Call for Nominations for the 2006-2007 Board of Directors

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS: As highlighted in the table above, the following positions will be open on the ACR Board of Directors for the 2006-2007 cycle:

• President-Elect and Vice President (see explanation below)
  
  The President-Elect will serve one year as President-Elect, one year as President, and one year as Immediate Past President during his/her three-year term and sequence of positions, as provided by the Bylaws.
  
  The Bylaws require a contested election for President-Elect. The candidate with the largest number of votes will become President-Elect. The candidate with the next-largest number of votes will become Vice-President. Therefore, there is no solicitation of candidates for Vice President. The term of Vice President is one year.
  
  Candidates for President-Elect may come from current members of the Board or from the general membership.
  
  Please note that candidates for President-Elect must have served previously on the ACR Board of Directors within five years immediately preceding their nomination.

• Three Directors-At-Large, to be elected by the membership
  
  Each of these three Directors-At-Large will serve a three-year term. They will be elected by the membership.
  
  Candidates for Director-At-Large must come from the general membership.

• Two Directors-At-Large, to be to be appointed by the Board
  
  The Board will appoint two Directors-At-Large, as provided in ACR’s Bylaws. They will each serve a three-year term.
  
  The appointed positions provide the Board with the opportunity to select Directors to fill special needs that the Board identifies, depending upon the overall composition of the Board, including the three, newly elected Directors-At-Large.
  
  There is no solicitation of candidates for these appointed Director-At-Large positions. The Board identifies and considers candidates it believes will provide needed skills, experience and representation of constituencies that might not be adequately represented via elected positions at any given time.
   

DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES OF CANDIDATES

Service as an Officer or Director of ACR provides opportunities to help lead ACR at a time when it is taking on critical, field-shaping work and continuing the implementation of its strategic plan.

Ideal Board candidates will be able demonstrate a progression of leadership in ACR’s Sections, Chapters, Committees and Task Forces. Desirable skills include: team work, self-initiative, problem-solving and conflict resolution, planning, financial management, communication, multicultural organizational development, and public policy analysis and advocacy. Also desirable are prior experience on association or nonprofit boards and, to the extent possible in a professional association, flexibility of work/life schedule enabling those elected to devote considerable time to their duties, possibly at a sacrifice in terms of professional income. Individuals who have served in executive and senior management positions in business, government and the nonprofit sector also would bring broad skills and experience of value to the Board and ACR.

ACR’s Board represents diverse practice areas and geographic regions, and its profile should reflect ACR’s strong commitment to diversity and equity.

President-Elect’s Duties: The President-Elect performs the duties of the President in his/her absence and participates in the governance of ACR in a manner best calculated to serve as preparation for his/her term as President; serves as an ex officio member of all committees; participates in all meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee; carries out special assignments at the direction of the President; and develops appropriate plans to facilitate the prompt and effective implementation of the Presidency when his/her term begins. In the event that the office of the President becomes vacant for any reason, the President-Elect serves as President of ACR for the balance of the current President’s term, and then carries out his/her own term.

ACR Directors’ Duties: The dedicated efforts of ACR’s Board of Directors are critical to the ultimate success of the organization. The minimum average time commitment required for fulfilling the duties of a Director is 5 to 8 hours per week. Specific responsibilities include: attending a minimum of three in-person meetings per year; managing the policy oversight of ACR; actively participating in the work of one to two Board committees; engaging in fundraising on behalf of ACR; making a financial contribution to the organization beyond paying membership dues; and serving as a spokesperson for ACR to promote the organization’s interests and the field of conflict resolution.

SUBMITTING A NOMINATION: Nominations for candidates must be submitted via email to ballot@ACRnet.org . Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by another member in good standing.

Each nomination must include:
The nominee’s contact information;

The contact information of a person submitting the nomination on behalf of someone else (as appropriate);

A brief statement (no more than 250 words) describing why s/he should be considered for selection on the slate of candidates that the Governance Committee will create;

A current resume;

A list of service and leadership positions in ACR and other organizations (this may be part of the resume);

The name of one reference, who must be someone who has served with the nominee on a board or committee; and

If submitting a nomination on behalf of someone else, please indicate that the person nominated has been asked, and is willing to serve on the ACR Board.

Note: It is the nominee’s responsibility to submit, or have someone else submit, all of the required information. The Governance Committee and ACR staff will not solicit any required material or provide reminders that something needs to be submitted. ACR will send a confirming email after receiving these materials.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 25, 2006 AT 5:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time is the deadline for all nominations.

FURTHER QUESTIONS: If you have questions about the nomination process, please send an email to ACR’s Governance Committee (ballot@ACRnet.org) or contact ACR’s Program Manager, Jennifer Druliner (email:jdruliner@ACRnet.org  ; tel.: 202-464-9700 ext. 228). You may also contact one of the Governance Committee Co-Chairs (Larry Fong: lsfong at web dot net; Bill Drake: billdrake at bellsouth dot net).