Election Updates and Restructuring Thoughts
Tim Michaels
Hi NAIGC,
Thank you to all the candidates running for the board and to all of our club officers for engaging with the voting process. We had a great call last night where candidates introduced themselves and participated in a Q&A. If you missed it, a recording will be available soon here
Full candidate information is now summarized here. One valuable resource which has been added are the peer evaluations available on each candidate that has served as a Director or Advisor in the past few years. This is a good way both to see how a candidate’s Board colleagues felt about their work as well as whether they have traditionally demonstrated interest in Governance or Operations tasks. We would highly encourage voting clubs to consider these ratings in their votes.
Some recent statements made about the organizational restructuring made me realize some additional clarification is needed. The Board attempted to fully explain the new organizational structure through the annual meeting, town halls, information on the website, and sharing the actual policies, but we understand there is a lot of information to digest and further communication may be needed on some of the changes. All information shared is with the goal of increasing transparency for the voting membership so everyone better understands the decisions that have been made. I and others on the restructuring subcommittee are happy to answer any further questions either publicly or privately.
Nomination Committee
Multiple candidates have expressed concern that this is the last year the membership has control over the elections. I’d like to clarify that the nomination committee, which will be made up primarily of NAIGC competitors and coaches will cut down on the total number of candidates in order to present a more manageable choice to the membership, and the membership will still have a final vote.
In the future, there will be a smaller number of open positions, but the Nomination Committee will always recommend at least double the number of candidates as there are open positions making it difficult to “stack” the pool with only incumbent candidates. There will always be a place for valuable new perspectives and ideas on the Board.
The nomination committee is a direct result of soliciting member feedback. For at least the past four years we have surveyed the clubs about the election process. Every year, voting clubs tell us that the process is confusing, there are too many people to keep track of, and they don’t know what they are voting for. Last year, in an effort to raise transparency and address these concerns, the Board put a lot of work into the summary page for the candidates on the website as it is this year. The survey results largely stayed the same. People are overwhelmed trying to vote on so many candidates. The nomination committee attempts to address this problem.
Membership Outreach
Several candidates and NAIGC members have iterated that the organization should consider membership more in its decisions. Everyone involved in the restructuring process wholeheartedly agrees, which is why membership outreach, communication, and feedback is one of the primary Operations functions under the new structure. One of the four main departments on the Operations side is the Membership Department, focused on outreach and supporting our clubs. Operations specialists will continue to organize town halls and office hours, and a specific Survey Coordinator role has been carved out. For direct student feedback, the new Regional Representative position has been created, and they will be able to speak their concerns directly to the Board. The Membership Department Head and Regional Representatives will be invited to Board meetings when decisions that directly impact the membership are made. We are excited that these new mechanisms provide a better way to incorporate member feedback.
With multiple new mechanisms set up to facilitate communication between the membership and the board, there will be more opportunities for the Board to take member feedback into account, and it will continue to be a priority. In the restructuring, Operations and Governance roles were separated so that every volunteer could perform tasks for which they are most passionate and the strongest fit. Both Governance and Operations are equally important to the success of the NAIGC, so we need strong candidates whose skills align with their roles on both sides!
For the Love of the Sport,
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Mason Marek
Hello NAIGC family,
A quick thank you to all of you tuning into this listserv. I want to make a few quick comments and responses to the previous email that I believe to be incredibly important.
First, I believe that although the Membership Department is in Operations there is a huge value in having individuals serve as Board members (in Governance) that are passionate about transparency, membership, and communications. I want to make sure this doesn’t get dismissed with the existence of Operations. I — as well as Olivia, and Allie — have served on communications for the last few years. We’ve been very passionate about the membership and opening up channels for voicing concern (such as the office hours Allie and I host every other week). Though we have these resources that were mentioned in the previous email, the effectiveness is not always there. For example, this year the membership department (formally communications committee) tried to make surveys and publicizing NAIGC policies a focused item. With few on the board serving in the communications and membership areas, this was put on the low priority list to other items such as restructuring. Additionally, often survey ideas were dismissed. I do personally believe that having surveys and available policy details available to membership is high priority (though I understand not all agree that it was the most urgent item). Having been involved in both communications and policy this year, I am disappointed that the restructuring did not take place over a longer/later period to ensure transparency was taking the focus. I think having more Board members passionate about membership would have alleviated this.
With that said, I think each of these concerns regarding membership involvement are valid, and can be something the board is open to discussing (from a communications committee member prospective). Nothing is set so that it cannot be adjusted, and I think — if this is a concern experienced among many— it can be addressed in a way that fit the needs of our board and our membership.
Next, unfortunately the peer evaluations have not been a consistently reliable source and, sadly, much of our Human Resources team is discontent with the process. As head of HR, their credibility has been a long going discussion. The goal is to revamp the process or change what is available in future years, as we have had accounts of board members being harshly evaluated on the public-facing evaluation to influence the election (while having the non public-facing ones be much more appropriate and affirming). They are there, and people are welcome to view them; however, I do think it’s important to note that their content and validity has been frequently disputed among HR — as well as other teams.
Finally, I may have some differing views; however, everyone I’ve worked with this year was incredibly bright passionate, and driven, and I’m eternally grateful to have worked with each and every one of them. Though I would have gone about prioritizing tasks slightly differently, I do give many thanks to my fellow policy committee members for their hard work this year.
Stay Safe and Happy Flipping
Mason
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Mason Marek
NAIGC | Board of Directors | Director | Social Media Director
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