On behalf of the Nominations and Elections Committee (Robert Banks, Larry Penwell, Jeanne Woon, and Jack Lampl), I am writing to seek your input as we develop a slate of candidates for our next election under the AKRI bylaws.
This year we are electing:
AKRI President for a term of 4 years 1 year as President-Elect beginning Fall 2009, followed by 2 years as President and 1 year as Past President. Leigh Estabrook will continue as president until Fall of 2010 followed by one year as past president.
1 Internal Director (Directors who are Associates of AKRI) for 3-year terms beginning in Fall 2009 to replace Nancy Wilson whose term ends in Fall 2009.
1 External Director (not an AKRI Associate) for 3-year terms beginning in Fall 2009 to replace Margaret Handmaker whose term ends in Fall 2009.
The Opportunity
Given all the uncertainty in our political & economic systems and the challenges that AKRI faces, this may not be an obvious time to volunteer for the demanding role of helping to guide and direct this complex organization. On the other hand how can one with a passion for group relations not be drawn to the opportunity to put theory into practice and give back to an organization that has meant so much for so many of us? We ask you to consider this when considering this invitation.
Policies & Criteria
According to our policies, AKRI Associates may nominate other Associates and/or themselves for the positions of President and Internal Director. They may also recommend individuals for the External Director position. Potential nominees may also be identified by the Nominations and Elections Committee.Once the period for nominations has closed, the Nominations and Elections Committee will recommend a slate of candidates to the Board of Directors.Once accepted, the slate for President and Internal Directors will be sent to all Associates for a vote in June 2009.The Board of Directors will elect the External Director.
In thinking about possible nominees for Internal Director, please consider the following statement from our policies:
All Associates in good standing are eligible to be considered for candidacy for the
Board of Directors.Qualities the Nominating Committee shall consider include:
·Committed to advancing the purpose of the Institute and furthering its educational mission.
·Committed to taking an active role in fund development and creating revenue-generating activities.
·Committed to taking an active role in evaluating the external environment and enhancing AKRI’s relatedness to it.
·Committed to enhancing AKRI’s relatedness to the public.
·Committed to supporting the development of AKRI Affiliates and otheralliances.
·Committed to supporting the development of AKRI Associates.
·Committed to taking an active role in evaluating the Institute’s program methods and results.
In thinking about possible nominees for President, please consider the following statement from our policies:
All Associates in good standing who meet the qualifications for Internal Director are eligibleto run for President.Qualities the Nominating Committee shall consider include:
·Able to clearly articulate the purpose, mission, and vision of the Institute.
·Able to integrate the mission, resource acquisition, and strategy.
·Strong national sentient leader.
·Management experience and capabilities including delegation.
·Able to be available, visible, and connected to the membership and affiliate organizations.
At this point, please give careful consideration to Associates (including yourself) who you believe would be effective in each of these two roles.
Once you have considered all of this, please submit the names of Associates you wish tonominate for President and/or Internal Directorto the National Office by July 20, 2009.If you are nominating individuals other than yourself, it would be very helpful if you would talk with them first to find out if they, in fact, are interested in the position.
In addition, please submit, by July 20, 2009, the names of people you believe would makevaluable contributions in the role of External Director.Such individuals should, of course, have the same qualities as those listed above for Internal Director, but they should not be members of AKRI.Additionally, experience in areas such as fund raising, organizational development, and governance would be very useful.Here, again, it would be helpful if you discussed nomination with individuals before submitting their names.The committee would also like to know a bit about the people you recommend (e.g., work roles, skills, board experience) and to have contact information for them.
We look forward to hearing from you.You may submit your nominations and/or recommendations to the AKRI office via email or mail (akriceinst@aol.com).If you have any questions about the positions feel free to email me or any of the other board members.
