Request for Nominations

For Election to the American Tarot Association

Board of Directors

The ATA is holding elections for four members of its seven-member board of directors.

Internet and telephone requirements:  Board members must have access to email and the internet as the board’s business is conducted via email through a Yahoogroups list. The monthly board meetings are held via conference call accessed through a toll-free 800 number in the United States. Meetings often run two to three hours.

Nominees must be ATA members in good standing. It is preferable, but not necessary, that nominees for President have served at least one term as a Vice President. The President must be an ATA member for two years at the time the term of office begins. Vice-Presidents must be members of the ATA for one year at the time the term of office begins. The Member-at-Large must be a member of the ATA for six months at the time the term of office begins. These time requirements may be waived if there are no qualified nominees who have been ATA members for the required length of time. All board members are voting members of the Board of Directors, and are expected to participate in monthly board meetings and carry out special assignments and projects related to their position.

If you are interested in running for office, or would like to nominate another member for an office, please send your nominations to the Elections Officer, Sherryl Smith, at elections@ATA-Tarot.com, or mail them to ATA, 2901 Richmond Rd Ste 130 #123, Lexington, KY 40509-1763, or FAX them to the ATA at 1-800-331-7787.

The deadline for submitting nominations is December 15, 2007.

If you have questions about this process, please contact Sherryl Smith, elections officer, at Elections@ata-tarot.com

Descriptions and requirements for each board position

President

Will serve a two-year term running from 4/1/2008 to 3/31/2010.  The President should have served at least one term as a Vice President, and have been an ATA member for two years at the time the term of office begins. This time requirement may be waived if there are no qualified nominees who have been ATA members for two years.

The President is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The President presides over board meetings; ensures that Board members, paid staff, and volunteers perform their duties; sees that all legal papers and certificates are filed and financial records are kept; interacts with the press and the public; serves as the public face of the American Tarot Association; and performs other duties applicable to this office as determined by parliamentary procedure set out in Article VIII. Currently, the President is involved in forming a Grievance Committee, and is working closely with the newly-appointed web administrator to redesign the ATA’s website and generate more advertising revenue. The newly elected president will be expected to continue these and any other on-going projects belonging to the current president.

Vice President of Outreach

Will serve a two-year term running from 4/1/2008 to 3/31/2010.  Nominees must be members of the ATA for one year at the time the term of office begins. This time requirement may be waived if there are no qualified nominees who meet the requirement.

The Vice President of Outreach is responsible for ATA public relations, marketing, and advertising (along with the VP of Communications and the editors of ATA’s publications); recruiting and supervising volunteers; and performs other duties applicable to this office as determined by parliamentary procedure set out in Article VIII. Ongoing projects include: conducting surveys and interacting with members to determine their needs; suggesting ways the board can meet the members’ needs and expectations; devising games, contests, and other interactive experiences for the members; advertising for volunteers to help run various ATA programs, and maintaining a master list of volunteers; assisting the VP of Communications in advertising the ATA to the public.

Vice President of Communications

This is a special election to fill a vacancy for a term ending 3/31/2009. Nominees must be members of the ATA for one year at the time the term of office begins. This time requirement may be waived if there are no qualified nominees who meet the requirement.

The Vice President of Communications supervises the editors of ATA publications (Tarot Reflections and ATA Quarterly); may serve as editor if these positions are vacant; is responsible for press releases and other communications with the media; is responsible for communications with the ATA membership as directed by the President or the Board; and performs other duties applicable to this office as determined by parliamentary procedure set out in Article VIII. The VP of Communications should have strong verbal ability and knowledge of document layout and design. Current projects include: updating letters sent to new members; updating the members page of the ATA website with the help of the web administrator; creating ads and announcements to make the public aware of the ATA.

Member-at-Large

Will serve a two-year term running from 4/1/2008 to 3/31/2010. Nominees must be members of the ATA for six months at the time the term of office begins. This time requirement may be waived if there are no qualified nominees who meet the requirement.  The Member-at-Large has no assigned duties, but attends board meetings and assists other board members with their projects. This newly-created position is an entry-level leadership position.