Appointments Committee

I. Purpose

The Appointments Committee assists the vice-president/president-elect with the appointment process by identifying a pool of potential candidates for appointed positions to committees, boards,  and tasks forces, and to official SAA representative positions. The Committee uses the volunteer self-nomination form, for those members who wish to be considered for appointments, and consults with current appointed group chairs for possible candidates. The Committee surveys the overall list of current and potential appointments to achieve quality, balance, and diversity of appointees both overall and within each unit. At the same time, the committee maintains an openness to appointing new people, especially through the early-career member program.

II. Committee Selection, Size, and Length of Term

The committee consists of three to six members (including the committee chair and vice chair). The newly elected SAA vice president confirms the committee chair and appoints the vice chair prior to the Annual Meeting at which s/he takes office. The vice chair serves a one-year term.  After the Annual Meeting, and upon confirmation, the vice-chair shall automatically serve as committee chair for a one-year term.    Regular committee members serve for one-year to assist in the appointment process.  Membership should reflect the diverse groups represented within SAA.

The immediate past chair of the Appointments Committee shall serve on the Committee on the Selection of SAA Fellows for a one-year term.

III. Reporting Procedures

After consulting the list of volunteers and leaders' recommendations, theCommittee prepares a list of possible candidates for each committee, task force, board, or representative position to assist the vice president in selecting nominees for these posts. The Vice President is responsible for contacting nominees to confirm acceptance of the appointment.

IV. Duties and Responsibilities

The Appointments Committee is responsible for the following:

• Encouraging self-nominations by members and attendees at the Annual Meeting to give members a chance to express interest in serving on a committee, task force, or board or as a representative.
• Preparing announcements for Archival Outlook and other SAA media to encourage SAA members to submit their names for consideration for appointed groups on which they are interested in serving.
• When necessary, reviewing recommendations from current chairs, representatives, councillors, officers, and sections in conjunction with self-nominations.
• Preparing recommendations for appointments to be forwarded to the vice president.
• The Appointments Committee chair will remain available to serve in an advisory role to the President to assist with filling vacancies or appointing new groups that arise during the President's term.

Approved by the SAA Council: June 1998. Revised: November 2016, May 2022, November 2023.