The start of the academic year brings a spirit of renewal and energy. In the Association, this is mirrored through our membership renewal, Annual Meeting registration, and the slating and election of new members of the Board of Directors.
As you recall, there were significant changes made to the Association Bylaws as it relates to Board eligibility and selections based on the Association’s governance consulting report, commissioned and delivered in 2023 (viewable here). The newly created Governance and Nominations Committee, chaired by Dr. Josh Schutts, met throughout the spring and summer to execute the slating process. New this year from the bylaw amendments, this group will continue to meet throughout the year to create developmental opportunities for future board members and Association leaders.
Volunteering for the Association continues to be one of the most significant pathways to better understand the strategic value of the Association and how the Association operates. Our Call for Volunteers is currently open, so if you feel that Board service may be in your future, we recommend you visit the Volunteer page and answer the call to serve AFA in one of our many volunteer roles.
As you can see from the recently released slate of candidates, we had many talented individuals apply to serve on our board of directors. We asked Dr. Shutts to share his insights into the nominations and elections process as we continue to make this process more transparent to you, our members.
Dr. Kate Butler and Hailey Mangrum (KB/HM): How has the approach to the nominations and elections process changed due to the new bylaws and committee structure?
Dr. Josh Schutts (JS): The bylaw change allows for a focus on governance throughout the year by identifying best practices and developing future talent. This is an exciting prospect, as it will allow us to make talent development and future-focused governance a year-round process. We hope it will continue to produce quality candidates for the board and, ultimately, highly skilled volunteers for the association.
This year, we added a new element to the elections process – a time allocation exercise – which challenged the candidates to identify areas of governance work they felt were most important and worthy of significant investment of time on task. It’s important to recognize that some of those options are no longer a part of the responsibilities of a governance board but rather the duties delegated to the professional staff.
There’s also more to be done; we always seek creative ideas. How can we harness our most seasoned members’ collective knowledge and experience? How do we create pathways for graduate students and our newer members that set them up for future board service opportunities? How do we capture those professionals who have been active with AFA for 5-10 years and are maybe looking for that next level of volunteerism to keep them engaged? These are the questions our Committee is charged with thinking about.
KB/HM: We know from serving on the Committee that there are often amazing members of the Association who are not elected to serve in a given year. What advice would you give to folks interested in serving on the board in the future?
JS: The Committee felt it important that the Association continue to provide professional development experiences for members seeking future board service. I’d recommend three things:
- Engage with education and training. AFA has an education module called “Above Board” designed to cover what it’s like to serve on a board like ours. All individuals who formally submitted materials to be considered this year were provided access to it.
- Make your [future] intentions known and explicit. Sometimes, leadership may not know how each member wishes to volunteer in an association of our size. The Governance and Nominations Committee maintains a spreadsheet of members who have expressed interest at one time or another. This is useful information for the Committee during the annual election season.
- Gain hands-on experience. In our local communities, numerous non-profits always seek future board members. Engage those organizations and see what it takes to serve on their board – and if it makes sense to you, try and obtain one of their board positions. This positions you to understand first-hand what goes into successful board service.
KB/HM: What does the committee prioritize as they select candidates for the slate, and what would you encourage the membership to keep in mind as they engage with the candidate materials before they vote?
JS: First and foremost, we hope to shore up areas where our current board might have less experience or skill to complement the current strengths among our board members. Second, a candidate must have the ability to think strategically about the association’s future and connect the dots between the strategic plan laid out and the actions necessary to realize that future. Third, our leaders must continue to “fly at the right altitude.” What I mean by this is that the best boards know what activities fall within their purview and what needs to be delegated to our highly competent professional staff. I have the utmost confidence that our members will consider where the association is today, where it seeks to go tomorrow and elect the leaders who will help take us there, one step at a time.
Dr. Schutts also used this piece as an opportunity to engage us in some discussion about our perspectives on Board service.
JS: Prior to serving on the Board, you both served on the Nominations and Elections Committee, bringing a wealth of knowledge and context to this year’s process and strategy moving forward. As part of your role in serving on the Board of Directors, you were selected to engage in this work again by joining the Governance and Nominations Committee. As a current Board member, what are some things you are looking for in prospective board members to help set the association up for success?
KB: I think an undervalued skill for board members is the ability to listen, synthesize, and critically think about information. Often around the board table, we are asked to make decisions based on a variety of information sources. These decisions require us to listen more than we talk, consider how different perspectives overlap, and be truly thoughtful about how each decision impacts the well-being of the Association and our members.
HM: Selflessness and integrity are so underrated when it comes to board service. The conversations, decision-making, and strategies we have to navigate call for a strong level of self-awareness in understanding that it ain’t about you, while also challenging us to walk it like we talk it. Among others, bringing a holistic experience coupled with industry knowledge strengthens our ability to be equitable, relevant, and innovative in what we ultimately produce and/or develop for our membership.
JS: Now that you have served on the Board for almost a year, what is something you wish you had known that would have helped you prepare for the role?
KB: I think the skill I have used the most on the board is the ability to think beyond my own perspective. I think we often hear that the board needs a variety of perspectives (which is true), but as important, we need a group of people who do not define their opinions only by their own lived experience. As a board member, you can’t just think about “people like me,” and must think about the needs of each of our members.
HM: Can I just clap it up for what Kate said?! Board members have to be willing to be challenged to reach the best outcome for the Association. I’d also add the importance of really staying engaged in the work of the Association. It’s so easy to get caught up in the workshops and/or education of AFA, but investing time into gaining a much deeper understanding of resource allocation, the operations and business of the Association, in addition to the impact beyond the Annual Meeting are areas I wish I spent more time in earlier in my AFA journey.
Just as the upcoming presidential election reminds us all to remain engaged and active in our citizenship, it is important to remember our civic responsibility to our Association. The next leaders of our Association are decided based on your vote. As members and supporters of this work, we need your help in empowering and encouraging others to also vote and stay engaged within the Association to ensure it is led with your voice in mind. We are excited for you to watch the candidate interviews, engage with the board priorities exercise, which is a new addition to our election process, and make an informed decision about who you would like to lead our Association by serving as a member of the Board of Directors.
