members in the local newspaper in Paramus. I think I was the youngest board member Care Plus ever had. Unbeknownst to me, Joe already had plans for me to accelerate into the role of Chair.

Within a few months of joining the board, Joe casually mentioned that he though I should be the next chair. I laughed it off and said I'm probably too young. The Vice Chair at the time, Tom McGinnis, agreed and said I was definitely too young. I let it go. A few months later, Joe invited me to dinner at the Bonefish Grill to talk about board business. Mary Ann Uzzi was there and maybe someone else (Dr. Henry Velez?).

Joe orders wine and cocktails and we're all drinking and having a nice time. I think my second glass of wine in, I was feeling pleasantly buzzed and Joe starts talking about the future of the board and then says that I would be perfect for the board chair role. He had it all planned out and had all his reasons set up and made it hard for me to say no, so somehow I found myself agreeing to put in for the role, despite the fact that I had been on the board for less than a year and had no idea what people meant when they talked about running a board meeting using "Roberts Rules."

I ran out and bought the book Roberts Rules of Order and had to get over my Imposter Syndrome quickly because I soon after became the board chair and held that position for about the next 10 years off and on. Joe likes to tell people he got me drunk and that's how he got me to agree to be the board chair, but I'd like to set the record straight that I was not drunk - just pleasantly buzzed. :)

To this date, Joe and I have kept our periodic lunch/dinner dates and I always treasure them as we continue to reinforce our friendship and I always know that I will get wise advise from Joe about something, as well as some kind of shockingly true store from Joe's childhood or early years working in New York in the mental health industry.

I value our friendship immensely and also enjoy our annual swap of sauce and my husband Adolfo's salami and sopressata.