Board Call for Nominations Overview
AUGS Board Responsibilities
AUGS’ governance structure and process are designed to serve members and the field efficiently and effectively, as well as to meet the current and future needs of the society and the membership. The AUGS Board of Directors is the chief governing and policy-making body of AUGS made up of AUGS member urogynecologists. The Board is empowered to carry out the business of the Society and is responsible for fiduciary oversight. It is responsible for overseeing and transacting the business necessary to achieve AUGS’ goals and to fulfill its mission. Board terms run January - December. The Board meets in person three times per year.
Board Governance and Responsibility
The AUGS Board:
- Applies business judgment in the best interests of the society on behalf of its members;
- Has responsibility for governance, control and oversight, as well as participation in the preparation and approval of the strategic plan;
- May exercise its authority directly or through committees; and
- Provides direction, advice and counsel to the CEO.
The business of AUGS is conducted through three, face-to-face board meetings a year. Board members are assigned to serve as Board liaisons to one or more of AUGS’ strategic priorities and/or Councils. The Board liaison is expected to participate on committee conference calls and serve as a conduit of information to and from the Board. At times, there are also projects assigned to Board members.
Board position-specific requirements can be found here.
Nominee Considerations
Nominees should have prior involvement or service with AUGS. The nominee should have demonstrated the ability to think strategically, commit to working effectively within a collective decision-making body and have knowledge of or experience with association governance. The Governance Committee will consider nominations in the context of the following:
- Demonstrated leadership skills (not an ability to manage, but to lead).
- Capacity for forward thinking; nimble and adaptive.
- Ability to build strong working relations internally and externally.
- Understanding and awareness of professional and business issues pertinent to AUGS’ members
- Positive attitude (Optimistic, fun, respectful, tolerant, inclusive)
Nominees will be asked to demonstrate consistent commitment to AUGS by providing specific information confirming their service in their personal statement.
To ensure that the Board’s composition is balanced and strengthened by differences among members regarding race, gender, age, professional and institutional disciplines, geographical regions and practice areas, the Governance Committee encourages nominations that will provide diversity on the Board. As such, each year the Board will identify specific skills and/or representation (practice setting, geographic region, professional disciplines, etc.), that will strengthen the Board based upon the current Board composition and strategic and diversity goals of the Society.
Guiding principles for service on the AUGS Board of Directors have also been implemented to avoid conflicts of interest. Nominees will be asked to disclose any potential conflicts of interest for review by the Governance Committee following submission of their nomination. The Governance Committee will review nominations for the following conflicts of interest:
- Nominees who are or will be serving as a board member on a related, professional medical society (AAGL, ICS, IUGA, SGS, SUFU) are not eligible for simultaneous AUGS Board service.
- Nominees for Vice President may not have conflicts with companies during his/her term of service. Financial relationships from entities whose sole purpose is medical education (e.g. book and journal publishers, UptoDate, ACGME approved CME, etc.) is allowed but must be disclosed and if the relationship could reasonably be seen to overlap with the interests, missions, and values of AUGS may require management. Research support is not considered a conflict of interest.
Call for Nominations Process
The call for nominations starts the process of choosing the officers and directors of the AUGS Board. The Governance Committee oversees this process each year. A formal process is utilized each year and includes the following process:
- The Board considers the characteristics and traits it is seeking for new Board candidates.
- The Governance Committee, working with staff, updates the Call for Board Nominations to ensure it aligns with the needs of the Board. The Governance Committee may identify certain designated Board seats that align with the needs of the Board.
- AUGS members are notified of the open positions and are encouraged to self-nominate, if eligible, or recommend qualified members for consideration.
- Interested applicants are required to fill out the nomination application.
- The Governance Committee meets to finalize the slate of candidates based on the criteria established by the Board at the start of the process.
- AUGS members will be presented with the slate for an electronic vote. Elections will remain open for 2-3 weeks.