AIGA DC is soliciting nominations for new board members until Friday, April 28. By nominating yourself or someone else, you can help guide the activities of our chapter!

AIGA DC is run by an all-volunteer (unpaid) board of local members, comprising working designers and creative professionals. To date, all DC board members have been solicited by nominations, often recruited after volunteering for an event or serving on a committee. (Nationally, AIGA mandates that members participate directly in governance of the organization.)

How do you nominate yourself or someone else?

Submit the nominee’s full name, email, professional and/or AIGA-related experience (if applicable), and the reasons why the nominee would be a great addition to the board. If nominating yourself, provide a reference or recommendation, and consider sending a few writing samples. For nominees interested in the Communications Coordinator role, writing samples are required. Email your nominations and any questions you may have by Friday, April 28, to board president, Rica Rosario.

Who are we looking for?

We are soliciting nominations for up to eight new board members. Roles we are looking to fill include:

• Design for Democracy Chair
• Education Coordinator
• Two Marketing Communications Coordinators
• Three Programming Coordinators
• Two Membership Coordinators

Board members do not necessarily need to be designers, but will have an interest in supporting the creative community. Examples of non-design board members include, but are not limited to, writers, engineers, content strategists, development or fundraising specialists, project managers and business owners.

New AIGA DC board members are trained for their roles at our mandatory local board retreat in the summer, and receive guidance throughout the year from more senior board members. Because of this, our search focuses on candidates with valuable soft skills — teamwork, communication, flexibility, patience, time management and motivation.

It’s important to our chapter that the AIGA DC board be diverse and represent the DC design community. We aim to have a board with diversity in industry, age, gender, professional experience, race, background, education, income, physical ability and more. However, nominees are not required to offer this information.

What are the commitments?

• Nominees must be (or become) AIGA DC members in good standing at the Supporting level or above. Visit aiga.org/join to find out more about membership options.
• New board members commit to serve two years, and may serve more.
• New board members must chair at least one program — or working directly with a supervisory board member — in their first year on the board.
• Second-year responsibilities may vary, depending on the individual or open positions on the board.
• Board members are required to attend monthly board meetings.
• Board members must be ambassadors of AIGA to members and non-members.

What happens after you submit your nomination?

A mandatory information session will be held for all nominees. After the information session, a nominating committee will review nominees and recommend new board members. Per D.C. chapter by-laws, the committee will take into account the professional diversity of the membership and the need to represent the interests of the entire chapter membership. The nominating committee will consist of the current president, two or three members of the current board, one advisory board member and one member-at-large.

What are important dates in the process?

• Nomination period closes: Friday, April 28, 2017
• Mandatory nominee information session: Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 6:30pm
• Mandatory local board retreat: mid-July 2017 (one weekend, during the day)

Why should someone join the AIGA DC Board of Directors?

There are a number of benefits of becoming a board member. Here are a few to think about:

• Opportunities for leadership in producing events
• Learning new skills like event planning and public speaking
• Managing teams outside of work
• Complimentary registration to AIGA DC events
• Making connections in the larger creative community in DC
• Access to the local, regional and national design network
• Shaping the current state and future of design
• Giving back to the design profession
• Paying it forward to emerging and future creative practitioners
• Enjoying the camaraderie among the board members