NCFR’s future is inextricably tied to the quality and dedication of its leaders. We need you!

As we approach the annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, the Elections Council asks you to think about the leadership opportunities in NCFR that would be a good match for you. Speak with colleagues, mentors, section leaders, or Elections Council members about your desire to serve and your willingness to be nominated for a position. Also consider nominating colleagues who you think would be a good match for the positions available in the next election cycle:

• Three Board Members-at-Large (2014-2017)
• Three Inclusion & Diversity Committee Members-at-Large (2014-2017)
• Program Chair-Elect (2014-2015; Program Chair 2016 in Minneapolis)
• Student/New Professional Conference Program Representative (2014-2016)
• Two Elections Council members (2014-2017)

Each year we begin our work on the next election cycle at the annual conference, asking sections to nominate potential candidates for the organizational level positions that need to be filled, and encouraging indi-viduals to nominate either themselves or others. Last year we were more than pleased at the number of candidates who offered to run for office, and we are excited about the outstanding list of potential candidates we have before us. We are now in the process of contacting potential candidates to ask them to run in the 2013 election.

In the spring, we will meet to identify and discuss possible candidates for 2014 who have been identified by nomination or who appear on lists of members who have previously served in leadership positions across the organization. We consider not only the experience of individual candidates, but also the structure of the overall slate, asking ourselves if we are building a slate that reflects the strength and diversity of the organization and its members.

The Elections Council’s responsibility is to help NCFR members match their leadership abilities to the leadership opportunities that abound within our organization, and we take seriously the NCFR Board’s charge to find the right people who are willing to have their names placed on the ballot each year. We are guided by the operating values outlined in the NCFR bylaws and the Elections Council Policies and Procedures. Our desire is to build a slate that represents the entire NCFR membership and that reflects and promotes the mission and goals of NCFR.

NCFR Elections Committee

Sandra J. Bailey and Karen Wampler (Co-chairs), Alan C. Acock, April Few-Demo, Gary W. Peterson, Laura A. Sanchez, I. Joyce Chang (Board Liaison to the Elections Council)