Section 14.2: Nominations, Nominations Coordinator and Nominations Committee Procedures

14.2(A) PURPOSE: The Nominations Coordinator is responsible for facilitating efforts to obtain a full slate of candidates for all elected and appointed positions within NFPA and, working with regional members of the Committee, assisting in the election process prior to and during the Annual Meeting.

14.2(B) REPORTING: The Nominations Coordinator shall report to the Board Advisor.

14.2(C) PROCEDURE FOR APPOINTMENT OF THE NOMINATIONS COORDINATOR: The Board will appoint the Nominations Coordinator at the Winter Board Meeting each year. Qualifications of the Nominations Coordinator are:

1. Must have been a delegate and attended at least one annual meeting. It is recommended that the Nominations coordinator have served as a member of the Nominations Committee or served on the NFPA Board. Nominations Committee experience is recommended. It is also recommended that the Nominations Coordinator not be a delegate. 2. The Nominations Coordinator cannot accept a nomination for any elected NFPA position until the conclusion of the Annual Meeting following the appointment.

14.2(D) PROCEDURE FOR SOLICITATION OF MEMBERS OF THE NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE: One individual from each Region will be solicited by the Region Directors to serve on the Committee following the appointment of the Nominations Coordinator by the Board. In the event of resignation or removal of a member from the Nominations Committee, the appropriate Region Director will be consulted for a new nominee.

14.2(E) TERM: The term of individual members on the Nominations Committee will be from the date of appointment through the conclusion of the Annual Meeting, or until successors are appointed.

14.2(F) PROHIBITIONS FOR THE NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE:

1. Members of the Nominations Committee are prohibited from accepting nominations for any elected position within NFPA during the time they serve on the Nominations Committee. In the event a member of the Nominations Committee decides to accept nomination to an elected position, she/he shall immediately resign from the Committee and notify the Board Advisor and the Nominations Coordinator. 2. Members of the Nominations Committee are prohibited from nominating individuals for elected or appointed positions (except themselves for appointed positions).

14.2(G) THE NOMINATION PROCESS: Most nominations for Board positions are received prior to the Annual Meeting to give members time to learn about the candidates. However, nominations for Board positions can be made and accepted from the floor of the Annual Meeting. Nominations for Region Directors can be made and accepted prior to the adjournment of the Saturday Policy Meeting.

The Nominations Committee identifies qualified nominees for election at the Annual Meeting in two ways: (1) soliciting nominations for Board positions from member associations; and (2) soliciting volunteers for Coordinator positions from members of NFPA, including individual sustaining members, and members of member associations. The actual election process is used only for those individuals who are seeking an elected position within NFPA. Candidates must be nominated for the Board of Directors by a member association and go through the formal election process during the Annual Meeting. All but two coordinator positions are appointed by the Board of Directors and, therefore, only require individuals to express an interest in being considered for the position by the incoming Board of Directors. Nominations are required for election as ABA Commission Representative and Education Coordinator (see Section 9.2).

The formal election process is twofold:

1. all voting member associations elect individuals to the positions of President, Vice President/Director of Profession Development, Vice President/Director of Positions and Issues, Secretary/Director of Operations, Treasurer/Director of Finance and Vice President/Director of Membership Vice President/Director of Marketing and Vice President/Director of Paralegal Certification (hereinafter “Officers”) on Saturday during the Policy Meeting; and 2. all voting member associations in each of the five regions elect individuals to the positions of Region Director (hereafter "Director") at the adjournment of the Saturday Policy Meeting.

The nomination and election process for Officers and Directors is usually collectively referred to as election to the Board of Directors.

14.2(H) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

(1) The Nominations Coordinator should be aware of and familiar with the duties involved in each of the elected and appointed positions within NFPA. In order to answer questions and provide information, it is imperative that the Nominations Coordinator be familiar with the contents of the Procedures Manual as it pertains to the duties of the various Board and coordinator positions. Any questions concerning this aspect of the Nomination Coordinator's responsibilities should be directed to the Board Advisor.

(2) The Nominations Coordinator should request nominations for elected positions within NFPA. Elected positions include all those on the Board of Directors as well as the ABA Approval Commission Representative and the Education Coordinator. Due to the staggered terms of board members, specific board members are elected at each Annual Meeting in alternate years. The ABA Approval Commission Representative and the Education Coordinator are elected for three (3) year terms and their elections are staggered. The Nominations Coordinator shall assemble all Candidate Statements and forward same to the Management Company for posting on the NFPA website.

(3) The Nominations Coordinator shall notify each individual of their nomination for an elected position within seven (7) calendar days, and upon acceptance of that nomination, confirm that each nominee for an elected position is a voting member in good standing of an NFPA voting member association in good standing and meets all applicable objective criteria for such position; or confirm that each volunteer/nominee for appointed positions is a member in good standing (individual sustaining members are also eligible for appointed positions) and meets all applicable objective criteria for such position. The general duties of the Nominations Coordinator and/or the Nominations Committee will be to:

 confirm the status of each individual for elected positions through the membership contact person of the NFPA member association; follow-up on the status of any problems or questions that arise at the local/state level; confirm the status of each NFPA member association through the NFPA Treasurer and Director of Finance; and follow-up on the status of any problems or questions that arise at the national level; or

 confirm the status of each individual for appointed positions through either the membership contact person of the NFPA member association (member of a member association) or the NFPA Vice President and Director of Membership (individual sustaining members), follow-up on the status of any problems or questions that arise at the local/state or national level with the appropriate person; and

 notify each individual of their nomination for an elected position and confirm that they do not hold a position as a voting officer, director, or member of the board of directors for another national paralegal association.

(4) The Nominations Coordinator shall notify NFPA member associations of the individuals who have accepted nomination for elected positions and individuals who have volunteered and/or accepted nomination for appointed positions. The general duties of the Nominations Coordinator and/or the Nominations Committee will be to:

 prepare a list of candidates who have accepted their nomination to a position on the NFPA Board of Directors, and whose qualification, membership and good standing have been confirmed, for posting on the website, and posting on the leaders message board within a reasonable period of time, and update said list and website posting on a weekly basis (contingent on the addition of new nominations or candidate updates);

 prepare a list of all coordinator positions for posting on the website and on the leaders message board; and

 prepare a list of volunteers/candidates who have an interest in or who have accepted appointment or nomination to Coordinator positions for posting on the website and on the leaders message board.

(5) The Nominations Coordinator shall continue to solicit interest in nominations for elected positions as well as volunteers for appointed positions and respond to inquiries from members at the preliminary closure of nominations in August or September (depending on the dates of the convention) through the final closure of nominations at the Annual Meeting.

(6) The Nominations Coordinator shall provide a formal report to the membership that identifies all candidates for elected positions. During the Annual Meeting, the Nominations Coordinator will provide a verbal listing of all individuals seeking election.

(7) The Nominations Coordinator shall solicit volunteers for appointed Coordinator positions. Appointed positions include all those at the Coordinator level except the Education Coordinator and the ABA Approval Commission Representative. Appointments are made by the Board of Directors no later than 30 days immediately after the Annual Meeting. Interest Forms for Coordinator position submissions shall include a biography and a statement of goals for the position. It is strongly recommended that coordinator interest forms be forwarded to the Nominations Coordinator within 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting and not later than 7 days after the Annual Meeting. Between the time the Coordinator Interest Forms are due and 30 days after the Annual Meeting, the supervising Board member will have a personal or telephone interview/conversation with each person who has completed a Coordinator Interest Form. (4) Solicit nominations and/or volunteers for Board and Coordinator level positions that remain vacant.

(8) The Nominations Coordinator and Nominations committee shall assist in the balloting and voting process for elected positions at the Annual Meeting. Their duties will be to:

 work with NFPA Headquarters staff to prepare voting ballots for the Annual Meeting;

 distribute voting ballots at the Annual Meeting; and

 collect and tally voting ballots at the Annual Meeting.

(9) The Nominations Coordinator shall provide election results to the Board Advisor and announce the election results.

14.2(I) REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES: The Nominations Coordinator, or his/her formal designee on the Committee, is responsible for formally reporting to the membership at the following times:

(1) Prior to commencing nomination process: The Coordinator will provide information regarding the nomination/election process and deadlines through Inside NFPA and the leaders message board to acquaint members with the process.

(2) During the Annual Meeting: The Coordinator will present a report on the activities of the Committee as well as the slate of candidates to the membership during the Annual Meeting. The Coordinator will later introduce the individual candidates running for elected positions at the time they give their election speeches.

(4) Special Provisions: There are three very sensitive issues involved with the work conducted by members of the Nominations Committee. These include:

(a) Members of the Committee may be asked to provide an opinion of a candidate's abilities. All members of the Committee are prohibited from offering their individual opinions about any of the candidates or volunteers in contention for elected or appointed positions, or expressing their preference for one candidate versus another.

(b) Members of the Committee may be asked to provide information regarding the identity of individuals who have accepted nominations prior to the time candidates' identification is disclosed to the membership through announcements on the leaders message board. All members of the Nominations Committee are prohibited from identifying individuals who have accepted nominations for elected or appointed positions prior to release of that information on the leaders message board. The Committee is permitted only to advise a potential candidate or volunteer whether another individual has accepted nomination or shown interest. They are not permitted to identify the candidate(s). If any member of the Nominations Committee violates this confidence, they will be immediately removed from the Committee and not considered for appointment to the Committee in the future.

(c) The official act of requesting final nominations from the floor, and closing nominations from the floor will be done by the Nominations Coordinator during the Annual Meeting. The Nominations Coordinator will announce election results; but, will announce only the winners of any contested races, not the vote tally.

(d) Members of the Committee may be asked to provide the vote tally for contested races. In the event individuals running for elected positions wish to see their vote tally, it will be available through the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. At the conclusion of the Annual Meeting, the tally and ballots will be destroyed by the Nominations Coordinator. No member of the Nominations Committee nor the Board Advisor shall release information concerning the vote tally for any elected position except upon request by the individuals running for election. Individuals running for election are only entitled to know the vote tally of the position for which they ran. If any member of the Nominations Committee violates this confidence, they will be immediately removed from the Committee and not considered for appointment to the Committee in the future.

14.2(J) DUE DATES AND DEADLINES.

04/25 paragraph due to Board Advisor for May issue of INSIDE NFPA notifying members of nominations process and deadlines 06/25 paragraph due to Board Advisor for July issue of INSIDE NFPA requesting nominations of individuals for elected positions, and calling for volunteers/nominations of individuals interested in Coordinator positions. 7/01 Nominations Open for elected positions 08/25 paragraph due to Board Advisor for the September issue of INSIDE NFPA calling for volunteers/nominations by individuals interested in Coordinator positions. 50 days prior to the first day of the Annual Meeting - Deadline for nominations of individuals for elected positions. (NOTE: Nominations can also be made during the Annual Meeting. Any candidate nominated for an elected position at the Annual Meeting is responsible for the cost involved in distributing their own Candidate's Statement to the membership. Any association that knows prior to the convention that it intends to nominate a candidate from the floor of the annual meeting shall notify the Nominations Coordinator as soon as practicable but no later than one week prior to the convention.) 45 days prior to the first day of the Annual Meeting - Candidate's Statements (for individuals running for elected positions) are due to Nominations Coordinator. (NOTE:. Candidates who will be nominated from the floor should submit their candidate statement to the Nominations Coordinator as soon as possible after notification of nomination for distribution by the Nominations Coordinator.) 5 days after Candidate Statements are due, Nominations Coordinator will post the Candidates’ Statements on the leaders message board. 30 days prior to the first day of the Annual Meeting – Commencement date for submission of Coordinator Letters of Interest. 25 days prior to the first day of the Annual Meeting, the Nominations Coordinator will identify Candidates and provide a list of all Coordinator positions on leaders, Paralegals, and NFPA message boards. After the close of the Annual Meeting, Nominations Committee will continue to solicit Coordinator Interest forms for vacant coordinator positions.

14.2(K) CANDIDATE STATEMENTS AND CANDIDATE QUESTION PROCESS:

(1) Candidate Statements: Candidate statements should include a concise statement of the candidate’s qualifications and goals for the office to which he/she has been nominated and a bio or resume. Candidates should emphasize their own positive attributes - in their candidate statements, responses to questions about their candidacy and qualifications, and other communications - and refrain from “negative” campaigning with regard to other candidates. Under no circumstances should the candidate statement exceed 4 pages. Candidate statements which are not limited to these criteria will be returned to the candidate to be revised to conform to the stated criteria.

(2) Candidate Question Process: Upon request of the delegates to their respective Region Director, written questions may be submitted to specific candidates for written response posted to the leaders message board. The process and deadlines for candidate questions are as follows:

(a) The Nominations Coordinator, with approval of the Board Advisor, shall establish a deadline by which questions from the delegates shall be due to their respective Region Directors;

(b) The Chair of the Region Directors is charged with reviewing the list of questions for each candidate, removing any duplicative questions, and presenting a final list of questions to the Nominations Coordinator and the Board Advisor to distribute to the appropriate candidate(s);

(c) the candidates to whom questions are submitted shall be given a minimum of five (5) days but no more than ten (10) days within which to provide their responses to the Nominations Coordinator and Board Advisor, who shall post the responses on the leaders message board. Candidates should emphasize their own positive attributes in their responses, and refrain from “negative” campaigning with regard to other candidates. Candidate responses to these questions which are not limited to these criteria will be returned to the candidate to be revised to conform to the stated criteria.

14.2(L) ANNUAL MEETING NOMINATION AND ELECTION PROCESS: Each Annual Meeting of NFPA is held over a four day period (including educational seminars) and has the same general agenda and time line for nominations and elections to ensure continuity in the process.

Prior to and during the nomination and election process, candidates for office are prohibited from campaigning, to include no email solicitations by themselves or others on their behalf; no gifts, souvenirs or literature to be distributed by them or on their behalf; no campaign signs or posters, etc. In addition, candidates should emphasize their own positive attributes, in their candidate statements and responses to questions about their candidacy and qualifications, and refrain from “negative” campaigning with regard to other candidates. Candidates are encouraged to introduce themselves to association members and delegates at the Annual Meeting.

DAY 1 - THURSDAY - EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS. No nominations or election activities take place. DAY 2 - FRIDAY MORNING/AFTERNOON - REGION MEETINGS. During the region meetings, as requested by each Region’s delegates, candidates for elected positions may visit the meetings for a specified amount of time to allow for questions from the delegates, with the Nominations Coordinator guidance as to time, place and content. In the alternative, the President may include a block of time in the schedule on Friday for a “meet the candidates” plenary session.

DAY 3 - SATURDAY - POLICY MEETING.

(A) The Nominations Coordinator will provide the membership with a full report concerning the activities of the Committee and introduce all candidates for elected positions. The Nominations Coordinator will then open the floor of the Policy Meeting for further nominations by credentialed delegates. [SPECIAL NOTES: (1) A candidate nominated for more than one position on the Board of Directors must choose only one position. (2) Each person who has been nominated must have given prior consent to the Nominations Committee, or be present in person or by telephone to accept the nomination.] The Nominations Coordinator will then close nominations; however, the Region Director nominations will remain open pursuant to section 14.2(G). The Nominations Coordinator will verify eligibility and status of nominees from the floor. However, if the Nominations Coordinator is made aware in advance that a candidate for an elected position will be nominated from the floor, the Nominations Coordinator will make every effort to verify that individual’s eligibility and status in advance. The Nominations Coordinator will then introduce each of the candidates for office. Each candidate will be given time to address the assembly as set forth in the Standing Rules.

(B) The assembly will begin the voting process prior to the afternoon break (or at an appropriate alternate time designated by the President). In the event there is only one nomination for an elected position, after nominations from the floor of the policy meeting, the election may be by voice vote. Election of Officers in contested races shall be held by secret ballot. Ballot forms listing the positions and the nominees will be prepared by the Nominations Committee unless there are no contested races. Ballots will be provided to all voting associations which shall include the names of candidates nominated from the floor. Write-in votes are prohibited, unless the Nominations Coordinator and/or the Nominations Committee is unable to provide updated ballots after nominations from the floor have been made, in which case voting associations will be allowed to write in the names of any candidates nominated from the floor. The Nominations Committee (overseen by the Parliamentarian), or individual members appointed by the President, will tabulate the ballots and certify the results. The Nominations Coordinator will announce the results of the election for the Board, except for the Region Directors, as soon as possible following the afternoon break (or at an appropriate alternate time as designated by the President). Just prior to the close of the Saturday meeting, there will be a call for additional nominations for Region Directors; immediately thereafter nominations will be closed. Regions will adjourn to vote for their Region Director. If there are contested races in any of the Regions, the vote will be by secret ballot conducted by the Nominations Coordinator, the Board Advisor, and/or the Nominations Committee. Results shall be announced within the regions and conveyed to the Nominations Coordinator as soon as possible after elections.

DAY 4 - SUNDAY MORNING - POLICY MEETING. All official results of the Region Director elections shall be announced by the Nominations Coordinator. The Nominations Coordinator shall then provide the membership with a listing of those Coordinator positions for which he/she has not received an Interest Form. 14.2(M) EXPENSES: The Committee will be funded by NFPA and accordingly, will be bound by the Financial Guidelines contained in Section 18 of this Manual for persons authorized to do business on behalf of NFPA.

14.2(N) COMMUNICATION: The Board of Directors at its October 7, 1999 meeting passed a resolution, permitting candidates who know they will be nominated from the floor to make their intentions known to the delegates prior to that time even if they have not made the deadline for nominations or candidate statements.

14.2(O) INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS: The Parliamentarian will swear in the newly elected Officers just prior to the adjournment of the Annual Meeting with the following statement:

On my honor, 1, [name], pledge to uphold the Bylaws and Policies of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations in spirit as well as in letter, to acknowledge and be conscious of my fiduciary responsibilities to the National Federation of Paralegal Associations as an elected official of a the National Federation of Paralegal Associations to exercise my best judgment in fulfilling the duties of my elected office and whatever other duties are assigned to me by the Board of Directors, and to support my fellow Officers and Directors in their efforts to serve the needs of the organization. I further pledge to perform the duties of my office with all of the integrity, intelligence, professionalism, and dedication at my disposal and to represent the National Federation of Paralegal Associations to the very best of my ability in a positive and professional manner."