Elections

Our Ethic of Leadership 

The National Women's Studies Association holds elections every year in the summer season for open positions - both within the Governing Council (GC) and for leadership positions in our Constituency Groups. Members can learn more about Governing Council positions by exploring our Bylaws. This process is managed by the Vice President of the Association and facilitated by the National Office. 

This process is a critical aspect of NWSA's governance and we encourage all members to take advantage of the opportunity to vote for nominated candidates. To ensure an ethic of integrity and accountability, NWSA works with a third-party vendor (Intelliscan) to process our elections ballots. We also to offer as much support as possible so that our candidates can participate confidently in this process; if you’d like to connect with our current GC members or our Interim Executive Director to discuss these roles, please reach out to the National Office.

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The Process

The Elections season typically runs through an 8-9 week period which includes the following:

  • A call for nominations; nominees must hold active membership with the Association
  • Candidates accept/decline their nominations.
  • Candidates submit their support materials.
  • Ballots open for voting; active members are eligible to vote. 

Sample Support Materials

Each election season, candidates complete reflection prompts that help inform a more robust and personable ballot for our membership's review. Here are sample candidate support material prompts: 

  • Please describe your leadership experience and involvement in NWSA (150 words maximum)
  • Please describe your leadership experience and involvement in women's studies (150 words maximum)
  • What skills, preparation, or experiences do you have that would help you in this particular position (150 words maximum)
  • What experience do you have in anti-racism work and awareness (150 words maximum)
  • Please add anything else about yourself that would be of interest to voting members (150 words maximum)

Connect with Our Board

Staggered Leadership

The NWSA Elections cycle ensures staggered terms for those serving on the Governing Council; our goals in running yearly elections is to make space for the members in and outside of academia as we both recognize and value the myriad of ways feminist work lives and breathes.

Did you know that the NWSA President serves a third additional year on the Governing Council as an ex-officio member? This practice allows for meaningful support for the President-Elect and in contextualizing institutional history in leadership transitions.

Curious about our past leadership and initiatives? Explore our archive of past Annual Conference materials!

The Archive

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