Description of Responsibilities of Elected Offices
Members of the Executive Committee:
Members of ExCom have a fiduciary responsibility to care for the finances and legal requirements of the corporation. They must act in good faith and with a reasonable degree of care, and they must not have any conflicts of interest. That is, the interests of the organization must take precedence over personal interests of individual ExCom members. They are stewards of public trust and must always act for the good of the organization, rather than for the benefit of themselves. Furthermore, they are responsible for setting the mission of the organization and assuring that all actions are related to and adhere to that mission. ExCom members do not participate in day-to-day decision-making; instead, they set overall policy, based on the organization’s mission and vision, and they exercise an oversight function over the Executive Director and Central Office.
ExCom and board members act as trustees of the organization’s assets and must exercise due diligence to oversee that the organization is well-managed and that its financial situation remains sound. Fiduciary duty requires ExCom and board members to stay objective, unselfish, responsible, honest, trustworthy, and efficient. ExCom and board members need to exercise reasonable care in all decision making, without placing the organization under unnecessary risk. Not every ExCom or board member can be a financial wizard. All, however, need to be a financial inquisitor. It is essential to understand basic terminology, be able to read financial statements and judge their soundness and have the capacity to recognize warning signs that might indicate a change in the overall health of the organization. If an ExCom or board member does not understand something, they must be willing to find out the answer.
Executive Committee Positions:
President of SETC is, literally, the President of a non-profit corporation. They preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and the membership and has the power and charge to appoint most of the organization's committees and chairs. The President works closely with the SETC Executive Director in practically all aspects of SETC's mission, including (but not limited to) oversight, governance, planning, finance and leadership.
Desirable Skills: strong leadership skills, solid administrative and communication skills, knowledge of finance and strategic planning, strong knowledge of SETC's history, goals, vision, and mission, and ability to work closely with diverse constituencies. The President of SETC can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Elected Past President of SETC can serve immediately after serving as President, if nominated, or after one or more election cycles away from serving on the Executive Committee or in the office of President.
Vice President of Equity & Inclusion (VPEI) provides leadership and oversight to SETC’s commitment to equity and inclusion. The VPEI is charged with helping to create an inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, age, disability (physical or mental), sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, pregnancy, marital status, gender expression, mental illness, socioeconomic status or background, neuro(a)typicality, or physical appearance. Desirable skills: strong leadership skills, communication skills, familiarity of SETC's history, goals, vision, and mission, and ability to work collaboratively and educationally with diverse constituencies. The VPEI supervises the Equity & Inclusion Advisory Council, which consists for 3 at-large positions (that each serve on one of the following committees: Nominations, Finance, and Development) and the chairs of any committees that are inclusion-focused (currently Black Theatre Committee, Cultural Diversity Committee, Disability Inclusion Committee, LGBTQ+ in Theatre Committee, and Women+ in Theatre Committee), as well as others identified as needed and created. The VPEI also serves on the SETC Strategic Planning Committee. The VPEI serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee (ExCom), attends all Board and ExCom meetings, and files written reports as requested. The VPEI solicits actions, concerns, and interest items from their council and constituents through annual reports. The VPEI can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Vice-President of Administration (VP Admin) supervises the following procedural and organizational committees of SETC: By-Laws, Long Range Planning, Nominations Committee, Archives as well as others identified with the administration of the corporation. The VP Admin secures semiannual written reports prior to the fall Executive Committee meeting and the annual convention for the committees supervised under this office. They also solicit all semiannual reports and operation manuals and revisions from all Vice Presidents of the corporation for publication and reporting of the minutes. Desirable Skills: strong administrative and communication skills, leadership skills, knowledge of the structure of SETC, knowledge of meeting procedures, ability to transcribe from audio recordings, computer and typing proficiency, attention to detail, consistent follow through and the ability to meet deadlines. The Vice President of Administration can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Vice President of Services (VP Services) supervises and represents the 4 (four) products of SETC: Spring Convention, Auditions (fall and spring), Publications, Fall Forum, Year-Round Services through communication and coordination with each of these committee Chairs. The VP Services serves as the Chair of Programming for Spring Convention and works in collaboration with the committee chairs, Executive Director (ED) and central office staff to develop the workshop, master class and keynote programming; special events; and Fringe Festival for the annual convention. They solicit and accept semi-reports from those committees who directly report to the VP Services. The VP Services also works with the Executive Director to develop new products and insure everything is running well with current SETC products. This position serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee, attends all Board and Executive Committee meetings and files written reports as requested by the VP Admin/Secretary. The Vice President of Services can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Vice President of Divisions (VP Divisions) serves as a liaison between the Executive Committee and the Division Chairs. The VP Divisions solicits actions, concerns and interest items from the Division Chairs and communicates them to the Executive Committee. They also solicit and accept semi-annual reports from division chairs and chairs of activities within each division. The VP Divisions presides over all meetings of the Division Chairs to ensure that the interests of each Division are being represented at the Executive Committee meetings and, in turn, communicates all actions taken by the Executive Committee to the Division Chairs. This position serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee, attends all Board and Executive Committee meetings and files written reports as requested by the Vice-President of Administration/Secretary. The Vice President of Divisions is nominated by the Division Chairs.
Vice President of States (VP States) serves as a liaison between the Executive Committee and the State Representatives, presiding over all meetings of the State Representative. The VP States, solicits actions, concerns and interest items from the State Representatives and communicates them to the Executive Committee and, in turn, communicates all actions taken by the Executive Committee to the State Representatives. They also work as liaison between the Board of Directors and groups, agencies and organizations within respective states to encourage development of common aims and purposes, provides leadership through encouraging membership in this Corporation and assisting in the formation and strengthening of state groups and organizations. The VP States also helps to ensure that the interests of each State are being represented at the Executive Committee meetings, works with the SETC President, Executive Director and state organizations to identify SETC State Board members, and solicits and accepts the State Representative’s semi-annual reports. This position serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee, attends all Board and Executive Committee meetings and files written reports as requested by the Vice President of Administration/Secretary. The Vice President of States is nominated by the ten State Representatives.
Vice President of Finance/Treasurer (VP Finance) serves as Chair of the Finance Committee, ex officio, with vote and as an ex-officio member, with vote, of the Endowment and Scholarship/Development Committee. The VP Finance also reviews and studies all financial statements; disperses statements to ExCom and voting board members in appropriate time frame; promotes and facilitates questions from board members in collaboration with Executive Director (ED) concerning budgets, financial statements and financial planning. They also review and study the Executive Director’s proposed budget and distributes budget drafts to the Executive Committee while also promoting fiscal literacy by supporting, assisting, and engaging the Board in a wide range of financial issues. Another obligation of the office is to disperse the annual audit to board members after receiving it from ED; engage in the Finance Committee’s review of the audit; report to the voting Board on SETC’s program of investment of Corporation funds. The VP Finance also distributes budget drafts to the Executive Committee and in collaboration with ED, supports the Board in budgetary understanding and engagement. Throughout the year, the VP Finance will report to the membership through the newsletter and at the annual business meeting the total fiscal condition of the Corporation, based upon data furnished by a firm of auditors and approved by the Executive Committee. This position serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee, attends all Board and Executive Committee meetings and files written reports as requested by the Vice President of Administration/Secretary. The Vice President of Finance can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Secretary takes the minutes at all meetings of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the annual membership meeting at the convention and special membership meetings. Desirable Skills: strong administrative and communication skills, knowledge of meeting procedures, ability to transcribe from audio recordings, computer and typing proficiency, attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines. The Secretary can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Time Commitment for ExCom members: Attendance at Fall Meeting typically in August (3-4 days), Winter Meeting in December/January (2 days), March Convention (6 days, Tuesday-Sunday), and Spring Meeting (2 days, usually in May/June). Additional time includes preparing documents, sending and receiving communications, and fulfilling duties as required by the position, above and beyond attendance at the four meetings listed above.
Division Representatives are elected by their respective Divisions. The Divisions Council is comprised of a Division Chair from each of the five divisions for a term of two years; with the College and University Division, Theatre for Youth Division, and Secondary School Division Chairs elected in even numbered years, and the Community Theatre Division and Professional Theatre Division Chairs elected in odd numbered years. At the March meeting all Division Representatives will also be placed on the ballot to be ratified by the corporation.
State Representatives are initially appointed by their individual state organizations. At the March meeting all state representatives will also be placed on the ballot to be ratified by the corporation.
Nomination Committee Members work with the chair of that committee (selected by the SETC President) to identify, encourage, and contact possible candidates for next year’s offices. The committee meets during the Fall Business Meeting and presents a slate of officers to the membership during the March convention.
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