How to run for the Board of Directors or the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Declaring your candidacy for a seat on the ACCT board of directors indicates that once elected, you will honor your commitment as a board member to attend and participate in all committee and board meetings. These meetings are held during the annual ACCT Leadership Congress, the National Legislative Summit and the Annual Summer Board Retreat; and when necessary, via teleconference between these three annual meetings if and when required to transact the business of the association. Your declared candidacy also serves as confirmation that your insitution is willing to financially support your expenses related to travel and hotel accommodations during these meetings.

There are two ways to run for a seat (Regional Director or Director at-Large) on the ACCT Board of Directors. The process for running for an elected seat on the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee is the same as running for a seat on the board.

Jump to:

Option 1

Declare your candidacy in advance of elections at the ACCT Leadership Congress and appear in the Advisor:

Option 2: 

Run for a seat from the floor at the ACCT Leadership Congress

Other Important Information

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Option 1: To declare your candidacy in advance of elections at the ACCT Leadership Congress and appear in the Advisor, you must:

  • Be a trustee in good standing at an ACCT member college.
  • Submit a letter of declaration to run for office.
  • Submit a letter of support from your local board indicating your institution’s commitment to provide financial support for your service as an ACCT Board member, including participation in the ACCT Leadership Congress, Community College National Legislative Summit, and Annual Summer Board of Directors Retreat and Meeting.
  • Submit a one-page resume that emphasizes community college-related service and other civic activities. Information about professional history and education may also be included.
  • Submit a narrative statement that details qualifications, not to exceed 150 words, for inclusion in printed voting materials.
  • Provide ACCT with a print-quality (300 dpi or higher) head-andshoulders photograph by e-mail, for inclusion in printed voting materials. If an electronic photo is not available, a 5” x 7” head-andshoulders photo, preferably color, may also be accepted. (Photos will not be returned.)
  • Provide an optional second letter of support from another ACCT member board (for example, a state association). This letter of support must be limited to one page.

 

Option 2: To run for a seat from the floor at the ACCT Leadership Congress, you must:

  • Be a trustee at an ACCT member college
  • Must be nominated from the floor by a voting delegate from the candidate’s respective institution.
  • Submit a letter of support from your local board indicating your institution’s commitment to provide financial support for your service as an ACCT Board member, including participation in the ACCT Leadership Congress, Community College National Legislative Summit, and Annual Summer Board of Directors Retreat and Meeting.

 

Other important Information

Although Directors-at-Large may run from the floor during the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress Senate Meeting, there are distinct benefits to submitting nominations by the July 1 deadline. Benefits include the following:

  1. Official candidate nomination materials, including a photo and short biography, will appear in the pre-Congress issue of Advisor. This issue is used as a reference during elections held at the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress.
  2. Individuals who declare their candidacy by the July 1 deadline will receive election-related reminders from ACCT and will receive 30 days prior to the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, contact information for their use in campaigning.
  3. Those nominated prior to the deadline will have the opportunity to appear at the Regional Caucuses and Meetings held on Thursday during the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, to campaign prior to the election during the Senate Meeting on Friday. For these reasons, ACCT strongly recommends that those who wish to run for a Director-at-Large position submit their nominations by the July 1 deadline.

 

If you wish to run for a seat during the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress and appear in the Advisor, you are required to notify the ACCT President & CEO at the Washington, D.C. office in writing of your intent to run. Your notification must be received with a postmarked date of July 1, or by electronic mail (preferred method) by close of business on July 1. The President & CEO will send candidate information received within 30 days prior to the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress. Any candidate who declares their intention to run for a seat up to 30 days prior to the election will automatically receive from the appropriate ACCT staff all the same information provided to candidates who declared their candidacies by the July 1 deadline.

Please e-mail your nomination materials to nominations@ acct.org. ACCT will respond to your submission via e-mail within three working days. Please contact ACCT at nominations@acct.org if you do NOT receive a response within three working days. Nominations will also be accepted via standard mail (return receipt requested).

Mail nominations to:

ACCT President & CEO, 1101 17th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036.

NOTE: Each member running for a seat at the time of election must be a member of a Voting Member. Voting Members are defined as governing and advisory boards of accredited not-for-profit community-based postsecondary educational institutions that primarily offer programs other than baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees, including boards of state systems that include such institutions. Per the ACCT Bylaws, no more than one (1) member from any member board may serve as an elected member on the ACCT Board of Directors at the same time.