Subcommittee Chair for Awards, Membership Engagement Committee

• Support the NAFSA International Education Awards Program, according to guidelines established by the Board.
• Lead the subcommittee according to its charge to identify candidates for three NAFSA International Education Awards:
  • Award for Distinguished Service to NAFSA in honor of Homer Higbee
  • Life Membership Award
  • Rising Star Young Leader Award
• Participate as an active member of the MEC throughout the year, supporting its efforts to:
  • Welcome and engage new members and provide outreach at annual conferences with constituent groups that are new to NAFSA.
  • Engage with knowledge communities and national committees for coordinated member cultivation activities.
  • Support the MIGs at NAFSA annual conferences by attending meetings, provide talking points on behalf of the MEC, and submit comments to the committee for the annual review report. Approve the MIGs according to the guidelines in the MIG Leaders Handbook. Provide ongoing support of MIGs as appropriate throughout the year.
  • Support membership and career center activities as appropriate.

All NAFSA leaders are expected to foster an inclusive environment and seek to learn and understand the multicultural perspectives of the committee/team, our constituents, and stakeholders to align with the NAFSA Diversity and Inclusion Statement. An expression of leadership in this area includes:

• Engaging the committee/team to identify and implement strategies for increased personal outreach, recruitment, and onboarding for all, especially diversity-focused and underrepresented groups
• Increasing accessibility and participation from underrepresented groups, individuals, and institutions
• Expanding educational content within the committees’ purview through intentional outreach and recruitment of diverse presenters and institutional types in partnership with various NAFSA groups

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a professional association driven by its Strategic Plan as established by the Board of Directors. The success of the association depends on the productive engagement of three key constituencies: the Board, member-leaders, and staff. Member-leaders are advocates for the association’s mission, vision, values, diversity and inclusion, and ethical principles. They align their work closely with the Board through its vice presidents and with staff to carry out the Strategic Plan. Member-leader roles are guided by objectives assigned by the Strategic Plan, by outcome accountabilities outlined in the Standing Rules, and by position descriptions for specific roles.

Relationships with Other Members
This position collaborates closely with other NAFSA leaders to enhance work efforts across the association.

Relationships with the NAFSA Staff
This position partners closely with the NAFSA staff partner assigned. Effective relationships reflect and include responsiveness to phone calls, email correspondence, timely delivery on responsibilities, open communication, and mutual respect among other characteristics.

• This is a two-year term. The estimated time commitment is 10 hours per month to complete the ongoing work, with a monthly one-hour meeting by phone. This may increase to 15 hours per month during the peak periods:
  • October to mid-January: lead the subcommittee to assist NAFSA staff with marketing and outreach for award nominations.
  • Mid-January to early February: review nominations and propose slate of awardees to the Vice-President of Professional Development and Engagement to seek the Board of Director’s approval at the March Board meeting.
• MEC members prepare for and attend the Washington Leadership Meeting (WLM) in January. (Funding for attendance WLM is provided by NAFSA, including hotel and air.)
• MEC members prepare for and attend leadership meetings at NAFSA annual conferences.
• MEC members commit to visibility and engagement during meetings, events, and activities at the annual conferences.

• Familiarity with NAFSA’s International Education Awards
• Previous NAFSA regional or national leadership experience
• Understanding of NAFSA and its leadership structure
• Strong leadership, analytical, and communication skills
• Knowledge of the benefits of NAFSA membership and skill in articulating them
• Willingness to promote NAFSA membership
• Willingness to adopt organizationwide perspectives and MEC strategic priorities
• Willingness to adopt association priorities and perspectives on volunteer development and management
• High strategic planning, management, networking, and delegation experience
• Strong coordination, analytical, oral, and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with a team and with NAFSA staff in an outcomes-based environment
• Ability to manage unconscious bias in the assessment and decisionmaking processes
• Valid NAFSA membership through the length of the leadership term
• Desired Qualifications: Previous service on the Awards Subcommittee