Update 4/18: The board nomination period has closed. If you’ve nominated someone, you will hear back soon with next steps for the mandatory information session.

AIGA DC is run by an all-volunteer* board of local members**, comprised of working designers and media professionals. To date, all DC board members have been solicited by nominations, often recruited after volunteering for an event or serving on a committee.

Until Friday, April 17, AIGA DC will be soliciting nominations for new board members. By nominating yourself or someone else, you can help guide the activities of our chapter!

What we’re looking for:

This year, we are soliciting nominations for up to five new board members, who may be involved in event planning, communications, development/sponsorship, and other chapter programming.

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

AIGA DC board members get some training specific to their roles at our local board retreat in the summer and throughout the year with guidance of more senior board members. Because of this, our search focuses on candidates with valuable soft skills (teamwork, communication, flexibility, patience, time management, 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. That said, we will not pry for personal information.

Important things to keep in mind while considering whom to nominate:

In agreeing to serve on the board, one commits to serve for two years and to be responsible for chairing at least one program or working directly with a supervisory board member in their first year on the board. Second-year responsibilities are dependent upon the individual and open positions on the board. Board members may serve longer than two years.

Being a board member means one must be an ambassador for AIGA to members and non-members. The nominees must be (or become) AIGA DC members in good standing at at least the Supporting level in order to serve on the board. Visit AIGA.org/join to find out more about membership options.

How to nominate yourself or someone else:

Submit the nominee’s full name, email, professional and/or AIGA-related experience (if applicable), and the reasons why they (or you) would be a great addition to the board.

If nominating yourself, also provide a reference or recommendation and consider sending a few writing samples along.

Email your nominations, and any questions you have about this process or board duties, no later than Friday, April 17, 2015, to Ashleigh Axios at ashleigh@aigadc.org.

What happens after you submit your nomination?

A mandatory information session will be held for all nominees. (We’ll do our best to coordinate the schedules of all nominees.) After the info session, a nominating committee will then review nominees and recommend new board members. Per DC 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 consists of the current president, two or three members of the current board, one advisory board member, and one member-at-large.

*Nationally, AIGA mandates that members participate directly in governance of the organization.
**Board positions are unpaid, volunteer opportunities.