About Board Membership
What are the responsibilities of Board members?
Board members make planning, administrative and business decisions for the Organization. Members
contribute to the planning and operation of each Annual Conference. They participate in planning the
program, identifying workshops, and selecting speakers and presenters. The NAWRS Board also
addresses issues of importance to research and has several sub-committees. Board members are
expected to participate as sub-committee members. The NAWRS sub-committees are:
- By-laws - keeping the organization functional;
- Sponsorship - exploring supplemental ways to generate funds beyond Conference fees;
- Internet - investigating the best uses of technology in support of NAWRS activities, such as web
page development;
- Strategic Planning and Finance - projecting the NAWRS vision and ensuring financial controls;
- Membership –maximizing participation at the Annual Conference and providing a slate for
Board elections;
- and,
Awards –nominating persons to receive recognition for extraordinary achievements in aiding
NAWRS as an organization and furthering its goals.
What are the benefits of being a Board member?
The benefits of being a Board member include:
- close and direct contact with other research and evaluation professionals across the country;
- and,
state representation in Annual Conference planning activities in order to ensure that topics of
particular interest to one's state are presented at the Conference.
What is the commitment NAWRS asks of Board members and their states?
There are four Board meetings per year:
- Winter (usually held in December and convened by conference call);
- Spring (usually held in March, also by conference call);
- and,
Pre- and Post-Annual Conference (usually in July, August, or September), with one Board meeting on the
Saturday before and one Board meeting on the Wednesday after the Conference.
Attendance is expected at all four Board meetings. Members can be removed from the Board if they do
not attend a minimum of 50% of the non-Conference (Winter and Spring) Board meetings during each
year and a minimum of 50% of the Conference Board meetings.
The costs to the states are minimal. Since the Spring and Winter Board meetings are held via
conference call, there is little time away from the office. Two of the Board meetings are scheduled
around the Annual Conference, so there is really no additional travel cost above that of attending the
Conference.
