Since taking on my role on the board, I have frequently been asked “What does the Board of Directors do?” The easy answer is that our role is to set policy and strategic direction for the CAS through long term planning, control of our finances, and oversight of our operations. However, I have the sense CAS members are looking for something more tangible than a high-level response so I hope describing the duties through a “year in the life of a Board member” article will help to illustrate the duties of the CAS board more fully. Let’s start with meetings. The new directors' first board meetings are scheduled to coincide with the last meeting of those board members who will be rolling off their 3-year terms to facilitate a smooth transition. Meetings are held every month through the year, four of which are full day and the rest are held virtually for 1 ½ hours. Two of the full day meetings are held just before the spring and annual meeting and one is in the summer to coincide with the CAS Board’s planning retreat. These three are in person. The winter full day meeting is held virtually, which is beneficial to avoid potential travel delays depending on the weather.

My first Board meeting was a full day meeting just before the annual meeting last year in Minneapolis. In preparation, a week before the meeting I received a large packet of materials (150 pages), which included reminders of our duties and rules of the meeting as well as the proposed agenda and minutes of the prior meeting. Also included were “consent” items – agenda topics that would not need discussion time and would be approved as a group -- and discussion papers, which would consume the bulk of our meeting time. The discussion papers covered current strategic issues the board was addressing, such as admissions topics, the CEO’s goals for the coming year, member engagement, and governance. My duty over the week prior to the meeting was to review the materials and be prepared discuss them, as well as to speak up if I believed any of the consent agenda items should be made part of the discussion agenda.

There are a variety of topics that make the Board meeting agenda. Some topics require significant lead time and are discussed over several months, while others are quick. A few are confidential and addressed in executive session (such as volunteer or staff personnel issues) and others cover topics that are widely discussed among the membership.

Beyond review of the materials, as a new director I was asked to arrive a day early for a half-day group orientation, which I found to be very helpful. It increased my understanding of my responsibilities as well as the roles of others who are regular contributors to our meetings, such as the CAS staff. It also provided context around board topics that were already in process, which better enabled me to participate in those discussions. In addition, we were asked to join one of four current board level committees: Risk Management Committee (RMC), Operational Oversight Committee (OOC), Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee or the Audit Committee. I chose the RMC which, like the others, has its own monthly meetings and project work.

In addition to our regular meetings, we are encouraged to participate on task forces and subcommittees which focus on the details of important board items and report back. There are speaking opportunities, such as giving strategic updates at regional affiliate meetings, and we are encouraged to attend the full spring and fall meetings. All these opportunities not only give us the chance to interact with CAS members like you to hear your feedback, but also to share our experiences and topics that are top of mind for the board.

Like my fellow board members, I take my commitment seriously and spend a great deal of time reviewing the agenda topics, investigating, and participating in the board’s discussions. As we are elected by members to represent their interests, we’ve been entrusted with a large responsibility and are committed to doing as good of a job as we are able. I hope that this has provided you a little more insight into a ‘year in the life’ of a CAS Board member! Please stop me at a meeting to share your perspectives as a CAS leader, or anywhere else you may see me, as I fulfill my term (or after)!

Interested in serving on the Board yourself? The call for nominations is held each January-February. Any member may submit a nomination, and if you are a Fellow of the CAS, you are welcome to nominate yourself for consideration by the Nominating Committee. Fellows may also submit a petition to be placed directly on the ballot.  And don't forget to vote for the Board in the CAS elections!