2017 Nominations Committee Undergoes Change
BY LARRY HODGSON
GWA has reworked its bylaws to bring them in line with 2017 standards . Some of the changes affect the way we nominate candidates for the GWA Board of Directors .
In the past , for example , the board named a single chairperson for the Nominations Committee and that person often had the heavy responsibility of carrying out much of the work on their own . From now on , the immediate Past President will serve as chair of the Committee and all National Directors who are not up for election will serve as committee members . If the National Director is running for election , a regional director who is not up for re-election will serve on the Committee in their place . As a result , this year ’ s committee is :
Larry Hodgson , Past President C . L . Fornari , National Director Region 1 Kate Copsey , Regional Director Region 2 Diane Blazek , National Director Region 3 Brie Gluvna Arthur , National Director Region 4 Bill Johnson , National Director Region 5 Jacqueline Soule , Regional Director Region 6 Ken Brown , National Director Region 7 longer automatically move up . This will allow candidates who feel they have the characteristics of a good association Secretary or Treasurer to run without having to eventually ascend to the President role , which they may not want .
Previously , it was necessary to have two nominees for each position — Regional Director , National Director or officer . This has caused problems , as it sometimes proved difficult to find two candidates for each slot . From now on , the board feels that the Committee should still look for two candidates for each position , but failing that , one candidate will be acceptable . Voters always have the opportunity to write in a candidate ’ s name .
A Call for Nominations was released February 1 . Visit the GWA website for more information .
ARE YOU INTERESTED ? We encourage our members to become involved in GWA , and if you ’ d like to participate as a director in this year ’ s election ( to be held in June and July 2017 ), please let the Committee member for your region know of your interest . And if we approach you asking for your participation , please give the opportunity your full
consideration . We ’ d love to have your help .
We ’ re also looking for suggestions for candidates for Secretary , Treasurer and Vice-President .
HOW THE BOARD IS ORGANIZED
To get involved , it helps to understand the hierarchy . There are two Regional Directors for each of the seven GWA regions . They serve a two-year term and can serve two consecutive terms , then must take a year off . The primary responsibility of the Regional Directors is to develop programs and serve the needs of the members in the region . When the National Director is unable to attend a Board meeting , a Regional Director may attend and vote in his or her place . If you want to run for National Director , you will be expected to attend Board meetings , serve as a liaison to a committee and report to the Board of Directors or Executive Director . A National Director serves a threeyear term .
If you ’ re interested in becoming an officer or recommending someone for that role , note that the Vice-President , Treasurer and Secretary need to have served at least one three-year term as a National Director or at least two two-year terms as a Regional Director before they are eligible . An officer ’ s term is two years . I hope to see your name among this year ’ s candidates .
Finally , many thanks to Denise Schreiber for her hard work as chair of the 2016 Nominations Committee .
Larry Hodgson is President of the Garden Writers Association Foundation , Past President of the Garden Writers Association and a freelance garden communicator and garden tour guide .
PHOTO COURTESY LARRY HODGSON
SUCCESSION PLAN ALTERED
Tradition had it that newly elected Secretary would move up at the end of their two-year term to Treasurer , then Vice-President , President and Past President . This was a minimum , 13-year engagement and a major stumbling block for many potential candidates who could not ensure their availability that long . The board has decided to abridge that . The only new position from which the winning candidate will automatically ascend without election will be the Vice-President , who will move up unelected to President and Past President , thus a six-year engagement .
From now on , the officer positions of Secretary and Treasurer will be subject to re-election every two years and those in place may choose to submit their names for re-election after the initial two-year engagement . They will no
John Boggan poses GWA members ( from left ) Sandy Feather , Alexa Haller , GWA Membership Director , Maria Ungaro , GWA Executive Director , Kate Copsey , Region II Director and Denise Schreiber , Region II National Director at 2017 MANTS , January 11-13 in Baltimore . This year , MANTS management placed the GWA booth on one of the main aisles for maximum exposure . Record-breaking pre-registration made this year ’ s one of the best-attended shows on record .
PHOTO COURTESY KIRK BROWN
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