Committee: Annual Conference Committee (ACC)
Position: Poster Chair 
Term Dates: Two and a half year term

The Poster Chair serves on the Annual Conference Committee (ACC), which leads the solicitation and review of annual conference proposals for sessions, workshops, and poster fairs. This position reports to the chair of the ACC and is a member of the ACC Executive Team, as well as the full ACC. In total, this is a two-and-a-half-year commitment.

The Poster Chair is responsible for the development and oversight of the poster fairs for the 2021 and 2022 annual conferences to advance knowledge and skill building for the field of international education and exchange.

Position updated August 2019

NAFSA is not currently accepting applications for this position.
Major Functions and Responsibilities
  • Contribute to the development of a comprehensive and cutting-edge professional development program to serve the broad annual conference audience.
  • Solicit and review proposals for poster fairs that fit the conference theme, NAFSA Board directives, and the NAFSA Strategic Plan.
  • Recruit (with consult from ACC Knowledge Community coordinators) and lead a team of skilled volunteer poster fair organizers who will solicit poster proposals, review the proposals, prepare the accepted poster presenters, and work with staff to develop promotional material and coordinate the fairs on site.
  • Collaborate with poster fair organizers to create a balanced and comprehensive set of posters that fit the conference theme and poster fair themes and serve the diverse annual conference audience.
  • Assist in making sure poster presenters are appropriately prepared.
  • Work closely with NAFSA staff to curate and enhance the poster fair attendee and presenter experience.
  • Serve as a communications liaison between the poster fair organizers and the ACC to ensure that the professional development needs of the audience members are met at the highest level possible.
  • Serve as the on-site coordinator of the poster fairs and coordinate between the poster fair organizers and the poster volunteers to ensure fairs are set up in a timely manner and that attendees can find individual presenters.

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

Relationships with Other Members

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

Relationships with the NAFSA Staff

The Poster Chair works closely with the senior director and senior coordinator of the conference program team. Effective relationships reflect and include responsiveness to phone calls, email correspondence, timely delivery on responsibilities, open communication, and mutual respect among other characteristics.

Commitment

Volunteer Commitment:

  • The Poster Chair will be appointed in October/November 2019 and begin in January 2020. The term ends after the annual conference in 2022. The time commitment for this position is 2.5 years.
  • This individual is expected to attend the Washington Leadership Meetings (WLM) in January 2020 and 2021 and the annual conferences in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
  • The Poster Chair will also attend the ACC meetings in October/November of 2020 and 2021, at which workshops and sessions are selected for the next annual conference.
  • In addition, the Poster Chair will participate in bimonthly conference calls throughout the 18-month period, and weekly during planning phases of the two concurrent conferences.
  • In addition to face-to-face meetings, the Poster Chair will communicate work by conference calls and email. Timely responses to requests for assistance and information, as well as meeting deadline targets, are essential aspects of the coordinator’s responsibilities.
  • The candidate should also prepare for and attend leadership meetings at NAFSA annual conferences, when possible, and commit to visibility and engagement during meetings, events, and activities.
  • In general, the time requirement does not exceed 5 percent of a normal workweek, except during specific periods such as the month-long poster proposal review and rating process in the winter, when commitment rises to 20 percent.

Expense Reimbursement:

  • Travel, per diem, and lodging expenses are reimbursed for attendance at the WLM and ACC fall meetings.
  • Annual conference registration fees are waived for the two conferences that the Poster Chair helps plan (2021 and 2022).
  • Other operating expenses incurred at work office or 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.
Qualifications

 

  • Understanding of NAFSA annual conference programs, services, and attendees, gained through attendance at three or more NAFSA annual conferences
  • Broad knowledge of the professional needs of conference attendees
  • Enthusiasm and ability to mobilize colleagues to develop strong poster proposals
  • Strong leadership, analytical, and communication skills especially needed in leading volunteers in the proposal review process
  • Demonstrated strategic planning, management, networking, and delegation experience
  • Ability to work cooperatively and with mutual respect for team members and staff
  • Strong coordination, analytical, oral, and written communication skills, including proficiency in using electronic tools of communication
  • Understanding of NAFSA and its leadership structure and willingness to adopt organizationwide perspectives and strategic priorities
  • 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
  • Ability and willingness to serve and travel to conferences and meetings
  • NAFSA membership throughout the length of volunteer service