Call for Officer Nominations

The Nominations Committee is pleased to announce that the Vice President, Treasurer, and one At-Large Director positions are up for election in 2015. The nominations deadline has passed for the 2014 elected positions.

Nominations for the Vice President, Treasurer, and At-Large Director positions must be received by September 1 of the year prior to the election year. To be considered for any elected position, please submit the following information:

1. A brief biographical sketch of no more than 200 words
2. A statement on your candidacy for the position, between 500–600 words (e.g., what objectives and goals you would bring to the position)
3. A current curriculum vitae

Please send nominations directly to nominations@aarweb.org. Send questions to Elizabeth Hardcastle at ehardcastle@aarweb.org.

Elections Process

In order to help AAR members better understand the way in which officer elections are conducted, the Nominations Committee has outlined below the process in detail:

Candidates can self-nominate or nominate others by sending materials directly to the Chair of the Nominations Committee. The Chair collects the names of proposed candidates. The Chair then meets with the rest of the committee in late winter to discuss the slate of candidates (both submitted by the general membership, by Board of Directors, and by Nominations Committee members).

Candidates are chosen for each position that is coming up for election that coming year. Three or four candidates are chosen at first, ranked 1–4. The Chair of the Nominations Committee works down the slate by contacting the candidates to see if they are willing to stand for election. Once two candidates agree to stand, the Chair sends the final slate to the AAR Executive Office for presentation to the Board of Directors at the Spring Board meeting, to be approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Once the slate of candidates is approved, the AAR Executive Office contacts the candidates to request a photo, bio, and statement for inclusion in the election materials. These materials are printed in the October issue of RSN and are mailed to all members who do not have an e-mail address in the membership system. For those members who do have e-mail addresses, they receive an e-mail announcing the start of the election period with a link to the election materials. They also receive reminders to vote in both the September and October E-bulletins.

The elections period varies from year to year, but is usually thirty days in length. In 2014, the elections will be held from Monday, September 22, to Wednesday, October 22.

The day after the elections close (October 23, 2014), the AAR Executive Office tallies the electronic and mailed ballots and reports the results to the Executive Director.

The Executive Director first contacts both the winning and losing candidates, and then announces the election results to the Board via e-mail.

Once the candidates have been contacted and the Board informed, the election results are posted on the AAR website. A further announcement will be made at the Annual Business Meeting at the Annual Meeting.

Candidates take up their positions at the end of the Annual Business Meeting.

Job Descriptions of Elected Officers

Vice President

Serves a one-year term, so candidates run for election every year. The current Vice President will automatically become President-Elect in 2015 and President in 2016 without additional elections. During his or her tenure, the Vice President will have the opportunity to affect AAR policy in powerful ways; in particular, during the presidential year, the incumbent makes many of the appointments of members to openings on working groups. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, the Vice President also serves on the Executive, Audit, and Program Committees.

Secretary

Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The Secretary is responsible for recording and verifying the official records of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Annual Business Meeting.

Treasurer

Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The Treasurer is responsible for all aspect of the AAR finances, from operating budgets to investments. The Treasurer serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Finance Committee.

Program Unit Director

Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The Program Unit Director must have prior experience as a Program Unit Chair. He or she will represent the needs and interests of the Program Units to the Board of Directors. This person is also charged with keeping before the Board important matters regarding the Annual Meeting. The Program Unit Director also chairs the Program Committee.

Regions Director

Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The Regions Director must have prior experience in the leadership of an AAR region. He or she will represent the needs and interests of the AAR’s ten regions to the Board of Directors. The Regions Director serves on the Planning Committee and is chair of the Regions Committee.

Student Director

Serves a two-year term, so candidates run for election every second year. The Student Director is a member of the Board of Directors, representing the particular concerns and issues of AAR student members at large. In addition, the Student Director serves on the Planning Committee and is chair of the Graduate Student Committee.

At-Large Directors

There are three At-Large Directors serving on the Board of Directors at any given time. Each At-Large Director serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. This means that there is an election for a new At-Large Director each and every year. At-Large Directors have no particular brief, but may, as needed, be tasked by the Board of Directors with various duties. They are charged to represent the needs and interests of the general AAR membership to the Board of Directors. At-Large Directors have a presence on the Finance, Program, and Planning Committees.