UCDA Board Member

Serving as a board member of a professional association is a great responsibility, and at the same time, it is an fun, invigorating experience, and a great opportunity for professional and personal growth. UCDA is looking for leaders who are qualified, committed, and ready for that experience and opportunity.

UCDA Board Members:

serve the greater good for the benefit of their fellow education designers, design educators, and the profession of design as a whole.
are service-minded professionals who want to not only get something from their professional association but also give something back.
want others to know the great benefits from being a member of a professional association.
serve the mission and purpose of UCDA.
are constant advocates for the association and their profession of design.
are always developing and growing professionally and personally.
have good organizational and time management skills.
are thinkers, leaders, team players, go-getters, doers, and makers.
are generous individuals who value others.
are organized, self-motivated, and self-directed.
become life-long friends with each other and other members.
are professionals with strong business acumen
understand the importance of strategy and want to learn more about setting and executing strategic objectives of their association.

General Board of Directors Function
The UCDA Board of Directors serves as the governing body of the association in service to the association's mission and purpose. The Board is empowered to determine policy, participate in long-term planning, execute board role responsibilities, and establish ongoing programs and initiatives for the benefit of the members and in keeping with the purpose and mission of the association.

The UCDA Board of Directors consists of several area directors who execute and support organization's activities, operations, and events as well as determine organization policies and procedures. Board members are also key players in growing the membership through member retention and recruitment, as well as mainting and growing relatonships with other key stakeholders. They also contribute to the executive director's long-term strategic planning.

Commitment to Diversity
UCDA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive membership as well as a diverse board of directors to represent our membership. We actively encourage qualified candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, including gender, religion, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation and identity, age, and ability.

Board Member Eligibility Guidelines

Current member of UCDA in good standing for no less than three years.
Have a full, prior understanding of and express a commitment to the duties and responsibilities of a board member for a professional association.
Demonstrate a commitment to the mission and purpose of UCDA.
Secure the approval and support of his or her institution to hold and fulfill the requirements of the position.
Be an active member who has attended conferences and/or other programs and events and/or participated in programs and initiatives that serve the organization.
During the past five years, a nominee must have fulfilled one or more of the below listed duties.
Served as Design Conference chairperson.
Served as Design Awards chairperson.
Served as UCDA Design Summit or Creative Summit chairperson.
Served as UCDA Design Education Summit chairperson.
Consideration may be provided to a candidate who has not chaired a UCDA event, but who has other commensurate experience with other organizations or on the board of similar professional associations where similar skills and abilities were demonstrated in the course of their service or as part of their duties with their job.
Candidates must have served on a UCDA committee for a length of time which would provide the nominee with the necessary abilities and skills commensurate with the duties and responsibilities required.

Term of Board Service
Board members serve a two-year term. Generally, this begins in January, however, in the case of a board director rolling off the board at other times of the year, nominations and appointments may occur to fill vacant positions.

Once a board director’s term is completed, he/she may serve in another role on the board. To serve on the Executive Committee (president, treasurer, secretary), a board member must have served at least two (2) years in a previous position.

General Responsibilities
Does not include additional specific focus area role responsibilities.

All board members share a set of responsibilities. Each board member must meet these general responsibilities:

Attend all official regularly scheduled monthly meetings of the Board of Directors as required.
File monthly board report.
Meet periodically with the executive director. Meet periodically with the president.
Maintain UCDA membership throughout their tenure on the board of directors.
Participate in the transaction of official board business.
Maintain a strict policy of decorum, respect, privacy, and confidentiality with regard to board business and association governance. Under no circumstances can board business be shared with any individual outside of the board. Grounds for sharing board business is immediate dismissal from the board of directors and revoking of future opportunities to serve in association leadership positions.
Fulfill the specific board role duties and responsibilities for the position with which they serve.
Participate in the strategic planning of the association.
Attend the annual Design Conference.
Perform ongoing, appointed, and self-directed tasks and actions to serve the strategic plan as covered in their section of the strategic plan.
Perform assigned duties and handle liaison responsibilities as delegated by the president.
Participate in member recruitment and retention through many methods including personal direct contact with potential members, and various promotional and member development activities. Including: contacting (by calling or emailing) members or previous members each month based on a list provided by the home office.
Recruit coordinators chairpersons, and committee members related to their area of responsibility.
Hold regular meetings with coordinators, chairpersons, and committee members in service of completing tasks and actions related to their focus area and the strategic plan.
Represent the board to the general membership and the public.
Participate in planning, scheduling, and production of all UCDA programs and activities as assigned.

Meetings
Meetings are a crucial part of reaching goals and forwarding the association's business, activities, and strategic objectives. Board members can plan for at least one (1) 2-hour board meeting monthly, plus others as needed.

Monthly board meetings. 2 hours
Monthly committee meetings. 1 hour
One-on-one meetings with the executive director and/or president. 30 minutes -1 hour.

Time Commitment
Time commitment outside of meetings varies depending on the role and time of year. Members considering running for the board are encouraged to ensure that they have the time capacity to perform the duties and responsibilities. Nominees are encouraged to get support from their institution for the time commitment required to serve in a leadership role on a national board of directors. A board of director role is generally a role that requires one to have attained a certain amount of seniority and autonomy at their primary job. Meetings do occur during normal business hours as does some of the work required by each member, although some of the work can also be done during off-business hours.

Annual Conference Attendance
All board members are expected to attend the annual design conference. Board members are expected whenever possible to solicit their institution’s support for the cost of attending and registering for the annual conference. If that is a hardship for your institution, your general registration is offered at a discounted rate. If this is still a hardship for your institution, your registration can be waived, however, all board members are expected to arrange through their institution or own payment for the cost of travel and accommodations for the annual conference. UCDA is a non-profit and operates on a very slim budget. However, if circumstances arise where this is not possible, arrangements can be made to support the board member in attending the conference. UCDA does not intend for a financial burden to be a deterrent for serving on the board.

Benefits
Board members receive free registration to the annual design conference (valued at $1400) plus other benefits.

Specific Roles and Current Openings
In addition to general responsibilities, each of the board of directors serves in a role that performs a specific function under a specific focus area on behalf of the association. These are outlined in the responsibilities for each of the specific roles and shared when the particular role is vacant and nominations are being accepted.

Board Director Roles include:

President
Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer
Programming Director
Membership Director
Sponsorship Director
Education Director
Communications Director
Digital Content/Social Media Director

Executive Committee : President, Secretary, and Treasurer
Must have served on the board for a minimum of 2 years in another role.
Attend two additional meetings a year with the executive director.

How to Apply for the Board: Application by Self-Nomination Only.

Complete a UCDA Board Member Self-Nomination Form. If you know someone that you think would be interested in this opportunity, share this page with them and encourage them to self-nominate. Including your CV or resume is encouraged.

Current Board Member Openings

Submit Board Nomination

Other UCDA Service and Leadership Roles

The first step for entering into professional association service and leadership is to volunteer and/or join a committee—either for a single event or ongoing focus areas.

Strategic Initiatives Volunteers: UCDA Members serve to execute tasks toward achieving a specific action, goal, initiative or objective as part of the strategic plan. Volunteers work under specific board directors as it relates to the focus area.

Event Volunteer: Conferences need many volunteers. Sign up today for Creative Summit (virtual), Education Summit, or Design Conference and be a part of making these great events happen. You can do as much as little as you would like. Volunteers work under the Volunteer Coordinator of the specific event.

Event Committee Members: UCDA Members serve in the planning and execution of a single event.

Focus Area Committee Members: UCDA members serve on a committee with the director to achieve the regular activities and strategic initiatives and objectives. Each area has its own committee (i.e. Programming Committee, Membership Committee, Education Committee, Digital Content/Social Media Committee)

Coordinators: Once UCDA members get the experience of working as a volunteer and/or committee member, they become eligible to fulfill the role of Coordinator. The coordinator role takes on more responsibility for driving a specific initiative, goal, or objective. They can also take on the role of coordinating smaller events, such as Faculty Forums, Creative Conversations, or serve as the Coordinator of a group of volunteers for a single event. Such as Volunteer Coordinator of Design Conference.

Chairperson / Co-Chairperson: Becoming a chairperson or co-chairperson requires a UCDA member to have previous experience in volunteering and/or serving on a committee that is relevant to the event or initiative that they wish to serve as chairperson/co-chairperson. For example, if a UCDA member would like to become Co-Chair of the Design Conference, the first steps are to volunteer for and serve on the Design Conference Committee and Programming Committee.

To learn more about these specific roles, visit UCDA Service and Leadership Role Opportunities