It’s election season for the EFA. If you are interested in running for any of the board-level positions up for election, please get your nomination statement in to the EFA secretary (secretary@the-efa.com) by May 7. Positions that are up for election this year include the treasurer, one co-executive, and seven members at large. Member voting will take place from June 1 through June 14.

The Board helps to run the EFA and to determine the direction and purpose of its efforts on behalf of members, and it is important that we have an intelligent and purposeful team in place to set our direction for the years to come. In the past, it has sometimes been difficult to get an appropriate number of members to put themselves forward, but I am hoping that things will be different this year.

My own experience with the EFA Board of Governors goes back to 2006, when I joined the Board as a member at large. In 2007, I co-chaired the Membership committee with Joanne Starer until I stepped down in early 2009. In 2012, I rejoined the Board as a member at large, and in 2013, at the request (or arm-twisting) of Margaret Moser, I ran for her position as co-executive and was elected. That means I will have been an EFA co-executive for 8 years – but now it is time to do a little arm-twisting myself and to hand over that title to someone else who can step up to help and to move the EFA forward.

The role involves a lot of interaction with the EFA staff – including general manager Susannah Driver-Barstow, and three part-time staff people, including Christina Shideler, Vina Orden, and Juliana McArdle, all of whom are very capable in terms of handling their various member-supportive duties. The co-execs also chair the EFA’s monthly Board of Governors meetings, keep track of the activities of various groups and committees, put together an annual budget, sign checks (mostly remotely), and work with the office staff to make sure that things are operating smoothly. The co-execs have also been involved in helping to put together our recent conferences in New York and Chicago (as well as the 2022 conference in Arlington, VA).

My first three years as co-executive were partnered with J.P. Partland, who was a great help in getting me up to speed in that role. His familiarity with Board members, his helpful spirit, and his institutional memory helped to make my learning process a lot easier. And when Christina Frey succeeded him in 2016, she didn’t need much help in getting acclimated to the co-exec role. She had already served a term or two as a member at large, and it took her no time at all to adapt to the co-exec role, and to become a great co-leader and friend.

But we need someone else to step up into the co-exec role so that Christina isn’t burdened with all of the duties of that role herself. And we have those other board-level positions to fill. So who will it be? Let’s hear from you! Again, get your nominations out to secretary@the-efa.org.

Candidates will be announced on May 19, and the voting process will run from June 1 through June 14. So even if you are not running for a Board position, please get out your vote.

Bill Keenan, Co-executive
EFA Board of Governors