Process to Join the Board
Process and Overview
To identify high-performing potential Board members capable of effectively leading the Caltech Alumni Association (CAA), a large and complex organization that represents more than 25,000 Caltech alumni across the world, the Nomination Proposal Committee receives nominations and, if an election is held, advises the Board in carefully developing an initial slate of candidates for CAA Board of Director seats that will be vacated in September of each year.
The Nomination Proposal Committee is guided by the principle that the Board should represent the diverse perspectives of all Caltech alumni. It comprises 6 Directors of the Board and 4 alumni not affiliated with the Board to ensure the CAA’s broader needs and priorities are addressed to benefit all members.
While taking account of the Board’s present composition and the organization’s future needs to develop its report for the Board’s Candidate slate, the Nomination Proposal Committee considers a set of relevant attributes including:
- A commitment to investing the time and energy necessary for effective service
- An understanding of complex organizations
- Leadership, mediation, community-building, and consensus-building skills
- Experience and accomplishment in one of the following academic or professional domains relevant to the Caltech and effective organizational management: Healthcare/ Medicine, Advocacy/Public Policy, Fundraising, Government Relations, Marketing, Financial Management: Accounting, Financial Management: Investments, Law, Public Relations, and Social Media
As outlined in the Board and Members Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the nominations process includes two periods for identifying board candidates: an Open Nomination Period and an Open Petition Period.
Nominations may be submitted at any time using the Online Nomination Portal. Nominations received after the Open Petition Period closes (usually late April), when the Nomination Proposal Committee has begun the current year’s selection process, will be considered for the following year.
For information about the nomination and election processes, visit the Board and Members FAQs.
Nomination materials are reviewed by the Nomination Proposal Committee. Nominees and interested parties may also be invited for video interviews with the Nomination Proposal Committee. If an election is held and eligible nominations are received during the Open Nomination Period, the CAA Board will formally announce the slate for the following year in June.
If no eligible petitions are received during the Open Petition Period, nominations shall be closed, and the Secretary will cast the unanimous vote to elect those slate nominees at the Annual Meeting of Members.
If eligible petitions are received during the Open Petition Period, nomination materials and relevant information for all candidates will be published in advance of the eventual election on the CAA website during the Open Ballot Period (August – September). A ballot shall then be prepared and distributed to each CAA member during the Open Ballot Period. Members then vote to select Directors from a combined pool of candidates, including those selected during the Open Nomination Period and all eligible petitioners.
Once all eligible votes are received, the Board will canvass the vote and notify those elected prior to the Annual Meeting of Members in September. In the event of a tie, the Board shall elect one of the tied candidates by plurality vote. Elected Directors will be formally announced at the Annual Meeting of Members to ensure full transparency to all CAA members. Please note, a ballot election incurs a large cost for the Caltech Alumni Association including the costs of mailing, receiving, and processing thousands of ballots. The Online Nomination Portalremains open year around to ensure all interested candidates can be considered without the need to petition.
To further ensure inclusivity and responsiveness to its members, the CAA Board of Directors also introduced e-voting in 2022. CAA members who wish to vote electronically may do so by opting to receive an electronic ballot and communications.
Timeline
To ensure CAA members are aware and have the opportunity to participate in the nomination and election processes, a brief timeline of notable events is included below:
- April: The Nomination Proposal Committee begins reviewing applications received to date for the upcoming election
- June: The Board’s Slate of Nominees are announced
- By June 14: Open Petition Period Closes
- August – September (Pending Petitions): Open Ballot/Voting if an election is held and qualified petitions received
- September (Annual Meeting of Members): If an election is held, new directors are announced at this meeting