Hi cavers, Last fall the outgoing president of the NSS recruited me to serve as this year's Nominating Committee Chairman. It is my duty to find candidates for the four director positions (of 12) for which there will be an election this spring. Directors are members of the NSS' Board of Governors. The newly elected directors will take office during the ICS in Texas in July.
I encourage you to consider serving in a national-level position with the NSS. Being an NSS director is a prestigious position in American speleology. Currently there are no directors from Texas, but there have been several in times past. Bill Mixon has served, Gill Ediger too, Ronnie Fieseler, I have, and so on. We could sure use representation again. If you would like to talk to me about it, please feel free to e-mail me or call me. My cell phone number is 214-770-4712. Permission is granted to post this on other caver listservs. Sincerely, Bill Steele NSS 8072 Irving, Texas Information on serving as an NSS director: The deadline for the 2009 Annual Board election is February 9, 2009. Submission Requirements are as follows: 1. Biographical and platform text must be submitted in Arial 10pt and fit into a 3 1/2" wide x 8 1/2" long column. 2. A head-and-shoulders or head only candidate photo saved by the photographer as a grayscale *.tif or *.pcx 1 1/2" square must also be submitted. In your biographical information be sure to include any training and experience you have administratively, in management, marketing, or accounting and budget reading. Candidates are encouraged to address specific, current issues faced by the Society or in running the business of the NSS. Be assertive in stating your favor or opposition. Feel free to advise the membership what you plan to do as their representative voice on the Board and to move the Society forward as a whole. Information about serving as an NSS Director: Serving as a Director is a large responsibility and a great experience. Below you will find some basic information about the Board and Director responsibilities. I also invite you to visit the Business Pages of the NSS web site, www.caves.org/nss-business. Here you will find a wealth of information including past meeting history, minutes, and agendas of upcoming meetings. You can review the various NSS committees you may choose to participate in and which Officers supervise them. You can view the Bylaws, the BOG Manual, and information about the COG. Taken from the NSS Board of Governors Manual: "Directorate (Directors) The Directorate is made up of twelve directors elected by the members of the Society. To be eligible, the person must be a regular or higher member of the Society. Each director serves a three-year term and the terms are staggered so that four directors are elected each year. Directors are expected to attend each meeting of the Board of Governors or the Directorate (usually three a year (one of which is always Monday and Friday of the NSS Convention), every other year another is attached to the NCKMS usually in October and the other dates and locations vary depending upon the hosting grotto or section. Travel expenses are the responsibility of each Director-mas). However, if they cannot attend, they may appoint another member of the Society as their proxy. Annually, the directors elect one of their number to serve as Chairman of the Directorate. This chairman presides when the Directorate meets alone. They also elect a chairman of the Executive Search Committee. It is the responsibility of the Executive Search Committee to maintain a list of people qualified willing to become officers of the Society. The prime responsibility of the directors is the election of the officers of the Society and, with the officers as a Board of Governors, set policies for conducting the official business of the Society. They also serve on committees and review the activities of all the committees. All Society policies are established by the Board of Governors." It is both desirable and important to find individuals who have good experience in administration, business management, marketing and accounting/budget reading, and who understand the goals of the Society. We also seek those willing to put aside their own views and be sensitive to the needs, viewpoints and concerns of the member majority they represent when voting on issues impacting the membership and forward movement of the Society. We need good folks who can bring balance to the Board table and stimulate real thought over issues. Cavers with knowledge of and exposure at the grotto, regional or national level are the most successful candidates. There is a serious amount of e-mail traffic as most hot topics and agenda motions are discussed prior to the actual meetings. If you do not personally know any of the current directors, contact information for current or past Directors can be provided to you so you may "get real" with them regarding Board service and aid your discernment. Below is an excerpt my predecessor received along with permission to forward onto perspective candidates, which provides some additional insight. "Brief notes to pass on to the possible candidates: Commitments are the cost and time of attending meetings three times a year. The chances are one will be close enough perhaps to drive, and the other one further away Arrangements are made for BOG members to stay with local cavers, to save the expense of a motel. Plus the convention board meetings on half to 3/4 the day Monday, and usually all day Friday. Responsibilities are also to review officers' reports before the Board meetings where they will be discussed, and review and understand the NSS operating budget. Directors elect officers. Directors are therefore responsible for selecting, "hiring" the Society's top management who operate the Society on a day-to-day basis, and for reviewing the officers' performances. The Directors select the executive search committee members (who present a slate of candidates for officer positions), and may establish the qualifications and criteria used by the committee. There will be some email traffic/discussions during the year on issues, but in fits and spurts. Otherwise, a director may do as little or as much as s/he feels motivated to do. Some directors do very little beyond attending meetings, others become very involved in issues, committees, and various programs. Directors are elected to manage and provide leadership for a multi-million dollar organization/business -- like a corporate board of directors. Key elements of the job include: business strategies and concepts; self-marketing concepts; vision for the Society; policies, strategies, and budgeting to support and grow NSS programs and further its goals in a changing environment; setting priorities for funding and goals. The real work of the society is at the NSS Committee level. If director candidates want to become involved with the NSS to really work with programs, projects and ideas, or to further a certain area of interest (such as education or membership recruitment) then they should become involved with the appropriate committee. This is where they would make a difference, not as a director." Taken from the NSS Constitution: NSS Director Duties and Qualities "Directorate (Directors) The Directorate is made up of twelve directors elected by the members of the Society. To be eligible, the person must be a regular or higher member of the Society. Each director serves a three-year term and the terms are staggered so that four directors are elected each year. Directors are expected to attend each meeting of the Board of Governors or the Directorate (usually three a year (one of which is always the Monday and Friday of the NSS Convention), every other year another is attached to the NCKMS usually in October and the other dates and locations vary depending upon the hosting grotto or section. Travel expenses are the responsibility of each Director-chair). However, if they cannot attend, they may appoint another member of the Society as their proxy. Annually, the directors elect one of their number to serve as Chairman of the Directorate. This chairman presides when the Directorate meets alone. They also elect a chairman of the Executive Search Committee. It is the responsibility of the Executive Search Committee to maintain a list of people qualified and willing to become officers of the Society. The prime responsibility of the directors is the election of the officers of the Society and, with the officers as a Board of Governors, set policies for conducting the official business of the Society. They also serve on committees and review the activities of all the committees. All Society policies are established by the Board of Governors." It is important to find individuals who not only have good training or experience in administration, business management, marketing and accounting/budget reading, and who understand the goals of the Society, but are also selfless enough to put aside their own views and be sensitive to the needs, viewpoints and concerns of the members they represent when voting on issues that impact the best interest of the membership and the forward movement of the Society. We need good folks who can bring balance and stimulate real thought over issues to the Board table, not just act out unfulfilled political aspirations or personal agendas. Also cavers with knowledge of and exposure at the grotto, regional or national level are the most successful candidates. Should you decide to run, in addition to specific submission guidelines for your photo and bio/platform statement and submission deadline, I can provide sample bio/platforms from past candidates to serve as a guide. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
