Call for Nominations for the AEA Board of Directors

Board Members

Any AEA member, whether international or national, is eligible to serve on the AEA Board. The Board Members serve three-year terms, beginning January 1, 2027 and attend three or four in-person Board meetings a year. Each Board member regularly participates in the work of the Board through attendance at Board meetings, active participation in the work of the Board, ongoing email communications, liaising with Board Task Forces, and other Board-focused volunteer groups as assigned. The Board follows the Policy Governance governing system.

Expenses for the first two in-person yearly Board meetings not held in conjunction with the annual conference are reimbursable. The third meeting coincides with the annual meeting and reimbursement is limited to the three additional nights' hotel and food expenses needed to attend the Board meeting.

President

It is strongly preferred that nominees for the office of President-Elect have previous experience on the AEA Board. Only an AEA member based in the United States may serve as President. The President must preside over all Board meetings unless otherwise stated. The tenure of the President is as follows:

1st year - President-Elect 
2nd year - President 
3rd year - Past-president and Secretary

The President shall be the Chief Governing Officer (CGO) of the Association and shall preside at all business meetings, serve as Chair of the Board of Directors, and set the presidential strand theme for the annual conference. The President is an ex-officio member of all Working Groups and Topical Interest Groups (TIGs) of the Association. The President shall have all the general powers and duties vested in the office, including the power to appoint Board Task Forces, other advisory groups, and individuals as deemed appropriate to assist in the conduct of the affairs of the Association. Board Task Forces and other advisory groups or individuals requiring additional expenditure of Association funds are subject to approval via a vote of the Board.

Requirements for All Candidates

When reviewing nomination applications for candidates, the Nominations & Elections Working Group considers the following information:

• Individuals who have been members of AEA for a minimum of three years
• The individual's previous service to AEA and leadership in AEA units such as TIGs, Working Groups, Task Forces, Local Affiliates, and others
• The individual's contributions and service to the evaluation profession in other ways
• The individual's availability and accessibility (see below)
• For candidates for the position of President-Elect, prior service on the Board is preferred

Proposed candidates must agree to be fully available for Board work during their term. More specifically, each candidate will be asked to sign a letter of agreement stipulating his/her/their:

• Availability and willingness to attend three or four in-person Board meetings each year of the three-year term
• Availability and willingness to travel on behalf of AEA, domestically and internationally
• Availability and accessibility by phone for periodic Board conference calls during the three-year term (approximately 3-4 annually) and other business related to governance. Board meetings are held during standard work hours. 
• Understanding that they are not eligible to receive an AEA-sponsored award during the three-year term
• Agreement to abide by AEA Governance Policies related to responsibilities of the Board member

Nominees for President-Elect should recognize that their role requires a great deal of time, creative energy, and focus. Nominees should also have the following skill sets:

• Proven leadership ability
• Team (Board) management
• Detail oriented
• Conflict resolution
• Consensus building
• Public speaking

Desired Qualifications

When selecting nominees for the board slate, the Nominations and Election Working Group assesses submissions based on evidence of the foundational requirements described above and the following desired qualifications.

• Deep Knowledge of AEA
  • Demonstrated knowledge of AEA’s structure/organization (e.g., TIGs, local affiliates, Task Forces, Management Team, etc.)
  • Demonstrated knowledge of AEA constituents’ concerns/challenges
• Business Management and Decision-Making
  • Demonstrated experience in people development
  • Demonstrated experience in visioning/strategy development
  • Demonstrated experience in management of finances
  • Demonstrated experience in change management
  • Demonstrated experience in risk management
  • Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing policy
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
  • Demonstrated experience in consensus building
  • Demonstrated experience in conflict resolution
  • Demonstrated experience in negotiating and navigating challenging situations
  • Demonstrated experience in public speaking/public engagements
• Commitment to Service
  • Demonstrated passion and commitment to serving AEA and its interests/needs
  • Demonstrated commitment to representing AEA as an association
  • Demonstrated commitment to representing all of AEA’s members, not select segments of its membership
  • Demonstrated commitment to collaboration and shared decision-making
• Professionalism Attributes
  • Demonstrated orientation to humble, servant leadership
  • Demonstrated commitment to learning
  • Demonstrated commitment to accountability

The Submission Process

Think broadly and consider candidates both within the United States and globally. All nominations should be sent as a single packet, or emailed file, to the AEA office.

Each nomination submission should contain:

• Nominee Identification and Contact Information: Name, title, affiliation, mailing address, email, alternative email for summer months and vacations, phone number, gender, ethnicity, discipline, practitioner and/or academic focus, geographic representation, area(s) of work application.
• Nominee Statement: A brief statement from the nominee indicating a) his/her/their interest in serving, b) the Board position they are seeking (President-elect, Treasurer, or Board Member-at- Large), c) years of AEA membership d) previous service to AEA and leadership in AEA, e) any special qualifications.
• Nominee Qualifications: An abbreviated (1-2 page) Curriculum Vitae or Résumé.
• (If not self-nominated) Nomination Statement: A brief statement from the nominator attesting to the nominee's qualifications.
• (If not self-nominated) Nominator Identification and Contact Information: Name, title, affiliation, mailing address, email, alternative email for summer months and vacations, phone number.
• (If not self-nominated) Nominator: Nominator must obtain permission from Nominee to submit his/her/their name. Statement by Nominee to that effect should be included in packet.

Letters of Support

Nominations must include at least 2 (up to 3) letters of support sent with the packet or under separate cover. Letters of support may not come from current sitting members of the AEA Board of Directors or members of the Nominations & Elections Working Groups. Send all materials (including letters of support) in one packet via email to nominations@eval.org or via land mail to AEA, 2001 K Street NW, 3rd Floor North, Washington, DC 20006 on or before March 26, 2026.

Diversity

AEA and the Leadership Team are committed to nourishing and broadening diversity in the governance of the association. As stated in the AEA bylaws, "It is the policy of the American Evaluation Association to actively seek diversity across the Board and all committees, Task Forces, and other advisory groups, and individuals." Particular attention is paid to adequate representation and balance according to the following criteria:

• Gender (including nondiscrimination based on sexual representation and orientation or gender identity)
• Racial/ethnic representation
• Disciplinary heterogeneity
• Practitioner/academic balance
• Geographic heterogeneity
• International representation and perspectives
• Heterogeneity of areas of application

View current Board composition here.

Bylaws

The bylaws require the Nominations and Elections Working Group, with Board approval, to submit to the membership the names of only two candidates for each open position. There is no guarantee that a nominee will be placed on the ballot. Reminder: If you are nominating someone, please obtain the nominee's permission.

Questions

If you have questions about the nominations and elections process, please contact nominations@eval.org.

Thank you for participating in the health and life of the Association.