Ask the Prez: Election of Officers

By: J.T. Evans

I'm running short on Ask the Prez questions, so I'd love to have more! This is your chance to ask the president of Pikes Peak Writers any question about our organization, our

conference, The Zebulon writing contest, or anything else related to writing. I enjoy answering these questions, so let's have them. If you have a question for me, please email president@pikespeakwriters.com with the subject line of "Ask the Prez". Make sure to let me know if it's okay to use your name in the response, or else you will remain anonymous.

The next question is timely, and comes from an anonymous questioner:

•                How are Pikes Peak Writers officers elected?

A Bit of History

The original board of directors came from the core group of volunteers running the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. It's a little-known fact that the conference predates the formation of PPW as an organization. We started the conference under the umbrella of the Pikes Peak Library District in 1993 and broke out on our own in 2001.

Since 2001, we've had our own board of directors, and for quite a long time the core group of volunteers ran everything. Eventually, fresh ideas and new energy became a requirement for the board of directors, so we've branched out from the core. When filling a role on the board of directors, we sometimes ask someone who is already involved and who seems like a good match. In that case, we'll send them a direct invite. At other times, we'll open it up to key personnel and known staff via invites and messages, or post an open call to the membership.

As it happens, we have an open position right now. MB Partlow was recently elected into the vacant vice president role and resigned her position as a member at large on the board of directors.

Call for Member at Large Board Position 

We are looking for a new member at large to join us on the board of directors.

If you are interested in joining our fine group of directors, please check out our short list of requirements:

·       You must live within driving distance of Colorado Springs for our quarterly board meetings. We've tried to do online meetings before with limited success, so we require in-person attendance for all board meetings.

·       Must be a member of PPW. We prefer someone that is not only in our member database, but is actively involved in PPW events, both conference and non-conference.

·       Must have a proven track record of volunteering for a non-profit. This does not have to be PPW-specific volunteer efforts, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

·       Must be a writerly sort. Writers/Editors/Agents/Publishers are all fine. Anyone sharing our passion for writing and education is best.

Responsibilities include:

·       Attend the quarterly board meetings, which run three hours each.

·       Attend a (very rare) day-long board meeting, to be no more than once a year and usually on a weekend.

·       Participate in online conversations regarding the management and direction of Pikes Peak Writers.

·       Take on what extra duties you feel comfortable and skilled at to assist us in running a wonderful organization and hosting a great conference. This usually involves running committees or side projects for the board of directors.

·       Be happy about volunteering!

If you are interested in joining our board of directors, here is what you need to do:

·       Email your application to president@pikespeakwriters.com with the subject line of "Member at Large Application: YOUR NAME HERE"

·       All applications must be attached as Word DOC or DOCX files.

·       The application must contain the following information:

o   A short biography.

o   A list of key publication credits (if any, and they are not required.)

o   A brief history of your time as a Pikes Peak Writers member.

o   A summary of your volunteer efforts for Pikes Peak Writers.

o   A summary of your volunteer efforts for other organizations.

o   Anything else you feel would be pertinent as a member at large for Pikes Peak Writers.

·       Each of the above bullet points should be no longer than a paragraph.

I will personally respond to each application to acknowledge receipt.

Any applications that don't follow the above instructions will not be passed along to the board of directors for consideration. The deadline for applying for the position is November 25, 2015.

If you have any questions regarding the position, please reach out to me at president@pikespeakwriters.com and I'll gladly answer your questions as best I can.

I look forward to seeing what wonderful applications we receive, and I wish you the best if you choose to apply. Once all of the applications are received, I'll be in touch with each applicant to let them know about next steps.

About the Author:  J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the president of Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he keeps computers secure at the Day Job, homebrews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card/board/role-playing games.