It's election season.

No, no, not THOSE elections.  I mean your ASTD San Diego Board of Directors.

If you're anything like me, you may be wondering why we have elections at all given that there's only one candidate put forward per position.  When I first saw that I thought, Huh???

Here's the process in a nutshell.  (It may be a coconut shell rather than a walnut shell, but I'll do my best to be concise.)

Board positions are all two-year terms, with the exception of President which is, in effect, three years (President-Elect, President, and Past President).  Ideally, about half the Board ends their term every year.

At some point in June, the current President-Elect begins recruiting for his or her Board, with help from other Board members, especially the President and Past President.  This means identifying top candidates for each Board position that needs to be filled, as well as picking the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee is responsible for helping the President-Elect interview each of the candidates, and determining whether or not the candidate is qualified for the position in question.  The Nominating Committee (affectionately known as the NomCom) typically includes the current President and Past President, as well as WillaMae Heitman as our Executive Committee Chair and the first woman president to our chapter.  In addition, each President-Elect chooses two or three additional NomCom members to help in the process.

So my nominating committee consisted of Catherine Mattice (2012 Past President), Alan Landers (2012 President), WillaMae Heitman, Jeff Toister (a long-term ASTD San Diego supporter and 2008 President), and Melanie Proschenko (another long-term supporter of our Chapter).

The Nominating Committee's goal is to present a slate of candidates - one for each position - whom we feel are the most qualified of those who have applied. 

Our Chapter Bylaws require that at least 10% of our membership must cast their ballot in order to do business - in this case, in order to elect our Board members. 

Your vote is essential to confirm the Nominating Committee's choices.  You are free to vote "no" if you know of any reasons why a particular candidate should not be elected; this is not intended to be a "rubber stamp" vote.

I hope this helps clarify the process we go through as a Chapter in order to have the strongest possible Board of Directors working to improve our offerings to our membership and to the San Diego community as a whole.

And you'll see more "A Peek Behind the Scenes" posts throughout the upcoming year that I hope will help you understand a bit more about what's involved in running the Chapter - and I also hope will pique your interest in becoming more involved as a volunteer or even as a future Board member.

Interested in reading the Chapter ByLaws?  You can find them - along with a rolling twelve months of Board meeting minutes - here: Bylaws & Minutes  (You do need to be a member to access that page.)

Questions?  Comments?  Post them here and I'll be sure to reply.