Process Begins to Nominate Officer and Board of Director Candidates for 2009
NEW YORK (March 10, 2008) — The 2008 Nominating Committee of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world's largest organization for public relations professionals, announced today the start of its annual process of recruiting candidates for board officer and director positions for next year.
“We are excited to have 15 positions available for board service beginning in 2009,” said Cheryl I. Procter-Rogers, APR, Fellow PRSA, chair, 2008 Nominating Committee. “The officer and delegate at-large positions are one-year terms, and the director positions are two-year terms. Strong boards need strong leaders and, fortunately, there is no shortage of potential candidates among the members of PRSA. In addition to contributing to the management of the organization and representing the Society to a variety of internal and external audiences, board members benefit greatly as they use and hone their senior executive management skills and experience.”
Positions Available
The available national positions are:
- Chair-elect
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Director, East Central District
- Director, Mid-Atlantic District
- Director, Midwest District
- Director, Northeast District
- Director, Sunshine District
- Director, Tri-State District
- Director, Western District
- Director-at-Large
- Assembly delegates-at-large (two positions are open)
- International delegates-at-large (two positions are open)
Eligible candidates are Accredited PRSA members in good standing who have served in at least one of the following capacities:
- Voting delegate in at least one national PRSA Assembly
- Chapter president
- Section chair
- District chair, or
- Chair of a national committee
Interested Candidates
Potential candidates are encouraged to participate in information teleconferences to learn more about board service from Jeff Julin, APR, 2008 chair and CEO; Michael Cherenson, APR, 2009 chair and CEO; William Murray, president and COO, and Barry Glazer, parliamentarian. Additionally, any questions potential candidates may have about the state of PRSA and current initiatives can be answered on these calls. The calls are scheduled for Tuesday, April 8 and Tuesday, May 13. For more information, click here.
Application Process
Names of potential candidates should be sent to Donna Jonas, 33 Maiden Lane, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038-5150, or by e-mail to nomcomm@prsa.org. Information packets that outline the specifics of the nominating process will be sent to those individuals. Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others.
The candidate application, along with process timetable and other nominating materials, are available online. The deadline for receiving completed candidate materials is 5 p.m. (in the time zone in which the candidate resides) on Monday, June 9, 2008 — no exceptions. For example, an East Coast-based candidate must submit materials by 5 p.m. ET, while a West Coast-based candidate will have to submit materials by 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Once eligibility is confirmed, PRSA members can submit candidate comment letters (300-word limit), which are due by 5 p.m. (in the time zone in which the candidate resides) on Monday, July 7. The Nominating Committee will review applications and commentary and meet on Aug. 1-3 to interview officer candidates in person and director candidates by phone. Candidates for Assembly delegate-at-large and international delegate-at-large positions will be considered based on information provided on their applications.
The Nominating Committee will make final nominee selections for presentation to the Society's Assembly, the principal PRSA governing body. Nominations will be announced via press release and posted on the PRSA Web site on Tuesday, Aug. 5. The Assembly will elect candidates for board service on Saturday, Oct. 25, during its annual business meeting in Detroit, Mich.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals, with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters nationwide and 19 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 291 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States and one Chapter in Argentina.
