The SAH Nominating Committee seeks nominations and self-nominations for five new SAH Board members and one officer position of Second Vice President. They will begin their term at the conclusion of the Pittsburgh annual conference in 2022. Board members will serve a three-year term April 2022–April 2025 potentially renewable for a second three-year term, for a maximum of six years. The Second Vice President serves a one-year term, renewable for a second consecutive one-year term. The Second Vice President is in line to run for First Vice President (two consecutive one-year terms) and then President (two consecutive one-year terms).The commitment for Second Vice President is six consecutive one-year terms.
Position Descriptions
All Board members are expected to fully engage with their oversight and fiduciary responsibilities by attending in-person and virtual board meetings, serving on committees, helping SAH implement the SAH IDEAS diversity and inclusion initiative, and ensuring SAH furthers its ongoing educational mission. Board member expectations can be found in the Board Participation Policy. While it is difficult to estimate the time commitment for Board positions, it is safe to say that on average five hours per month would generally cover committee work, with an additional five hours during April and November when Board meetings are held.
The Second Vice President has full voting rights on the SAH Executive Committee and Board and will among other duties: plan study tours and study days, chair the SAH CONNECTS Program Committee, vote on various position statements that SAH is invited to sign through ACLS and other learned societies, and assume other duties as may be delegated to him or her by the SAH President. In addition, the Second Vice President is expected to attend the annual Spring and Fall SAH Executive Committee and Board meetings as well as the Summer Executive Committee meeting. By virtue of their office, the Second Vice President also serves on the Board of the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation, which meets three times per year. (See page 23 of the SAH Bylaws for all responsibilities of the SAH Second Vice President.)
The time commitment for an SAH Officer, such as the Second Vice President, is significantly greater than that for Board members. The Officers of SAH are often in touch with the SAH President and/or office on a daily basis, to create and implement virtual programs, organize and implement the SAH Annual International Conference, respond to built environment issues on a national and international scale, work with staff to manage the budgets, finances and investments of SAH, advise on legal questions, and much more. With both planning meetings and implementation of programs etc., the Officers of SAH devote on average eight hours per week, sometimes more, to SAH work.
Creating Greater Equity and Accountability at SAH
SAH is actively working toward creating a more equitable organizational structure that is inclusive and whose leadership represents the wide range of perspectives in the field of architectural history at large. To that end, SAH welcomes the nominations and self-nominations of candidates who will add racial, ethnic, gender, national, and expertise diversity to the SAH Board; those who are working outside the tenure track, including contingent faculty; and those who are working outside the academy. Nominees should represent the diversity of the field of architectural history and contribute to a more inclusive discipline.
Nominations of emerging scholars and independent and non-affiliated historians of architecture, landscapes, planning and related disciplines are welcome. Nominations of practitioners in architecture, historic preservation and related fields are also encouraged, as are nominations of professionals such as people in business, law and investments who chose architectural history as their avocation. All nominees should reflect a commitment to excellence in the field of architectural history.
Governing Structure of SAH
The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is governed by two main boards of oversight: an Executive Committee and a Board of Directors. The Executive Committee is composed of six elected Officers: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Secretary, and one appointed Officer, the Executive Director of SAH. Serving in tandem with the Executive Committee is a Board of Directors that is constituted by a body of 15 voting members and a shifting number of non-voting Ex-Officio members who represent SAH’s publications, committees, chapters and Affiliate Groups. All voting members of the governing body are selected from a pool of nominated and self-nominated candidates that are reviewed by an SAH Nominating Committee appointed by the SAH President. The Nominating Committee deliberates about the current expertise needed on the SAH Board and prepares a list of finalists to be formally voted into office by the SAH membership at large at the Annual Business Meeting in April. Nomination and selection to serve on either the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors is a formal acknowledgement of several potential factors, including one’s contributions to scholarship within the field, one’s long-term service to the organization, or one’s potential to diversify the future impact and oversight of the organization.
How to Apply
To submit a nomination or self-nomination, please complete the SAH Board Nomination form in the SAH Online Portal. Nominations will be confidentially compiled in the SAH office and forwarded directly to the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is made up of five individuals who have been nominated or self-nominated to serve on the Committee through an open call. The five individuals are appointed by the President of SAH. Based on the Board positions that will be open, the makeup of the current Board, and those who will be rotating off, the Nominating Committee reviews the nominations and self-nominations and, through a deliberative process, selects the candidates who will best serve the priorities outlined in the call for SAH Board Nominations. Those priorities might include identifying individuals who will add racial, ethnic, gender and ability diversity to the Board; professionals with financial or legal expertise; architects, attorneys and historic preservationists; adjuncts and contingent faculty; independent scholars, etc. The Nominating Committee members have conversations with the top candidates to ensure that they would like to serve, that they support the mission of SAH, and that they understand the time commitments and responsibilities of serving on a not-for-profit Board. Once the slate of board members has been finalized, it is shared as an informational item with the current Board at their November meeting. The slate is then presented to the SAH membership at large who vote either by electronic proxy ballot or in person at the Annual Business Meeting in April. The new Board members begin their service at the end of the SAH Annual International Conference.
The nomination form requests the following information:
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name and email address of the nominator
- name, affiliation (if applicable), email address and phone number of the nominee
- nominee's qualifications
- explanation of why the nominee should be considered for the SAH Board
- confirmation that nominator has reached out to the nominee to ask if they will serve
- nominee's statement of intent (no more than 500 words; please see criteria below)
- nominee’s CV
Nominations will be considered on the following criteria and the candidate’s statement should address them:
- Achievements in scholarship, teaching, leadership, or other professional work relative to the candidate’s career stage and circumstances.
- Potential to diversify the board with expertise, perspectives, and professional connections that would complement those of current members.
- Capacity and desire to support the mission of SAH with regards to participation, recruitment, funding, and being an ambassador for the organization.
We greatly appreciate your recommendations and interest as we continue to build a strong and diverse Board.
Deadline for submitting nominations is July 31, 2021.
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