Service on the SVU Board of Directors

Through out its 30-year history SVU has been an organization of action. The founding members recognized a need for education and research in the emerging field of non-invasive vascular testing, and thus created an organization designed to represent the best interests of those active in the field. The SVU membership is comprised primarily of vascular sonographers and physicians as are the various levels of its leadership. Acts of leadership occur at many levels through out the organization. Locally, members can participate in governance of the affiliated SVU chapters or provide support as speakers, faculty or moderators.

These same opportunities exist at the national level where members can provide service to the Society through various pursuits, e.g., education, research, government relations etc. Service can be in the form of participation in meetings, committee service (as a member or chair), as a member of the Board of Directors and ultimately as a member of the Board’s Executive Committee.

Those drawn to service with SVU are invited and encouraged to do so. As members become more active and familiar with the processes of the SVU and how it functions, participation as a member of the Board or Executive Committee is often the best way to affect meaningful change. Thus, every fall, the SVU Nominations Subcommittee begins the process of soliciting and identifying candidates for the following year’s annual election at the SVU Annual Conference. The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee are certain that there are many qualified members who can and should run for the three technologist director positions on the Board of Directors that are open each year and urge those members do so. Over the years the nominations process has included greatly contested races and unfortunately, because of a lack of interested and qualified candidates, many uncontested annual elections as well. It is the goal of the Board of Directors and Nominations Subcommittee to inspire participation and invite the membership to consider service as a Board member.

This article is intended to clarify the process and outline the commitment that is necessary to pursue and fulfill a position on the SVU’s Board of Directors.

In order to qualify for the annual election ballot, interested members in good standing must accrue a certain number of points based on a system defined in the SVU’s Policies and Procedures Manual. A member’s eligibility for SVU Board service is not determined based on years of membership, but rather on how the candidate has contributed to the furthering of SVU’s mission and to the vascular ultrasound profession on the whole. In addition to certain basic attributes, service to the society at various levels is the primary avenue through which points are accrued. Thus members who have not served on SVU Committees or Subcommittees or who have not been active in leadership positions in an affiliated chapter will likely not have enough points to be approved by the Nominations Subcommittee for a position on the ballot.

This is an objective process that is designed to identify those individuals who have demonstrated leadership ability and experience and whom are most active and familiar with the SVU and its mission. Many factors weigh into the selection of potential candidates for the Board. Among them, the candidate must be:

• a SVU member for at least 1 year
• an RVT
• active in an SVU affiliated chapter
• active in the SVU committee/subcommittee structure
• a SVU speaker, faculty member, moderator, or JVU author
• active in the vascular ultrasound profession outside of SVU related activities

The primary factors for selection to the ballot are knowledge and experience. It is however not unusual for many well qualified individuals to run together resulting in competent potential candidates not being elected to the Board. Thus the process often becomes one of perseverance.

Service on the SVU Board of Directors is a privilege, an honor and a rewarding experience, but it is also a serious undertaking that requires a great deal of effort and commitment. Elected Board Directors serve a three year term and are eligible for re-election to a second three year term. Each of the officer positions (Secretary, Treasurer or Vice President) are two year terms and are also eligible for re-election. The President-Elect and President positions are two year terms that are not eligible for re-election. Thus transition through the entire Board Director and Officer process as outlined in the SVU Bylaws can result in up to 12 years of SVU service as a Board member and Officer.

Most SVU officers serve only a single two-year term in the various officer positions as they gain experience at the Executive Committee level in preparation for a potential term as President should they decide to run. While the process is a long one, it ensures that those who serve at this level are adequately experienced and committed to the position.

The Nominations Subcommittee, chaired by President-Elect Michael Schwebler, will soon start to solicit names of members interested in running for one of the three open technologist director positions in the Annual Election to be held at the 2008 Annual Conference in San Diego, June 5-7, 2008. Officers for 2008-2009 were elected at the 2007 Annual Conference in Baltimore and will take office on January 1, 2008. They are: President Michael Schwebler, President-Elect Michel Comeaux, Vice President Debbie Pirt, Treasurer Joe Hughes, and Secretary Judy Fried. Melissa Vickery will assume the position of Immediate Past President

Details on how to nominate a candidate for the 2008 SVU Annual Election will be posted soon on the Members Only page of the SVU website. Each member interested in running for a three year term (2009-2011) on the SVU Board of Directors must submit a Candidate Profile/Nomination Form to the SVU national office by January 14, 2008 for consideration by the Nominations Subcommittee.

If you have any questions concerning running for the SVU Board of Directors, please send an email to Michael Schwebler, Chair of the Nominations Subcommittee this year, at Michael@midwestultrasound.com. Effective January 1, 2008, Michel Comeaux will take over as Chair of the Nominations Subcommittee and can be reached at noninvas@bellsouth.net.

The SVU Board of Directors hopes you will consider running for an open position on the 2009 SVU Board of Directors by becoming a candidate in the 2008 SVU Annual Election.