Board of directors

AIGA nominations process

The 2009 Nominating Committee, chaired by Sam Shelton (Washington, DC), is currently reviewing nominations to the AIGA board, submitted by November 15, 2008. Five seats—with a term of July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012—are open.

The nominating process is designed to identify, encourage and enlist the active participation of dedicated professionals in the service of AIGA at a leadership level. The procedures outlined below assist the Nominating Committee in conducting a fair and equitable evaluation, deliberation and recommendation process for all nominated candidates.

Nominating Committee

The committee consists of AIGA members who are not on the board to make sure member interests are represented in the new nominations and that the national board is not self-perpetuating (a weak point of many association boards). This process is an open, inclusive one; anyone who completes the nomination form will be considered.

The 2009 Nominating Committee is comprised of:

Sam Shelton, Washington, DC (chair)
Brooke Mackay Castro, Seattle
Cheryl Towler Weese, Chicago
Clement Mok, San Francisco
Sherra Bell, Atlanta

Nomination categories

There are two ways to be nominated for national AIGA board positions:

  • Peer: Any current AIGA member who feels a particular individual will enhance the quality of leadership on the AIGA board may nominate that person. The member can do this by providing their candidate with the nomination form and signing that form in the appropriate place. The member may also write one of the three recommendation letters needed by each nominee. The nominee need not be a member at the time of nomination. Each peer nominee will be asked to complete the nomination form and to return the information by the deadline.
  • Self: Any current AIGA member willing to participate and to fulfill the obligations of board membership may self-nominate by completing the Nomination Form and returning the information by the deadline.

The nomination form is designed to help the nominee prepare and present his or her qualifications in a consistent and orderly manner. The application process is thorough to assure that the committee has the same information on all candidates, recognizes the work nominees have done at the chapter level, and reveals the level of commitment of the nominees. AIGA will not accept 2009 nominations after November 15, 2008.

Responsibilities of the board of directors

The responsibilities of confirmed board members are considerable, although most of are traditional in nature. However, two obligations warrant notice.

  • Each board member is expected to give or raise $10,000 in discretionary funds (not including sponsorships) over his or her three year term. Past board members have developed several ingenious ways to meet this obligation.
  • Each board member is expected to accept responsibility for managing a principal objective of the organization identified by the board. While these objectives may vary from term to term, most represent the implementation or continuation of core initiatives established by past and current leadership.