UMRA President Jan Morlock appointed a task force in August 2020 to explore, analyze, make recommendations, and report to her regarding aspects of UMRA returning to in-person meetings for its monthly forums and workshops. The task force members include Bill Donohue, Eric Hockert, Virgil Larson, Ron Matross, Jan Morlock, Kristine Mortensen, Jerry Rinehart, and Frank Cerra (chair).  

The task force met several times over five months and explored when to return to in-person meetings, potential venues, the need for an event host committee, opportunities for member-proposed events, and public health COVID-19 restrictions.  

A few of the salient recommendations the task force will make are:

1. limit monthly UMRA programs to workshops and forums 
2. schedule the monthly programs via Zoom through February 2022
3. continue workshops via Zoom after February 2022 and target March 2022 for the first in-person forum
4. establish an event host committee for the in-person forums
5. manage member-proposed events via the Program Committee
6. require vaccination and compliance with existing public health COVID-19 restrictions for in-person meetings

The Task Force Report with its recommendations will be sent to President Morlock in time for UMRA’s January 2022 executive committee and board meetings.

—Frank Cerra, Transition Task Force chair