What’s the composition of the Board of Directors?

The ASCP Bylaws provide for 15 elected members on the Board of Directors: 5 officers (president, chairman of the board, president-elect, vice president, and secretary-treasurer) and 10 directors (2 elected from each of ASCP’s 5 regions). All board members are elected by the ASCP membership except for the secretary-treasurer who is elected by the Board of Directors. In addition, the Executive Director/CEO serves as an ex officio, non-voting member of the Board.

Except for the secretary-treasurer, each officer serves a one-year term. Each officer must have been a director-member of the Board for a minimum of one two-year term before serving as an officer.  No elected officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.  The secretary-treasurer serves a three-year term  and is limited to two consecutive terms in this office.

Each director serves a two-year term and elections are staggered such that only 5 of the 10 director positions are elected annually. Each director may be re-elected to no more than two consecutive terms as director. Directors are strongly encouraged to run for an officer position, since being a director is a prerequisite for being an officer.

Learn more about the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of Board members here.

Nominations Process

Nominations due December 31st
Each year ASCP seeks eligible and qualified candidates for the Society’s Board of Directors for each of seven (7) positions: president-elect, vice president, and five (5) of the director positions. Once elected to president-elect, this person automatically moves to president and then to chairman of the board. There is no similar automatic ascension for vice president who must instead stand for election to the position of president-elect.

The Nominating Committee is appointed by the president in late summer, and ASCP issues a call for nominations due December 31st of eligible and qualified candidates for the Society’s Board of Directors.

The following are considered by the ASCP Nominating Committee in selecting candidates to stand for election:

• membership in ASCP for at least two years
• attendance at two or more ASCP meetings
• productive service and involvement in the Society’s national and/or chapter leadership groups

To submit your name for consideration for election to the ASCP Board of Directors, or to suggest a candidate for nomination, please provide full name, contact information, and position sought (president-elect, vice president, or director) to ASCP’s Leadership Coordinator, Heather Henson, at HHenson@ascp.com, or phone 703-739-1316 ext 147.

Online election opens June 1st

The election slate is finalized by the Nominating Committee around February 1st. The Election Bulletin -- with candidate's photograph, biographical sketch, and responses to two questions -- is posted and online balloting begins on June 1st for all ASCP members who are eligible to vote.

Voting by online ballots must be completed by July 10th in order to be counted in the official results.

Election results announced by August 1st
Once the election results are officially tallied, the outcome is communicated to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee and the Executive Director/CEO. Vote counts are never announced. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee first notifies all candidates of the outcome of the election, and only then is the outcome announced to the membership at large. New board members begin serving after their installation during a general session at the annual meeting in November.

Electioneering

ASCP defines the appropriate structure and process for electioneering. Specifically, candidates are first announced in the April issue of ASCP Update and then their photographs and bios are printed a subsequent issue. At ASCP’s midyear conference, candidates are provided a "candidate" ribbon, introduced during the opening general session, and encouraged to meet and talk with members at that conference. In addition, the election slate is provided to each conference registrant and a sign of the election slate is posted in the registration area. Finally, the online Election Bulletin is available starting June 1st and members are reminded via ascp.com and email to complete online ballots by July 10th.

Candidates and other members should view electioneering outside this structure and process as expressly prohibited by the Society. If a member or non-member promote a candidate, they will be notified to abstain immediately and the incident will be reported to ASCP. In the event the ASCP Board of Directors determines that inappropriate campaigning activity has occurred, the Board will take appropriate action.

For more information about standing for election to the ASCP Board of Directors or serving on the Nominating Committee, contact Heather Henson, ASCP's Leadership Coordinator, at HHenson@ascp.com.