TRIO Elections

Board member elections and appointments

TRIO bylaws provide for a 12 or 13 member Board of Directors:

Not more than eleven (11) Directors at Large – each serving for three years or until a successor is elected/appointed, serving for not more than two terms, rotating one third of its members off each year
A Chapter Council Chairperson - elected from the Chapter Council members by the Chapter Council members to serve for a three year term or until their successor is elected
An Immediate Past President – this position only exists for one year after leaving office (during which time there would be a 13 member Board

The Board has four elected officers:

President
Vice-president
Secretary
Treasurer

Board officers are elected annually by the Board from among its 12 (or 13) Board members and serve for one year or until their successors are elected. Along with the Chapter Council Chairperson and the Immediate Past President (when a 13th position exists for that one year after a President leaving office), these make up the five (or six) member Executive Committee.

Overview of the nomination process

To be nominated for appointment/election to the Board of Directors, the name and contact information for a potential nominee is first submitted to the Nominating Committee who in turn will conduct due diligence and has the responsibility to recruit, screen and place names in nomination to the Board for possible election to Board membership.

Any TRIO member can suggest any other member as a potential nominee with whom they have discussed the idea beforehand, making sure there is no implied expectation of acceptance to Board membership in that discussion, clearly communicating that their discussion is only preliminary to submitting a name as a potential nominee.

At the discretion of the Nominating Committee and direction of the Nominating Committee chairperson, a package of material will be mailed by the Managing Service Director to a potential nominee for their review.

The package contains a letter of introduction that provides:

An overview of the responsibilities of Board members,
The “Board of Director Member Responsibility Guidelines”
The “Conflict of Interest Guidelines”
An Information/Data form

Both sets of guideline forms and the Information/Data form must be signed and returned to TRIO national headquarters or designated staff by the stated deadline electronically or as hard copy for full review and consideration by the Nominating Committee. The information submitted is provided to the Nominating Committee members to familiarize members with potential nominees seeking election to the Board.

After receipt of the signed documents, two current Board members appointed by the Nominating Committee will interview the potential nominee in person or by phone. After interviews, and should the potential nominee still agree, their name is submitted to the full Nominating Committee for discussion with input from the two interviewers. The outcome of the committee discussion is a final selection of names to be placed before the Board of Directors with a recommendation for the Board to vote on appointing/electing them to the Board. It is up to the Board to accept or reject the recommendation of the committee.

Responsibility of Board of Director members

It is the responsibility of each board member to:

Be a currently paid member of TRIO
Participate in establishing policies to advance the mission of TRIO
Attend at least three of four quarterly Board meetings per year
Attend the Annual Conference
Be aware of and adhere to TRIO’s “Conflict of Interest Guidelines” and the “Board Member Responsibility Guidelines”
Assist TRIO in enlarging its sphere of influence by providing influential contact information for fundraising and development efforts
Actively participate in fundraising and development efforts by securing annual financial donations in an amount to be determined by the Board of Directors.
Actively participate in at least one recognized TRIO Committee
Be active in your local TRIO chapter or initiate the development of a chapter in your local area.

In addition to the above, each TRIO Board member is expected to financially support the organization. Each Board member is expected to sign an annual “Board Member Pledge Form.”

Schedule for nomination and election of Board of Directors

While no formal schedule is currently set, nominations typically made whenever an opening is available, with annual nominations/elections held in the Fall board meeting. Each appointee is solicited on individual schedule. Feel free to offer a name (including yourself) for consideration by the nominating committee at any time by calling the national office or e-mailing to info@trioweb.org

(Rev: 12/5/2011)