[Linganth] Nominate yourself for a seat on the AAA executive board or nominations committee!

Elise Berman eberman at charlotte.edu
Tue Aug 19 17:44:35 UTC 2025


Dear all,

Nominations are open for seats on the AAA executive board or nominations
committee. We have a couple of interested candidates for the linguistic
seats on both, but are searching for one more nomination for each seat. In
addition, we would love to get linguistic anthropologists in the
undesignated seats on both boards -- which can be filled by someone in any
discipline. I have included descriptions of both below.

For both positions you get financial help to attend the AAA meetings--50%
of your plane fare and 1-2 nights in an AAA hotel. (We previously said the
positions ame with $400, that was incorrect, this new information is
accurate).

Nominate yourself or a colleague by October 1 here
<https://americananthro.org/about/governance-leadership/>. You need one
letter of recommendation if you nominate yourself.

Contact me or Sandya Narayanan with any questions about the process, or to
let us know that you are nominating as we try to collect enough names.

Sincerely,
Elise

--
Nominations Committee Job DescriptionPosition Overview

The Nominations Committee is seeking new members to play a key role in
organizing and recommending candidates for all open, elected positions
within AAA. Committee members will ensure a fair, transparent, and timely
election process for leadership roles, helping to diversify and strengthen
AAA’s governance. This is a unique opportunity to play a role in shaping
leadership and engaging in the governance of the AAA.


Committee members are elected at-large with the following designated seats
that represent the 4 subfields and 2 dimensions of Anthropology:



   1.

   Archaeologist
   2.

   Biological Anthropologist
   3.

   Cultural Anthropologist
   4.

   Linguistic Anthropologist
   5.

   Minority Anthropologist
   6.

   Practicing/ Professional Anthropologist
   7.

   2 Undesignated Seats
   8.

   This committee is Chaired by the Secretary of the Association.

AAA Mission Statement, Values, and Vision

AAA’s mission is to advance anthropology as a discipline of scientific and
humanistic research, practice, and teaching that increases our fundamental
understanding of humankind, and applies this understanding in addressing
the world’s most pressing problems. AAA’s vision is to enrich the
discipline’s intellectual terrain, challenging ourselves to dismantle the
barriers that have hindered preparation, entry and career progression for
scholars and practitioners, with special focus on anthropologists who have
been alienated from, harmed by, or marginalized by the Association. The
core values that guide the AAA in realizing this vision are equity,
inclusion, accessibility, quality, and sustainability.
Nominations Committee Responsibilities

   1.

   Organizing and recommending nominated candidates for elected leadership
   positions within AAA for consideration by the Executive Board.
   2.

   Composing a slate of candidates to represent different realms of the
   discipline, minoritized social statuses, and varied institutional
   backgrounds, utilizing resources from the Association and the Executive
   Board.
   3.

   Meet annually to select nominees to put before the Executive Board, in
   person at the AAA Annual Meeting.
   4.

   Work collaboratively with other committee members to finalize candidate
   selections before presenting the slate to the AAA Board for approval.

Desired Qualifications

   1.

   Broad knowledge and networks within the anthropology community,
   including connections across different career stages (students, mid-career,
   senior anthropologists).
   2.

   Experience with board-level governance, either within or outside of
   AAA.  Commitment to AAA’s core values of equity, inclusion, accessibility,
   quality, and sustainability.
   3.

   An interest in broadening participation and creating opportunities for
   those who have not previously been involved in AAA governance.

Individual Responsibilities

   1.

   Know the organization’s mission, policies, programs, and needs as well
   as understand its collective purpose.
   2.

   Attend the AAA Annual Meeting in person, to finalize and present slated
   nominees to the Executive Board.
   3.

   Leverage connections, networks, and resources to develop comprehensive
   nominations in line with the AAA mission.
   4.

   Help identify connections within your own cohort, across generations,
   and the discipline.
   5.

   Ensure that no nominees hold professional positions which place them in
   a situation of conflict of interest with the obligations of officership in
   the American Anthropological Association.
   6.

   Prepare for, attend, and conscientiously participate in meetings.
   7.

   Uphold the legal duties and laws regarding nonprofit governance
   8.

   Follow the organization’s bylaws, policies, and board resolutions.
   9.

   Maintain confidentiality about all internal matters of the organization.

Note: This job description is subject to modification based on the evolving
needs of the AAA.

Commitments

   1.

   3 Year term as a member of the Nominations Committee
   2.

   Committee members are expected to participate in and attend meetings and
   engage in the nomination process leading up to the AAA Annual Meeting.
   3.

   Attend the AAA Annual Meeting to finalize the nominations process and
   present the slate to the Executive Board.

How to Apply

AAA members interested in serving on the Nominations Committee should
follow the website portal to submit their applications. Letters of support
are encouraged. Follow this link to see previous examples of applications
and letters of support.



Executive Board Overall Position Description
Responsibilities of the Board

A member of the AAA Executive Board (EB) helps to set the vision and
strategic direction of the association, safeguard the organization’s
assets, and ensure the fiscal, legal and ethical integrity of the
association. EB members also translate the shared values and interests of
the members into organizational plans and programs, determine desired
organizational outcomes, and assess progress in achieving those outcomes.
All authority contained in this job description should be understood to be
those as part of the Executive Board as a unit and no individual authority
is inferred.

As the highest leadership body of the organization and to satisfy its
fiduciary duties, the Executive Board is held responsible to

   1.

   Maintain knowledge of the American Anthropological Association bylaws,
   structure, activities, and processes, and determine the Association’s
   mission.
   2.

   Maintain a personal commitment to the Association’s goals and objectives.
   3.

   Meet at least once annually and at such other times as may be deemed
   necessary.
   4.

   Appoint, support, set objectives, and evaluate the performance of the
   Executive Director.
   5.

   Nominate candidates for any elected Association office except for the
   three (3) Section Assembly designated seats on the Executive Board.
   6.

   Appoint the Association Treasurer, Executive Director, and the Editors
   of the American Anthropologist and other association special publications
   and monographs.
   7.

   Provide strategic and organizational planning, including approving and
   monitoring the organization’s programs and services.
   8.

   Authorize committees, define their duties, receive their reports, and
   take action as required.
   9.

   Authorize the establishment of new AAA Sections and Interest Groups and
   create policies and procedures for their continued maintenance.
   10.

   Appoint representatives to other bodies, define their duties, and
   receive their reports.
   11.

   Establish and make known association governing policies and assess
   performance as the overall governing body of the organization.
   12.

   Approve the place and the date of the Annual Meeting and provide notice
   to all members.
   13.

   Authorize revenues and expenditures of Association funds through the
   annual budget process or as needed during other times of the year.
   14.

   Engage in fundraising and resource development to identify and secure
   the financial resources and partnerships necessary for the organization to
   advance its mission.
   15.

   Establish appropriate fiscal policies and controls and manage financial
   oversights.
   16.

   Employ a certified public accountant to conduct annual external audits
   of Association financial records.
   17.

   Ensure legal and ethical integrity.

Responsibilities of Individual Board Members

Each individual board member is expected to

   1.

   Know the organization’s mission, policies, programs, and needs as well
   as understand its collective purpose.
   2.

   Read and understand the organization’s financial statements and board
   materials to prepare for and participate in meetings.
   3.

   leverage connections, networks, and resources to develop collective
   action to achieve the organization’s mission, serve as active advocates and
   ambassadors for the organization
   4.

   Abide by the association's Conflict of Interest Policies and will
   annually sign the conflict-of-interest disclosure and update it during the
   year if necessary.
   5.

   Serve as a member of the Association Operations Committee, or the
   Anthropological Communication Committee.
   6.

   Uphold the legal duties and laws regarding nonprofit governance, and
   follow the organization’s bylaws, policies, and board resolutions.
   7.

   Maintain confidentiality about all internal matters of the organization.
   8.

   Board members are encouraged to make a personal gift at a level that is
   personally meaningful to them.

Note: This job description is subject to modification based on the evolving
needs of the AAA.

AAA Mission Statement, Values, and Vision

AAA’s mission is to advance anthropology as a discipline of scientific and
humanistic research, practice, and teaching that increases our fundamental
understanding of humankind, and applies this understanding in addressing
the world’s most pressing problems. AAA’s vision is to enrich the
discipline’s intellectual terrain, challenging ourselves to dismantle the
barriers that have hindered preparation, entry and career progression for
scholars and practitioners, with special focus on anthropologists who have
been alienated from, harmed by, or marginalized by the Association. The
core values that guide the AAA in realizing this vision are equity,
inclusion, accessibility, quality, and sustainability.



Board Structure

The responsibility for all matters of Association-wide governance rests
with the Executive Board. Its governance obligations require participation
by the 4 subfields and 2 dimensions of Anthropology. Therefore, the
Executive Board shall be composed of 17 seats as follows:



   -

   President
   -

   President-elect/ Vice President
   -

   Secretary
   -

   Section Assembly Convenor
   -

   Cultural Anthropology
   -

   Linguistic Anthropology
   -

   Archaeology
   -

   Biological Anthropology
   -

   Practicing/ Professional Anthropology
   -

   Minority Anthropologist
   -

   Student Anthropologist
   -

   3 Undesignated Seats
   -

   Small Section Assembly Seat
   -

   Medium Section Assembly Seat
   -

   Large Section Assembly Seat


Qualifications

   -

   Candidates for election to the board must be voting AAA members.
   -

   Previous leadership experience, in AAA and/or its Sections, either
   appointed or elected.
   -

   Evidence of leadership (e.g., in a Department, College or University, or
   in a non-AAA organization.)


Selection: Executive Board members are elected by the membership at large.

Term of Office: Three-year term, the President, and President Elect/ Vice
President serve two-year terms, the Treasurer serves a four-year term.
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