WHAT’S HAPPENING?

Every two years, BirdsCaribbean (BC) holds an election for its Board of Directors. The Call for Nominations is open, and will remain open until the night of 30 September.

This year — 2020 — is an election year, and we need the involvement of our community members!

Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future of an organization dedicated to conserving the region’s incredible birds and nature. We are a vibrant network and work with many partners throughout the region, including governments, NGOs, educators, tourism interests, communities, students, and more. The BirdsCaribbean Board is an extremely personable, inclusive, and enthusiastic group, and we are eager to bring new ideas and backgrounds to our leadership. Without a doubt, serving on our Board is an enriching and rewarding opportunity, and interested individuals should not hesitate to pursue a position. 

Some important vocab and distinctions:

• Directors = Leaders of the organization
• Board of Directors = Entire leadership group (all officers and directors)
• Executive Board = Officers only 

Positions on the Board of Directors that are open for election include:

• 4 Officer Directors (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and
• 1 Director-at-Large 

Basic responsibilities of every Director:

• Determine and promote the organization’s vision and mission 
• Ensure effective organizational planning
• Determine and monitor the organization’s programs and services 
• Ensure adequate resources and manage resources effectively 
• Select the Executive Director
• Enhance the organization’s public image 
• Participate in Board discussions 
• Promote BirdsCaribbean
• Support BirdsCaribbean financially
• Take a leadership role on committees
• Reveal conflicts or issues

Directors that take on Operational Duties are called Officers, and are listed here:

• President 
• Vice-President 
• Secretary 
• Treasurer 
• Past-President 
• Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology 

Directors without Officer positions are called At-Large Directors. 

HOW WE NEED YOU TO BE INVOLVED:

Over the coming months, BirdsCaribbean’s members will:

1. nominate good individuals for these Board positions, and then 
2. vote on the individuals put forward for election by the Nominations Committee

This is an important opportunity for our community to shape the leadership and future direction of BirdsCaribbean! 

ELECTED BOARD POSITIONS and their CURRENT STATUS:

The current members of the full Board of Directors may be viewed here. 

The following positions are elected positions, and are all open for nominations, no matter the incumbent’s status. 

• President: Currently filled by Andrew Dobson, not eligible for re-election to this position (has served two consecutive terms). Position must be filled.
• Vice President: Justin Proctor, eligible for re-election to this position. 
• Treasurer: Laura Bambini, resigning. Position must be filled.
• Secretary: Hannah Madden, resigning. Position must be filled.
• Elected Director-at-Large: Adrianne Tossas, eligible for re-election to this position.

More information on the roles and responsibilities of Directors and Terms of Reference for each of the elected Officer positions can be found here:

• BirdsCaribbean Board Orientation Handbook (contains the basic list of Director Responsibilities) 
• BirdsCaribbean Terms of Reference for Elected Officer Positions

IMPORTANT BY-LAWS (RULES) TO KEEP IN MIND:

• Elected individuals will serve a two-year term starting in January 2021 and ending December 2022. 
• Board members can serve in the same position for two consecutive terms (if re-elected for a second term). They must then take a two-year break or serve in a different position.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1.  I want to nominate someone that is NOT from the Caribbean, is that ok? Yes, absolutely. Nominees can be from anywhere. However, we do want to strongly encourage nominations of Caribbean nationals.
2.  Do I have to support BirdsCaribbean financially if I am giving my time as a Board member? At a minimum, you do need to be a member, so yes. Your financial support may come in a form other than cash (e.g., assisting with fundraising, grant-writing, membership drives, communications, etc.). Because the Board is responsible for contributing to the financial well-being of the organization, leaders of the organization must help find those funds.
3.  Do I need to be a BirdsCaribbean member to nominate someone or to run for office? Yes, only members in good standing can nominate persons for a position or run for one of the elected positions on the board. If you need to renew your membership, you can do so quickly here. If you would like to join for the first time, click here. 

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

In order to keep our community engaged with the elections, our goal is to keep you well informed of how and when BC members can be involved. Here is a timeline of what lies ahead:

• 1 August: Call for Nominations opens. 
• 1 September (1pm EDT): Meet the BC Board Webinar — a 1 hour virtual session where you get to meet the current Board members, hear about their positions, and ask any and all questions you have about what serving on the BC Executive Board entails. More details on this event will be made available soon. 
• 1 August – 30 September: Two months’ time during which nominations can be sent to the Nominations Committee.
• 1 October: Nominations are closed. The Nominations Committee reviews the nominations and agrees on a slate of candidates that they submit to the Board for approval.
• 1 November: The President will announce the slate of candidates and release the link to electronic ballots to BirdsCaribbean members.
• 1 November – 15 December: All BirdsCaribbean members should vote during this time. 
• 20 December: The President will announce the results of the election.
• 31 December: Terms of Office for previous Board members end.

PART 1: NOMINATIONS

The most important part of the election process is the nomination period, a time during which we as a community seek out the best individuals to serve on our Board. In order to oversee this effort, BC has a Nominations Committee, which for 2020 is composed of the following individuals:

• Andrew Dobson – President of BirdsCaribbean
• Lisa Sorenson – Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean
• Justin Proctor – Vice President of BirdsCaribbean
• Hannah Madden – Secretary of BirdsCaribbean
• Ancilleno Davis – Director-At-Large of BirdsCaribbean
• Ann Sutton – former Secretary of BirdsCaribbean
• Howard Nelson – former President of BirdsCaribbean

The Call for Nominations is open, and will remain open until the night of 30 September. During this time, our community’s goal is to develop the best possible slate of qualified individuals to run for election, and ultimately provide leadership and growth for BirdsCaribbean. Some traits of nominees that should be considered include:

• Qualification for the post (please read the Terms of Reference for each position)
• Prior experience on the Board 
• Diversity of geographic representation
• Enthusiasm and earnest commitment to developing a non-profit organization

Any BirdsCaribbean member in good standing can nominate any other BirdsCaribbean member in good standing. All members should be active in seeking out nominations. We encourage you to open up dialogue with individuals that you think would be a great addition to the BirdsCaribbean Board, and encourage those individuals to run for election. 

PART 2: ELECTIONS

On 1 November, BirdsCaribbean will send an electronic election ballot to all BC members. The ballot will contain background information on all of the nominated individuals, though we encourage members to research their choices as thoroughly as possible before casting their votes. Remember that elected individuals will become the next BirdsCaribbean Executive Board, a group tasked with shaping the future of the organization. Make your vote a good and educated one!

Members will have six weeks (until 11:59pm EDT 15 December) to electronically submit their votes. All BirdsCaribbean members should vote during this time. 

PART 3: POST-ELECTION

BirdsCaribbean will announce the election results on 20 December 2020. Newly elected Board members will receive specific training on how to fulfill their duties, and will also have the opportunity to connect with and learn from the Board member that previously held their position. 

New Board members will officially begin their terms on 1 January 2021. 

QUESTIONS?

If you have any queries about the election process, please contact Justin Proctor (justin.proctor@birdscaribbean.org). 

If you have any questions about your membership status or that of a prospective nominee, please contact Delores Kellman, BirdsCaribbean Administrative Assistant: delores.kellman@birdscaribbean.org