2022 AASECT Election: Call for nominations
An important benefit AASECT offers members is the opportunity to develop as leaders in our community and in our field. I am writing to invite you to join others who share their talents with AASECT and lead our organization. Over the years, they have transformed AASECT from a small organization to one of over 3,500 members. Today, AASECT volunteers enjoy special fellowship with each other, the rewards of building group purpose and meaning, and the results of facing challenges that enhance professional and personal growth and development. Great appreciation to many AASECT members who embraced responsibility and expanded our organization’s value to our community and to society beyond AASECT!
AASECT’s Nominating Committee is beginning this year’s work to identify a slate of candidates to run for the following leadership positions for the 2022-2024 term. We would especially like to encourage the nomination of individuals who are new to AASECT leadership and/or who are from underrepresented backgrounds. AASECT members may nominate themselves or a committed AASECT colleague for the following leadership positions. All terms are for two years and officially begin July 1, 2022.
Board of Directors
These candidates must be AASECT Certified Professional Members in good standing.
- President-elect
- Treasurer
- Communications Steering Committee Chair
Nominating Committee
These candidates must be AASECT Professional Members in good standing.
- Eastern Region Representative to the Nominating Committee
- Western Region Representative to the Nominating Committee
Brief job descriptions:
The President-elect shadows the President and collaborates in the decision-making processes of the Executive Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Board of Directors. After their 2-year term, the President-elect assumes AASECT's Presidency. After two years as President, they serve another two years as Chair of the Nominating Committee, but no longer serve on AASECT’s Board. Typically, the President-elect spends around 7-12 hours per week attending to AASECT business. As President, the number of hours increase to around 10-15 hours per week. The Nominating Chair, who is responsible for constructing a slate of candidates each year before AASECT’s spring elections, averages an hour or two per week from September through March.
The Treasurer, in collaboration with the Finance Committee and the Executive Director of AASECT, oversees the general financial matters of AASECT. This includes closely monitoring AASECT’s financial decisions, practices, and overall fiscal health. The Treasurer serves as Chair of the Finance Committee, and Chair of the Fundraising and Development Committee. These committees meet approximately once per month. In collaboration with appropriate committees and persons, the Treasurer reviews requests for disbursing funds, establishes an annual budget, oversees all expenditures and revenue generation processes, and examines the results of past financial decisions and attempts to anticipate future expenditures. The Treasurer establishes changes in policies and practices that involve AASECT’s expenditures and investments. The Treasurer may spend up to 10 hours per month on AASECT business.
The Communications Steering Committee Chair oversees those who moderate our listserv, collaborates and oversees Contemporary Sexuality, collaborates on newsletters, and collaborates to make the website cohesive, user friendly and welcoming. They also attend monthly Board Meetings. Time commitment averages one to two hours per week.
The Eastern and Western Region Representatives to the Nominating Committee are responsible for recruiting and screening nominees to run for AASECT elections each spring. They attend virtual meetings to prepare recruiting materials, review and recommend candidates and submit their recommendations to the Board of Directors, who select and approve the final slate. Time expectations are several hours per month from September through March.
Who Comes to Mind When You Think of AASECT’s Future?
Fairly recently, Dr. James C. Wadley edited and published the Handbook of Sexuality Leadership: Inspiring Community Engagement, Social Empowerment, and Transformational Influence. This welcomed volume includes 18 chapters discussing principles, practices, models, and experiences of leadership today, plus an Introduction and Conclusion by Dr. Wadley. Describing the complexity of emergent times, Dr.Wadley concludes leaders today need particular traits:
In order for emergent leaders to address sensitive and challenging issues in complex spaces, they must have several traits that allow them to successfully navigate themselves within the framework of policy and social expectations. This is critical in the field of sexuality given its sensitivity, value laden nature, and evolving dynamic. Traits for sexuality professionals include vision, flexibility, intentionality, empathy, intuition, courage to provoke or disrupt, and collaboration. All of these traits are needed in order to engage in emancipatory leadership.
Does this sound like someone you know? Perhaps yourself?
Please consider volunteering to run as a candidate for an AASECT leadership position or to nominate a colleague you feel would serve our organization well and would enjoy the experience!
Submission Process
To nominate someone or yourself, please send the following information to info@aasect.org. Please compile all information and submit it in one PDF document.
- Name of the AASECT member
- Position(s) for which they are being nominated
- AASECT Certification type (i.e., CSE, CST, CSC, Supervisor) - needed for Board positions and Regional Representatives to the Membership Committee
- Contact telephone number and email address
- Brief bio (less than 200 words)
- CV or Resume
- Short Paragraph (less than 250 words) identifying experience with and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Short paragraph (less than 250 words) stating their reason for the candidate's suitability for the position and outlining the ways they have contributed to AASECT
Once the slate is finalized, those candidates will be required to submit more specific information for next year's ballot.
The deadline for nominations is November 15, 2021. Thank you for your consideration of these important leadership positions and continued support of AASECT!
