Call for Nominations: VP for Membership and Registration of the AHCT

Association for Hispanic Classical Theater seeks nominations for the position of Vice President for Membership and Registration.

Use this LINK to send nominations by date March 1, 2023. The position will begin on April 1 as a shadow to the current VPMR and will take over the position fully on January 1, 2024.

The Vice-President for Membership and Registration (VPMR)

Desired Qualifications and Position Description 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong skills in organization and communication
• Commitment to fiduciary responsibility
• A pro-active vision for maintaining and expanding AHCT membership
• Problem-solving skills
• Understanding of and commitment to the goals of the AHCT
• Flexibility

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

• The VPMR forms part of the group of AHCT Officers, along with the President, VPAC, Treasurer and Secretary.  Therefore, it is expected that the VPMR will participate in conversations and meetings among the fellow Officers who together lead the organization.  These may be formal meetings (such as those held in conjunction with the annual Board meeting), or informal email/phone/Zoom sessions to help provide advice/direction.
• The position of the VPMR may change/evolve, based on a variety of factors (conference schedules/modalities, changes in the database used to maintain membership records, and other organizational needs). This may impact the times of year when the position entails more work, or less.  It is essential that the VPMR remains flexible.
• Fiduciary responsibility is an expected part of this position.  The accurate and honest recording of membership dues and conference registration fees is essential, and the VPMR holds a position of trust.

For more information about this position, contact Glenda Y. Nieto Cuebas, AHCT VPMR (gynietoc@owu.edu)

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT (Membership expires December 30 of each year.)

• The main duties of the VPMR are to maintain the eChapters membership database. This involves receiving all email connected with membership registration (sent from eChapters) and dues (sent from PayPal). When dues are received, the VPMR updates the eChapters database, changing the expiration date to reflect the number of years for which the member is paying. When a member has not paid dues for 2 years, the VPMR changes the status from active to inactive.
• The VPMR sends out periodic reminders to renew membership.
• At times, the VPMR receives a request for membership sent by eChapters. If this is followed shortly by a message from PayPal that dues have been paid, then the VPMR changes the eChapters status from provisional to active and sends a welcome message. If no dues are received, the VPMR contacts the person who requested membership to provide information about dues.
• Fewer and fewer dues are paid by check, but when a check is received, the VPMR updates the eChapters record and sends the check to the treasurer.
• The VPMR can grant administrator rights to the eChapters site to officers and board members who need this access.

REGISTRATION MANAGEMENT

• Another duty of the VPMR is to receive and record receipt of conference registration fees for all AHCT conferences.
• The VPMR works closely with the conference director and the program director to compare notes. When a draft of a program is ready, the VPMR enters the names on a spreadsheet (along with any attendees who are not listed in the program) and keeps track of registration fees paid and membership status.
• It is often necessary to send reminders to those who have put off payment as the conference approaches. All dues and registration fees must be paid before the conference so that no money needs to change hands at the registration table.
• Using the spreadsheet, the VPMR makes name badges for attendees. The VPMR also prints labels for the folders.
• The VPMR sends a spreadsheet to the editors of Comedia Performance of members in good standing who will not attend the conference (and therefore who will not receive their copy of the journal in hand) so that the editors can send them a copy of the journal.

PAYPAL MANAGEMENT

• Given the fact that virtually everyone now registers and pays dues through PayPal, it is generally not necessary to send receipts. If a member requests a formal receipt the VPMR prepares one using the official logo of the AHCT.
• All PayPal funds are recorded on the PayPal site and can be checked by the President, the VPMR and by the Treasurer. Any of these 3 officers is authorized to transfer funds to the AHCT bank account.

Election of Officers (General):

•  Procedure:
  • Call for nominations sent by Nominating Committee (NC) to all AHCT members in good standing and posted on comedias.org with link to nomination form
  • Nominations (with prior consent of nominee) and self-nominations are collected via web page. Time frame for nominations (3 weeks during the school year, 4 weeks during the summer). Reminder sent midway.
    • Web page
      • Info supplied:
        • position description, minimum qualifications (e.g., prior service on the board or history of affiliation with the AHCT)
      • Info requested:
        • Brief (1-page) professional bio
        • AHCT experience (i.e., years in AHCT, and committee/Board jobs)
        • Statement of interest
  • NC will seek out candidates if there is not a healthy response.
  • NC (including out-going officer) vets and puts forward a slate, accompanied by a brief report (process, names), to the president and/or officers.
    • The slate will have at least one candidate. There will be no limit to the number of candidates for any one position
    • NC will contact nominees to verify info, request any missing info
    • NC will vet nominees to ensure that candidates meet the stated qualifications and that no candidate with known instances of professional misconduct will be placed on a ballot.
• Vote
  • NC will present a slate of candidates to the president, who will prepare a ballot.
  • The AHCT board of directors will consider the ballot and will vote in a timely manner. All members of the board must cast a vote (Yes, No, or Abstain) for the election to be complete.
  • Run-off elections:
    • If there are more than 3 candidates for a position, a run-off election will be held, with the 3 candidates with the most votes on the run-off ballot.
    • In the event of a tie for first place on a ballot of 3 or fewer candidates, a run-off election will be held. If the run-off results in another tie, the president (or officers in the case of a presidential ballot) will determine the winner.

The NC will first and foremost abide by the AHCT professional ethics policy to avoid any form of discrimination on the basis of academic rank, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion.

Deliberations of the NC will be strictly confidential.