04/06/22 | Evolving NACE’s National Governance

Over the course of the last two years, the National Board has provided you with information and updates on the Pathways to Leadership Task Force. The NACE National Board formed the task force as part of our strategic initiatives to promote national board service and expand our ranks of future leaders. Volunteer leaders are the lifeblood of NACE both at the chapter and the national level.

The task force was charged with providing the National Board with recommendations on ways NACE can more clearly establish, define, and communicate different paths within NACE that allow interested and qualified members to serve the association at a national level. In conducting this work, the task force examined governance best practices, effective approaches used by other associations, and the personal experiences of the task force members.

As we have previously shared, the task force presented an initial set of recommendations as Phase 1. At the end of 2021, the Pathways to Leadership Task Force completed their work and delivered to the National Board recommendations for a “Phase 2” that builds on the progressive ideas in Phase 1. In December 2021, the National Board approved these recommendations.

Bylaws Review
Parallel with these governance changes, the National Board formed a Bylaws Review Task Force. The task force was asked to review all of NACE’s National Bylaws for updates necessary to enact the changes, and to recommend any other updates or corrections that continue to provide NACE with a flexible and effective set of rules by which it operates. This update you are reading is intended to communicate the proposed changes to the bylaws and the upcoming call for comment period and virtual town halls.

It is important to note that these changes will be implemented thoughtfully to ensure members have an opportunity to receive relevant updates and provide feedback. The changes proposed in this bylaw update will be implemented in time for elections in 2022 and for positions starting in 2023.

During this phase of bylaw changes, the following updates are implemented, along with various grammatical and formatting updates and corrections recommended by the Bylaws Review Task Force:

Strategic Alignment of Directors and Officers

• One additional At-Large Director position will be added to the board
• The separate Secretary and Treasurer positions will be merged into one combined Secretary-Treasurer position

The remaining recommendations from the Pathways to Leadership Task Force and Bylaws Review Task Force will occur in future updates to the bylaws and will have a separate open and transparent call for comment period and virtual town halls.

We Want to Hear from You
Our plan for this process includes ensuring that we are listening to our members and providing opportunities to receive feedback from our vibrant community. Members are encouraged to get more information on this plan and provide feedback in the following ways:

• Review the proposed updated bylaws here
• Participate in one of the virtual town halls which will be held on Monday 4/18/2022 at 2:00PM ET and Friday 4/22/2022 at 4:00PM ET
• Submit written comments through this convenient online form

Collectively, this governance evolution brings greater member representation to the National Board, makes national board service accessible to a broader cross-section of our community, and ultimately brings more diverse perspectives, thinking, and experiences to the table. This will help drive our innovation, member value, and continued relevance during a period of ongoing change in the industry.

We look forward to hearing your feedback and answering your questions as NACE continues to evolve to serve our vibrant community.

James Filtz, CPCE, CMP, CHE, National President