Our Ethic of Leadership
Because the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) is one of the most critical intellectual anchors for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Governing Council (GC or Board) members should be able to demonstrate:
- substantial experience with transformative, collaborative, and creative leadership in NWSA and/or WGSS as a whole;
- a breadth of knowledge about the field (not only their subfield or particular areas of specialization) through their publishing, teaching, and/or leadership experiences;
- and an ability to galvanize resources in support of strengthening Association operations (e.g., pedagogical and programmatic materials in support of the Association’s new Resource Library, collaborations with colleagues in support of membership engagement initiatives, and/or praxis opportunities for student workers and/or volunteers).
NWSA holds elections every year in the summer season for open positions, both within the GC and for leadership positions in our Constituency Groups. Members can learn more about GC positions by exploring our bylaws. This process is managed by the Vice President 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. To ensure an ethic of integrity and accountability, NWSA works with a third-party vendor to process election ballots. We also strive to offer as much support as possible so that our candidates can participate confidently in this process.