THIS POST SERVES AS THE OFFICIAL CALL FOR CANDIDATES FOR THE 2023 AIAS ELECTION CYCLE
Participating in an AIAS election is an incredibly rewarding and enriching opportunity! It will provide you with valuable experience to enhance your education and career, in addition to the personal growth one experiences through the process, regardless of whether you are elected or not. During the elections proceedings, you will be given opportunities to define and advocate for your vision for the organization, and the membership will, in turn, elect its Board of Directors based on their views for our collective future.
In order to ensure the success of the 2023 elections cycle, the AIAS puts forward the following Call for Candidates and 2023 Elections Guidelines. All elections activities will take place virtually and in-person prior to the closing of the Winter Council of Presidents Meeting on January 7th, 2024. All questions should be directed to the Elections Chair, Cooper Moore, AIAS, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, GRP at pastpresident@aias.org.
Members interested in pursuing leadership positions with the organization have the opportunity to run and be elected for the following positions:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary/Treasurer
- Midwest Quad Director
- Northeast Quad Director
- South Quad Director
- West Quad Director
- Latin America Regional Director
- Middle East Regional Director
There are three additions to the list of available positions this year. No longer appointed positions, we are electing students for the positions of Latin America and Middle East Regional Directors for the first time ever! Additionally, the position of Secretary/Treasurer is a new position created this year. Questions about these positions can be directed to Past President Moore at pastpresident@aias.org.
All of these positions will comprise the majority of members of the 2024-2025 AIAS Board of Directors. Elections will follow the AIAS Bylaws, the AIAS Rules of the Board, and the AIAS Code of Ethics, as well as the Elections Guidelines released October of 2023, found below. In order to be considered a certified candidate, the interested person must meet all eligibility requirements in the Bylaws and Rules of the Board as well as submit the materials in their Candidacy Declaration Packet as outlined in the 2023 AIAS Elections Guidelines. When constructing packets, please thoroughly read pages 10-14 of the Elections Guidelines and note the addition to optionally include up to two pages of your design work from studio or elsewhere and updated an updated Questionnaire in the Candidacy Packet this year.
Interested members can look forward to webinars with tips, information on running, and sneak peeks at what it’s like to serve in elected roles. The first Elections Informational Webinar will take place Wednesday, October 25th at 7:30pm EDT on Zoom (register here!), and the second will take place on Sunday, November 5nd at 2pm EDT (register here!). Information on following Election related events will be available on the AIAS Events page.
Members may also schedule a 1-1 Candidacy Interest Call with Past President Moore via Calendly. Potential candidates may contact the 2023-2024 AIAS Board of Directors for information regarding the role, however, interested members should also be respectful of boundaries, scheduling, and the strict prohibition on campaigning as stated below.
Meet with Past President Cooper Moore
Upon receiving the required materials, each certified candidate will receive further instructions on the elections and campaigning process from the Elections Chair. All certified candidates’ submissions will be posted on the AIAS website and social media in advance of the start of 2023 elections activities for other chapter leaders and members to review. The candidate package materials will be one of the most important tools that your colleagues will use to evaluate each candidate’s credentials. Submission of these materials for posting on the AIAS Web site is the ONLY method of campaigning allowed before the official start of elections activities. Past Candidacy Declaration Packets can be found here for reference.
All items must be submitted via email (pastpresident@aias.org) no later than 11:59 pm HST, Thursday, November 30, 2023. There will be no exceptions.
Additionally, after formal declaration, certified Officer candidates will be supplied with employment details (including salary, benefits, and contract) and offered the opportunity for a one-on-one informational conference call with the Executive Director and another with the incumbent Officer.
The AIAS is a successful organization because of the dedication, passion, and resilience of its grassroots student leadership. If you are interested in running as a certified candidate, it’s a good idea to contact Past President Cooper Moore, AIAS, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, GRP at pastpresident@aias.org prior to submission of materials so questions to all candidates are answered equally.
PLEASE NOTE: Campaigning by or on behalf of candidates is expressly prohibited at any time prior to the official start of elections activities. The finalized 2023 Elections Timeline will be released in December 2023. This means that candidates (and non-candidates on behalf of candidates) may not explicitly notify, advertise to, or engage with voters, Chapters, or members in a persuasive capacity, nor may they publish any materials regarding their candidacy or intent to be a candidate. More details about campaigning will be shared with Certified Candidates during the month of December 2023. Campaigning during the appropriate period must adhere to the Elections Guidelines, AIAS Bylaws, AIAS Rules of the Board and AIAS Code of Ethics. For more information or clarification, please contact the Elections Chair. If potential candidates, certified candidates, or undeclared candidates are found by the Elections Chair to have discussed their candidacy outside of the campaign window, they risk disqualification from the entire race for this elections cycle. Please review the packet below to learn how violations to the elections process can be reported.
