|
VOL. 1, NO. 2
April 2008
What's Happening With…
Guest Column:
Mary A. Cavallini, Associate Executive Director of Professional Services, Membership, and Market Research Group, discusses the value of membership. »
Membership Update:
A report from Andrew "Josh" Markus, Chair of the SOC Membership Committee. »
diversity matters
Jeffery G. Gibson, Chair of the new ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), provides an overview. »
Jottings From the Editor…
Lee S. Kolczun discusses the mission of SOC e-News »
SOC Discussion Lists  »
Give Us Your Feedback
What do you think of the articles in this issue? What would you like to see in upcoming issues? »
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact us with your comments or questions »
|
Best Practices
Automating Section Appointments
By Susan L. Nolte
Director, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
The Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section has a very involved appointment process. Annually, nearly 1,400 appointments (involving 900+ Section members) are made and communicated to the appointees. Up until a few years ago, this process was conducted manually, which monopolized the time of several staff people for several months. We knew there had to be a better way. When Linda Klein was Section Chair in Fiscal Year 2003-2004, she suggested we switch to an electronic system. Every year since then, the system has been perfected.
 To start the process, the Section’s Technology Manager pulls the database of the current committee leadership and creates links. Links for 70 committees and task forces are sent to each respective committee/task force chair to view the leadership (chair-elect, vice chairs, etc.) in his/her committee. These links take the chair to an on-line nomination page. The chair of the committee then can do the following online and in real time: 1) the entire leadership list can be "accepted", or 2) titles of some of the individuals can be changed, and/or 3) the list can be "edited", taking some people out and adding others in. There is also a place on the nomination page where the chair can write a narrative on why s/he recommended or did not recommend certain people.
The data that is inputted by the committee and task force chairs ultimately creates the spread sheet (in Access) for the "Officers’ Appointments Meeting". The Section Officers (Chair-Elect, Vice Chair and Vice Chair-Elect) meet with selected staff for a one – two day meeting to review the recommendations of the committee and task force chairs. The recommendations of the committee and task force chairs are taken into consideration, but the officers make the final decision on the leadership slates. Once the officers make their decisions, the Access file is updated with the final slate, and then the file is uploaded into the TIMSS’ (the Association’s information database) committee nomination side, which is not "live" in the sense that the data is separate from and does not affect the "current" leadership. Information on the current leadership can be seen by members through the Redbook or on-line committee directories. Those on the TIMSS committee nomination side are checked for membership. Those who are members of the ABA and TIPS, move to the "live" side of TIMSS as "future" appointments and become next year’s leadership. Those who are not members of the ABA and TIPS stay on the nomination side until they become members.
Appointment letters are sent to the new leadership and the information on the future side of TIMSS is easily transferred to create the Section Leadership Directory. Once the "begin" date (September 1st) of these appointments commences, they will also appear in the ABA Redbook and on-line directories.
If you would be interested in co-sponsoring a project request to make this model appointments process available for use to all ABA entities, please contact: Ken Williams, 312/988-5610; Email: WilliamsK@staff.abanet.org.
©2008 American Bar Association. All rights reserved.
|
