About AHCJ: General News

Professional members invited to run for AHCJ's board of directors Date: 06/05/08

It's election time again.

Each year, members in the "active" or professional category elect members for AHCJ's board of directors. (Associate members cannot stand for election or cast ballots.)

Six of the 12 director positions come up for election each year for two-year terms. Incumbent board members are allowed to run for re-election.

Service on the board is a serious commitment. It has commensurate rewards (but no pay). In addition to participating in two in-person board meetings each year and occasional conference calls, board members are responsible for making decisions about association policies and statements, projects and financial matters.

Board members take on committee duties and contribute to association activities, including conferences, membership, fundraising, advocacy and the newsletter. They may be asked to play a role in association projects, such as writing, editing or fact-checking resource guides or online teaching modules. Board members work with the executive director to help achieve AHCJ's strategic plan and overall mission.

Planning to run

Potential board members should discuss the significance of the role with an employer, when necessary. The time commitment ebbs and flows, but board members can expect to average a couple of hours a week attending to AHCJ business.

The semi-annual board meetings last a day, but may be extended for special activities. The meetings are usually held in conjunction with the annual conference in the spring and a regional workshop in the fall. Board members will need to arrange time off from work to attend the meetings. The practice of the board has been to reimburse members for some of the costs of attending the board meetings, if necessary. It is the desire of the board that financial circumstances should not be a barrier to board membership, but ultimately board members are responsible for the costs of attending meetings. Some employers have shown support for the organization by paying travel expenses of employees to board meetings.

The details

You need to declare your candidacy by 5 p.m. (Central time) on June 27. You can declare by sending the following to info@healthjournalism.org:

• A brief biographical sketch along with a candidate statement, or brief explanation of why you want to serve and what you hope to accomplish (up to 400 words).
• A head shot to accompany your statement on the Web site. (Optional, but encouraged.)

We'll post candidate information on our Web site beginning the week of June 9. The election will be conducted via the Internet on the week of July 7. Members will be sent an e-mail with the special ballot link. Your vote will remain confidential, although staff will be able to track whether someone attempts to vote more than once. Any duplicate votes used through that special link will cause all votes by that member to be voided.

Winners will be named the week of July 14. Their terms will begin immediately.