It’s Election Time for the Old Academy

By Greg Hyland, CPM
Past President
greg.hyland@YumaAz.gov

In my holiday e-mail to all of our AACPM family last year, I suggested that it was never too early to begin thinking about the 2010 Academy Board elections. As Past President of the Academy it is my duty to encourage members to consider running for a position on the AACPM Board.

While preparing to write this article, I searched the word “leadership” on some of my favorite quotation websites. I wanted to find something profound that would encourage each of our members to accept the challenge and run for the Academy Board. Most of the quotes I found were too esoteric; but one stood out and made me take stock of what I was able to accomplish last year. When talking on the subject of leadership, Ralph Nader states: “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”  So, if I was an effective leader during my year as Academy President, then we should have no problem soliciting candidates for our three open positions.

At our September conference in Orlando, we’ll choose our new President-Elect, Secretary, and Member at Large for Member Affairs. Now is the time for all qualified, motivated and interested candidates to submit their nomination materials. There’s plenty of time to complete the nomination form for a consenting fellow Academy member, or even for yourself. My personal goal is to have multiple candidates for each of the three positions up for election this year. With our great membership pool, I’m sure we can make that happen. In fact, we had a candidate step up within literally minutes of my holiday e-mail going out.

Leading our organization was a great experience -- one that I will never forget and look back upon with great affection. Being a member of the Academy Board is one of the most rewarding opportunities an Academy member can have. Being an Academy Board member gives you the opportunity for professional development -- national, and international, networking with public managers, on-going education, and community service through volunteer leadership opportunities. Participation in various program activities, on committees, or in the daily operation of the Academy enhances the benefits received by you and the other 1,500+ members of the Academy.

During your term as a member of the Academy Board, you will be required to attend the annual conferences, to participate in an annual mid-year board meeting, and join in other board meetings and teleconferences as may be required to complete the Academy’s business. Monthly Board meeting business is  typically held once per month, usually via teleconference and the Internet. Additional meetings may be required during the portion of the year approaching the Annual Conference.

As I mentioned earlier, there will be three Board seats up for election -- President-Elect, Secretary, and Member-at-Large for Member Affairs. The President-Elect’s position is a seven-year commitment (one year as President-Elect, one year as President, one year as Past President, and three years in the House of Delegates), while the terms for Secretary and Member-at-Large are both two years. Terms of service will begin on January 1, 2010. Our election will be conducted during the annual House of Delegates (HOD) meeting on September 23, 2009, in Orlando, Florida. The Academy’s  Board Members are trustees to our commitment to public service as an honorable calling and to the Academy as a moral, economically viable, vibrant, dynamic organization. Some of you have been thinking of throwing your hats in the ring for several years. Now is YOUR TIME to serve your Academy! I strongly encourage and highly recommend that you become involved and run for one of the Academy offices this year. You’ll find information regarding the process on our website www.cpmacademy.org; the 2010 Nomination Form is available at www.cpmacademy.org/pdf/2010-Officer-Nomination-Form.pdf. This form has all the information you should need. You may also refer to the Academy’s Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for information regarding the service opportunities and the positions that will be on the ballot. Both documents are posted on the AACPM web site at www.cpmacademy.org.

© Copyright 2009, American Association of Certified Public Managers®