Chair, Leadership Development Committee (LDC)

Committee: Leadership Development Committee (LDC)
Position: Chair
Term Dates: Two-year term

The chair of the LDC manages a committee that is responsible for encouraging volunteer leadership and supporting systems to cultivate, recruit, and orient leaders.

The year as chair-elect is focused on contributing to the organizational and project management duties of the work plan, partnering with and supporting the existing chair, assuming the duties of chair in their absence, preparing the LDC work plan, and attending the Summer Coordination Meeting (with travel to Washington, D.C.).

The year as chair is focused on leading the LDC through virtual and in-person meetings to achieve the assigned outcomes of the work plan, monitoring progress of LDC activities, reporting progress to the Vice President for Professional Development and Engagement (VP PDE) throughout the year, appointing members to the LDC team as well as creating opportunities for contributions from other interested members.

The LDC contributes to NAFSA’s strategic objectives by working to ensure effective governance, leadership, communication, and coordination for the Association. The committee recommends to the Vice President for Professional Development and Engagement (VP PDE) any policies and procedures for leadership in NAFSA. The committee supports the work of the association by identifying prospects for non-board-elected positions.

Position updated January 2020

NAFSA is no longer accepting applications for this position. Please see www.nafsa.org/openpositions for other volunteer roles accepting applications at this time.

Major Functions and Responsibilities

Lead the committee in managing the member-leader nominations process described in Rule IV;
Develop and deploy a work plan—linked to the association’s Strategic Plan—addressing the committee’s goals and initiatives for the year serving as chair;
Update VP PDE at least twice a year on the status of work plan goals;
Encourage members from underrepresented constituencies (e.g. geographic, organizational, demographic, etc.) to get involved in volunteer leadership;
Educate Knowledge Community and Committee Chairs about available resources to support their search for qualified candidates for appointed positions;
Ensure the execution of a leadership orientation program for new national leaders, in coordination with the Membership Engagement Committee (MEC) and the Regional Affairs Committee (RAC).

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

Commitment

The chair serves a two-year term and is elected every year. During the first year as chair-elect, s/he serves the committee with organizational and project management duties, assumes the duties of the chair in their absence, shadows the sitting chair, prepares a strategically driven work plan for the following year, and then serves as chair in the following calendar year. Upon election in mid-September, the incoming chair-elect should begin shadowing in the position by supporting and interviewing the sitting chair of the LDC.

On average, 15 hours per month will be needed to complete the ongoing work. This will increase to at least 20 hours per month during the heaviest period of work, in February, March, and May when committee members solicit names for potential candidates, review applications, interview applicants, and gather and review references. Peak months and duties are:

December/January/February: Assist with orientation, onboarding new members, and recruitment of new leaders; prepare for and attend the Washington Leadership Meeting;
March/April/May: Oversee elected-positions application vetting, interviewing, and finalist selection; prepare for and attend leadership meetings before the NAFSA Annual Conference and organizing LDC conference activities;
June: Finalize recommended Elected Position Ballot (the election slate) and forward to VP PDE;
July/August/September: As chair-elect, attend the Summer Coordination Meeting; collaborate on LDC regional conference assignments, prepare a work plan for subsequent year; and
October/November: Submit a conference poster session proposal; debrief with team on accomplishments and identify future activities; complete an end of year work plan report.

NAFSA Meetings
Chairs/chairs-elect/past chairs are asked to attend key leadership meetings: Washington Leadership Meeting, Summer Coordination Meeting (chair-elect only), and NAFSA Annual Conference as well as virtual meetings convened throughout the year by their committee/knowledge community. For the Washington Leadership Meeting, NAFSA provides reimbursement for travel, per diem, and lodging expenses. The Summer Coordination Meeting is held virtually for chairs-elect. For the Annual Conference, NAFSA provides complimentary registration to the chair and chair-elect; any costs for travel to/from the annual conference, as well as meals, and lodging for meetings before/during/after the conference, are the responsibility of the chair/chair-elect/past-chair and are not reimbursed by NAFSA. Other operating expenses members incur in their offices/at home, such as copying, phone calls, etc. are not reimbursed. Large copying jobs should be referred to staff. Conference calls are set up by staff and covered by the association as necessary.

Please Note: Per the NAFSA Standing Rules, Rule IV, Section C on Eligibility, "Current members of the Leadership Development Committee shall not be eligible to stand for elected member-leaders positions but may stand for election to the Board of Directors." In addition, if you are elected to lead the Leadership Development Committee, you are not eligible to serve in another elected member-leader position until one full year after your term as chair of the LDC has ended.

Qualifications