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In the spring of 2020, when I joined the Committee on Leadership Development as chair, the group was in the midst of considering how they could update the process for recruiting and selecting new members of the Alumnae Association Executive Board (AAEB).

Previously, the committee had relied on personal relationships and recommendations, which unintentionally limited the scope of potential candidates. The group recognized that they were not tapping into the wider potential of our 23,000-plus alumnae/i.   

After adopting new bylaws, my fellow board members and I wrote a new charter for the committee that called for a more open process through which any member of the Alumnae Association could raise their hand and express interest in serving on the AAEB. Rather than asking for resumes and seeking professional references, we asked applicants to tell us about their desire to serve the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï community and their connection to it.   

This past year, the Committee on Leadership Development implemented its improved process for selecting nominees. Thanks to these changes, we considered twice as many candidates as we had in previous years. The pool of candidates was also more diverse and better representative of our wider alumnae/i community.

I invite you to consider applying for one of the open roles listed below and/or nominating a fellow alumna/us. The application requires some basic biographical information and answering a few questions about your interest, skills, etc., along with providing a few ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï references.

As you can imagine, the biggest problem we face each year is that so many candidates are well qualified and there are only three or four positions to fill. Application links will be emailed to the entire alumnae/i community this summer.

Next year, the open positions on the board are:

Representative for Career Connections
Chairperson for the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Fund
Chairperson for the Committee on Leadership Development
Member-at-large for special projects

Tracey Ohaus ’86

Chair, Committee on Leadership Development