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National Executive and Management Positions

The Board of Governors

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The Board of Governors of an incorporated, non-profit organization are legally responsible for the governance of the organization.  Within that mandate is the expectation that the board will develop, implement, and monitor policies that will allow the organization to accomplish its goals, and to make sure that management’s actions and decisions align with the mission of the organization.  Members of the Board play an active role in strategic planning, resource development and assessment of performance in relation to the Organization objectives.  While the board may appoint staff and/or committees to carry out specific work related to its policies, programs, and services; the board is ultimately responsible for meeting organization outcomes.  It is critical to understand the division of responsibilities for board members and employees. The board is responsible for the governance of the organization, while employed  individuals (compensated or unpaid) are responsible for its management and operation.  It is inappropriate, under normal circumstances,  for board members to direct staff or volunteers.  A Board member may ask what is thought to be a minor request or “change in procedure”, but they don’t know that employee’s workload or how that request fits in with the jobs that management has already assigned.  Members of the Board are not financially compensated but are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.

Board Members are elected to serve a three-year term, by the Voting Members (who are specified later in this document).  Upon completing their term in office, a Board member may run again for three additional  three-year terms.  A person cannot serve more than four consecutive terms.  The Board elects the President, Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, and selects legal council and auditors for its annual financial statements.  Unless otherwise stated, approval of a motion brought before the Board only requires a simple majority.

The Board will meet quarterly, at a time and place as determined by the Chair of the Board, with the first meeting to take place during the middle of May.

Board Actions:  During the first meeting the Board will elect, if required, by simple majority, a Chairperson and Corporate Secretary to serve three-year terms.  Next on the agenda is to elect the President and Chief Financial Officer, if necessary.  The Secretary will send minutes of the meeting, and a date for the next meeting to each Board Member and post the meeting date on the website.  The agenda for the next Board meeting, after approval by the Chair, will be sent to each member at least one week prior to the meeting.  All legally required records will be kept by the Corporate Secretary.  Each year, at the August meeting, the Board will elect Advisory Board members and its Chair. 

The Board elects, by simple majority, National Committee Directors and approves their compensation.   All other committee members, and their compensation (if any) only require the president’s approval.

Each Board meeting is called to order by the Chair and may begin with a short prayer if the Board agrees.  The Chair will follow “Roberts Rules of Order”, but with a relaxed tone.  Votes on all motions require a second.  The Chair sets the time limit for discussion of each motion, and then calls for a vote which requires a simple majority of the Board to pass. The meeting begins with a review of the minutes from the previous meeting and a discussion of any updates.  The meeting continues with:

  • Review of old business
  • President’s review of the organization’s progress
  • Report by the Chief Financial Officer
  • Report by the Fundraising Director
  • Report by the Director of Programs and Services
  • Committee reports
  • New Business to be determined by the Chairperson who sets the parameters and time limits for each proposal, and who may recommend that more discussion is needed before its presented to the Board. 
  • When there is no further business to discuss, the Chairperson establishes the time and date for the next Board meeting, calls for a motion to adjourn, receives a second, calls for a vote and adjoins the meeting.

An emergency Board meeting can be called by the Chair or President, giving the reason and as much advance notice as possible.  A virtual Board Meeting can be held upon the approval of the Chair or President.

The Chairperson of the Board of Governors:  Serves as the contact point for every board member on board issues. Sets goals and objectives for the board and ensures that they are met. Ensures that all board members are involved in committee activities.  The Chair will work closely with the Media personal to ensure our members and public at large are informed about our activities and address any issues thought to be of public interest that relate to our Mission.  The Chair is elected by a simple majority of the Board at the July meeting, to serve a three-year term; and can be re-elected a maximum of 3 additional times.

Of interest and an important issue to keep in mind, according to The Harvard Business Review, is when the chair is not the CEO, there’s a real danger that he or she will start acting as an alternative chief executive, sowing conflict and confusion among the firm’s top managers.  Further, they wrote concerning a study they performed, “An effective chair, the people in our study largely concurred, provides leadership not to the company but to the board, enabling it to function as the highest decision-making body in the organization. As one survey respondent put it: “The chair is responsible for and represents the board, while the CEO is responsible for and is the public face of the company.” by ***By Stanislav Shekshnia, from The Harvard Business Review, March 2018

What we look for:  We want our administrators to have all the skills shown above, but more important we look for people that will take ownership of their position, accept the responsibility of helping others and are always understanding toward other people’s life beliefs.  

Open Minded: Our Mission to promote understanding, acceptance and respect is supported by the fact that simply spending time together, recognizing, and respecting others’ personalities and beliefs will create a more harmonious relationship with people we meet.  Being open minded, especially applies to children who have not fully developed their “stereotype” expectations, will be greatly influenced by our Gatherings and Pathways programs.  We at ADR-NB must be open-minded or we will never grow as an organization. Open-minded means always being unbiased, available to suggestions and willing to change.  We look for new ideas concerning our programs and appreciate all that contribute.

The President:  During the Board of Governors meeting in May, the Board, if required, elects a President to a three-year term, to begin on July 1st.  The President reports to the Board and is tasked with providing strong leadership, working closely with the Board and Executive Program Director to establish short and long-term goals, plans and strategies.  The President is responsible for managing the workforce, establishing the budget, and making sure resources are allocated properly.  In addition, the President: 

  • Approves all requests for the Advisory Committee’s assistance, and for the allocation of the organization’s resources, both time and money.
  • Hires all personnel, or appoints someone to hire, any employee (whether a compensated position or not) not specified in the Organization as to who hires that person. The President will determine length or employment, hierarchy, and compensation (if any).
  • Approves all program locations and plans including time and resource allocations.
  • Prioritizes all projects in coordination with the Executive Program Director and the Chairperson of each Committee.
  • Oversees the Orientation Sessions through the local Executive Committee
  • Makes the final determination of the award or certificate recommended by the Executive Program Director.

Vice President:  is elected by the Board of Governors for a three-year term during the May 1st meeting and reports to the president.  The VP is the second-in-command in rank of the corporation and acts in the stead of the president when the president is absent or unable to carry out their duties. Th VP serves under the leader of the president and answers to the board of directors. Following the president, the vice president oversees all business operations, decisions, and ventures. The VP is responsible for the success, performance, and strategies for the business.  The VP should have excellent leadership and communication skills.  They must be able to express their ideas clearly, presenting new concepts or directions, and leading the company with clarity and transparency are essential to the role.

It’s a good idea to limber up in the morning and get the day started.

Chief Financial Officer:  Is elected by the Board of Governors, to serve a three-year term, and reports to the president.  The CFO is a Member of the Board of Governors.  The CFO is responsible for managing all financial aspects of the organization, including financial planning, establishing annual budgets, legal and tax activities and submitting monthly financial statements to the President and Board of Governors.  The CFO submits a formal annual budget to the Board of Governors by November 1st of each year for their approval, and coordinates with Executive Program Director to establish financial reporting responsibilities for Regional Managers, including budgets, petty cash accounts and local reports as required by local authorities.

  1. Maintains all Financial and Legal Records of the Corporation
  2. Conducts annual financial review of each Branch
  3. Maintains all government required licenses

Member Compensation Calculations:  Initially we may not have funding to compensate members, but as we grow, we plan to do so.  We know we will have to compensate the officers and some other members of the organization to stay competitive with the non-profit industry.  The determination of payment will initially be up to the discretion of the Board of Governors and/or the President. 

We wish to offer some level of renumeration to all our members that will be offered under the General Membership Compensation (GMC) program.  At the point when the Board determines we can afford payments to our general members, it will announce and release the final version of the program.

Compensation Discretion:  The President, in his sole discretion, can modify (up to 20%) the compensation of any officer or member during the calendar year, without Board approval.   If changes to the total payroll budget become necessary, the President and CFO will submit to the Board the proposed changes for approval if the cumulative amount exceeds 10% of the remaining balance of unpaid compensation.  For amounts less than 10% only the President’s approval is required.  Payments to members will be made monthly, within 10 calendar days after the end of each month.

Corporate Secretary:  The Secretary is elected by the Board of Governors to serve a three-year term. This position executes and maintains all legally required official corporate filings, documents, reports, and records. Responsible for stakeholder relations, and legal registrations, communicating with Board members and coordinating shareholder lists and registrations.  The Secretary organizes Board of Director meetings by establishing the agenda and logistics, supplies documents regarding discussion topics, and records the minutes of the meeting and distributes the minutes in a timely manner to all relevant parties.

Fund-Raising Director:  Is hired by and reports to the President, requiring Board approval.  This is one of the most important positions because it is responsible for securing funding to support our programs and projects.  This director finds and works with donors that share our vision. Prepares paperwork for grant applications, government programs and other forms of monetary requests.  Coordinates with National and Branch members to develop fund-raising events and needs to be creative in the approach to securing funds. Manages the Fund-raising Committee, and as we grow an Events Manager.

Director of Media and Publications:  Is hired by and reports to the President or Vice President.  Responsible for all corporate communications and publications, including the Website to make sure they comply with legal requirements and align with the organizations mission.  Is supervisor to the Editor-In-Chief, and but fulfills that role until that position is filled. 

Editor-In-Chief:   Is hired by (with approval of the President) and reports to the Director of Media and Publications, or President if there is no Director.  Oversees the Editorial Committee, appoints its members (which are confirmed by the Director of Media).  Gives final approval for the Biography Catalog articles; reviews each publication to verify its accuracy and that it meets organizations standards.  The position is for two years, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board of Governors.

  • To establish a list of regular contributors and encourage them to write articles about whatever topics they think would be of interest to our readers.
  • To approach members and ask them if they would like to write an article for publication on a subject they feel strongly about, or a person whom they feel should be recognized for a special accomplishment.
  • To coordinate with American Diversity Report with various forms of publications.

Director of Technology:

 

Director of Public Relations and Social Media:  The PR Director is appointed by the President or Vice President and confirmed by the Board of Governors.  This position is responsible for disseminating information about the organization to keep members and stakeholders up to date with our Programs and activities. Working with the Awards Committee, the PR Director is responsible for ensuring that recipients of our major awards are acknowledged in various media outlets.  The PR Director is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board of Governors to serve a two -year term.

Chief Equity and Diversity Officer:

 

National Program Director:  The Director is hired by and reports to the President or Vice President.  The Director is responsible for the day-to-day activities of each Platform.  They are responsible for the management, development, and evaluation of programs in order to ensure they support the organization’s mission. This person works closely with the president on all aspects of programming.  The Director establishes and manages program content, oversees budgets, and supervises and hires or appoints the local Branch personnel.  As the organization grows it may become necessary to hire an Assistant Program Director to help manage the growing number of Branches. 

   Program Director’s Responsibilities are:

  1. Reports the results of the Programs quarterly to the President and Board of Governors. Works with the Program Manager in each Branch.
  2. Writes Grant Proposals or oversees the person that does.
  3. Establishes the requirements, experience and general qualifications used in hiring local Community members.
  4. Reports monthly financial activities to the Chief Financial Officer.
  5. Submits an annual budget by November 1st of each year to the President.
  6. Oversees the Appreciation and Awards Committee; and recommends to the President those individuals that the committee has recommended.
  7. Assigns Branch IDs and maintains their information
  8. Assigns Teacher Codes and maintains files with their information
    1. May perform background checks on teachers or community members if appropriate
  9. Assigns Subject Codes and maintains files with the information

Director of Faith and Culture:  Is hired by and reports to the President or Vice President, to serve a three-year term.  Reviews and helps develop the Gatherings and Pathways programs to ensure they will be acceptable to the various faiths and cultures that comprise the communities we serve.   Participates with the Councils Leadership to resolve differences that may develop between various religious factions in the community.  Helps the Executive Program Manager create Branch-Specific modifications to our Programs that will be reflective of the various communities according to their traditions, lifestyles, beliefs, and institutions, as well as during their introduction.  Such modifications need the Directors approval.  

Special Events Manager:  is responsible for developing and executing the event planning strategy, for the National and Local Branch levels, including budgetary responsibilities.  Strong organizational and communication skills are important because the manager will be working with branches across the country and will need to coordinate with most other committees.  The manager is appointed by the Vice President or President if the VP position has not been filled.

Advisor for Special Needs Children:  It is important to be inclusive for all children.  Where feasible we will special assistance for special need children.  The advisor will help establish and supervise the Gatherings programs to ensure they are compatible with special needs children’s requirements.  Review, from time to time, the Pathways program to ensure inclusion of people with special needs, and people that contributed to their consideration in American thought.

Advisor for Theology and Faith Organizations:   We recognize the importance of faith-based organizations to Mission.  They are a great source for members and students.  Many of Their members have excellent supervisory experience with groups of children and will be happy to find another organization that seeks to create understanding and acceptance between people of all diversities.  The advisor is tasked with helping establish a strong relationship between ADR-NB and these organizations, by working with our executive management. Review our programs, from time to time to ensure they comply with any religious requirements.

 Ambassador to Law Enforcement Agencies:  We recognize the importance of a strong relationship between the police officers and the civilian population they serve, and how ADR-NB can benefit from their participation with our Mission.  We wish to establish a special relationship with our organization, and those agencies. The Ambassador will serve as liaison law enforcement agencies and with the national PAL and regional PAL organizations.  Keep executive management up to date with the latest changes to the national PAL programs and goals.  Assist Local Program Managers establish and maintain relationships with Branch location PAL organizations.  Review programs that involve the PAL, to ensure their compatibility with their Mission. 

Advisor for The Collective Experience Programs:   The role of the advisor is to provide guidance and assessment for the National Program Director and Branch Program Manager.  They are involved with the entire lifecycle of each program, including the reporting requirements as established by the National Program Review Committee.  Assist and make recommendations with the organizing and the running of the Collective Experience programs. Participate in the interview process for each Branch Program Manager. Offer advice to Group and Team Leaders on how control difficult students.  Consult with management on establishing relationships with schools and universities.