Kate Willower Jankowski, Chair, kwillower@hotmail.com
Every other year, the State League Board Nominations Committee undertakes the task of nominating Board members that will help responsibly carry out the mission of the state League. As with all nominating committees, we endeavor to nominate a diverse group of people who will bring experience and passion to the Board. Thankfully, the state League has very clear by-laws governing the nominating committee’s work so our task is clearly defined and transparent.
“The board shall consist of the officers of the LWVNYS, up to five but not less than three elected directors, and up to four appointed directors.
The officers of the LWVNYS shall be a president, a first vice-president, with up to but no more than three additional vice-presidents, and either a secretary and a treasurer or a combined position of secretary/treasurer. The number and order of vice-presidents and whether the offices of secretary and treasurer shall be combined shall be recommended by the Nominating Committee. Any of those offices may not be eliminated or combined until the term of an elected officer is concluded. The Officers shall be
elected by the convention and hold office until the conclusion of the next convention or until their successors have been elected and qualified.”
The Nominating Committee is made up of three elected League members and two Board members nominated by the President of the state League Board. Every other Fall, we begin the process of building the slate by having the nominating chair attend a state League Board meeting. We then interview each current Board member asking a series of standard questions that include:
- Tell me about your experience as a LWVNYS Board member so far.
- What do you think are the strengths of the current Board?
- What do you think would help make it stronger?
- Are you interested in continuing your service? If so, in what capacity? If not, why not?
- Do you know any prospective Board candidates that you would recommend we consider? In what capacity/Why?
The answers to these questions inform our process as we build the slate. They allow us to know which Board members would like to continue serving, what areas of expertise are represented on the Board and what areas we might need to cover with new members, and give us some leads on others Board members have worked with who might be ready and willing to step into a leadership role. It is important to note that, just because someone is willing to continue service on the Board, that does not mean they are guaranteed a renewal of membership. Because the Board is relatively small, the nominating committee may choose to nominate new candidates to give others a chance at a leadership position and/or increase expertise or diversity on the Board.
After we interview all the current Board members, we put a notice in the SBU and Voter to ask if anyone would like to nominate (or self-nominate) any candidates for the Board. We then begin outreach to those potential candidates. Through calls and interviews, we determine if these potential candidates are interested and would fill needs identified on the Board. As we conduct this outreach, we are ever aware of our goal to build diversity on the Board. We consider diversity in many areas–race, gender, geography, expertise, age, and experience as a League member. We consider the best slate to include people of diverse backgrounds who can offer multiple perspectives as the state League moves into the future.
We often look to local League representatives and Board members to nominate leaders in their ranks as the best way to identify our next state Board members. We are beginning our process to create the next slate now and would love to hear from you if you, or anyone you know, would be interested in serving. You can contact me at kwillower@hotmail.com to self-nominate or nominate someone you know.
In March of every other year, we present our proposed slate to the current Board. That slate is then voted on by delegates during the state Convention and our new Board members begin their two-year terms leading this exciting and dynamic organization.
