CHARTER: Leadership Special Interest Group

Revised September 22, 2011

Academy of Human Resource Development

AHRD was formed to “encourage systematic study of HRD theories, processes, and practices; to disseminate information about HRD, to encourage the application of HRD research findings, and to provide opportunities for social interaction among individuals with scholarly and professional interests in HRD from multiple disciplines and from across the globe” ( The Academy’s vision is “leading the profession through research.”

Formation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) is a mechanism to foster scholarship, dissemination of information, and fellowship among persons of similar academic and/or professional interests.

Description of the Leadership SIG

The Leadership SIG is a network of Human Resource Development scholars and practitioners who want to enhance their knowledge, expertise, and research in the area of leadership development.

SIG Purpose

The purpose of the Leadership SIG is to facilitate interaction and organize activities that support the development of leadership in individuals, groups/teams, and organizations in the field of Human Resource Development.

SIG Vision

The Leadership SIG’s vision is to become the leading provider of the most current leadership development research, resources, programming, practices, and opportunities to engage AHRD members in dialogue and collaborative efforts to leverage leadership in the 21st century and beyond.

Scope of SIG Activities

The Leadership SIG works to:

Contribute to the body of leadership development work through research and publications and provide resources for practitioners.
Facilitate interaction between its members by organizing activities and events on the topic of leadership development.
Increase knowledge and expertise in leadership theory, research, and practice.
Promote interest in special leadership topics.
Develop partnerships between members for increased publication of high-quality research in the Academy supported journals.
Support and foster learning among Leadership SIG members and others in the Academy.
Provide a forum for networking, exchange of ideas, and mentoring of emerging researchers and practitioners.

Key SIG Tasks

The Leadership SIG’s key tasks are to:

Coordinate at least one activity to coincide with the AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas.
Establish and maintain a SIG listserv to foster networking, discussion, and learning for the SIG members.
Establish and maintain a SIG website within the AHRD website to promote SIG visibility and awareness.
Maintain a membership list so that members can contact each other when needed.
Promote publications and conference contributions that focus on leadership development issues.

SIG Roles & Responsibilities

All Leadership SIG members are responsible for:

Creating opportunities for information sharing and open discussion of SIG issues.
Participating in SIG meetings.
Participating in working groups to accomplish SIG activities.
Recruiting new SIG members.
Communicating with each other about key events.
Taking an active leadership role on committees if needed.

SIG Roles & Responsibilities

SIG Steering Committee:

The Leadership SIG Steering Committee is comprised of the following positions and responsibilities:

Chair-Elect - The primary responsibility of the Chair-Elect includes learning about the SIG and the duties of the Chair, and working with the Executive Leadership Team. He/she is responsible for maintaining membership records and a membership roster with all contact information. Coordinates and hosts an orientation event at each conference. Serves as the secondary point of contact for the SIG in lieu of the Chair and, as needed, represents the SIG to AHRD, its Board, and general membership.

Chair – Responsible for the overall communication between members. This includes coordinating the steering committee meetings and other activities of the committee, working with the committee to identify and achieve short- and long-term goals related to promoting the leadership agenda in the Academy, communicating with the AHRD Board Liaison, and mentoring future chairs. Calls a steering committee meeting at least once per quarter and ensures that updates are sent to the group at large at least once per quarter. Serves as the primary point of contact for the SIG, representing the SIG to AHRD, its Board, and general membership. Communicating with AHRD Board Liaison as needed. Completes a written report of SIG activities and conveys it to the AHRD Board Liaison on a biannual basis (i.e. every 6 months). Leads the SIG Steering Committee to accomplish the group’s annual goals.

Past-Chair – The Past-Chair serves in an advisory capacity to the Chair, Chair-Elect, and the Executive Leadership Team.Past-Chair has the latitude to participate in initiatives and committees voluntarily or when needed. An additional function is Historian, a role which requires archiving and updating/establishing permanent records of the previous year’s activities, accomplishments, and other relevant involvements and happenings.
Oversees the election of steering committee members.

Listserv Manager – Establishes and maintains a SIG listserv to foster networking, discussion, and learning for the SIG members

Conference Event Coordinator – Plans Leadership SIG event for the conference(s).

Website Coordinator – Promotes ongoing participation and communication through the Leadership SIG pages on the AHRD web site, (e.g. discussion boards, etc.)

Webinar Coordinator – Coordinates and promotes leadership themed webinars through the AHRD office in support of the monthly AHRD webinar series.

Member at large (student) – Represents the special concerns of student members

Member at large (professional) – Represents the special concerns of practitioners

Member at large (academic) - Represents the special concerns of academics.

SIGMembers:

All SIG members are responsible fortaking an active role in fostering the principles of scholarly-practice, and participating in working groups to accomplish committee tasks.

SIG Membership

Individuals may become members of the Leadership SIG through the AHRD web site.

Guidelines for election of Steering Committee

Qualifications and terms of office:

Must be members of AHRD.
Will be elected for a term of 2 years with term beginning in April; the Chair-Elect will be elected for a 3 year term to serve one year in each of the roles (Chair-Elect, Chair, Past-Chair).
May be reelected to an additional 2 year term.
Will serve specific roles as determined by group consensus.
Will provide 2 months’ notice of intent to leave the committee. In this event, departing member will serve in assigned role for the first month and actively hand-off responsibilities to replacement in the second month.

Elections:

SIG Membership and Elections

Leadership SIG membership is open to all AHRD members.

The Past-Chair will serve as the election manager each year. The election manager will coordinate with the AHRD office to manage election details. In general, the election manager will collect self-nominations for the steering committee from January through one week after the annual conference. He or she will issue a ballot (containing nominee statements) within three weeks after the annual conference. Elections will be open for two weeks and winners will be announced to the SIG within two weeks on the SIG web site. SIG members must be members of AHRD in order to vote in SIG Steering Committee elections.

In general, the election manager will collect self-nominations and position statements for the steering committee beginning October 15th-30th (2 weeks). He or she will issue a ballot (containing nominee statements) by November 5, and elections will be open for two weeks and winners will be announced to the SIG through the Leadership SIG website (late November) and at the AHRD Conference in the Americas in late February. Leadership SIG members must be current members of AHRD in order to vote in SIG Steering Committee elections. A majority vote is necessary to gain election. Changes to this suggested process must be approved by the steering committee.

The Chair-Elect position will be decided upon during the general election. Self-nominations and nominations from at-large membership will be collected by the out-going Chair, and will be announced at the Conference in the Americas during the SIG meeting (or before if possible). The tenure for the each of the Chair positions (Chair-Elect, Chair, and Past-Chair) will be one year for each position (three year track). The Chair-Elect will be voted on by the membership and that that individual will remain on the Chair track for three years.

All SIG members are eligible for election to Chair and all Steering Committee positions. During the Leadership SIG meeting at the Conference of the Americas, the new Steering Committee and Chairs will officially take over responsibilities. Before that time (November-February), the elected leadership team will work with the existing team in transitioning responsibilities and coordinating efforts.

The SIG Chair will not be eligible for a Steering Committee position for at least one year after her/his full term as chair rotation expires unless specifically requested by the Steering Committee, and could not once again be chair for at least three years after his/her term as chair expires.

Provisions for resignation or removal of non-performing member of Steering Committee

Steering Committee members are asked to give two months’ notice of intent to leave the Steering Committee. A departing member should serve his or her assigned role for the first month and actively hand-off responsibilities to his or her replacement in the second month.

If a member of the Steering Committee is not fulfilling his or her duties, any member of the Committee may call for a vote of removal. The non-performing member must be given at least two months notice of the pending vote with details of the reason for the vote and a description of satisfactory performance. (In that time, he or she may choose to resign, or may choose to begin performing satisfactorily so that the call for removal is withdrawn or voted down.)

If Steering Committee members resign or are removed between elections, they can be replaced by majority vote of the other members of the Steering Committee. The replacement will come up for election at the next election cycle.

Any changes to this charter must be approved by the steering committee and voted on by the Leadership SIG membership. Changes to the charter must receive a majority membership vote of members attending the annual membership meeting at the AHRD Conference of the Americas to ratify.

Appendix: Leadership SIG Founding Steering Committee

Blankenship / Selena / / Conference Coordinator
Calvin / Jennifer / / Website Coordinator
Fierro / Molly / / Website (Webinars)
Gavrilova / Mariya / / Listserv Manager
Hammons / Laura / / Website Assistant
Leimbach / Michael / / Webinars
Madsen / Susan / / Co-chair: Communication
Natt och Dag / Kristina / / Conference Assistant
Tunheim / Katherine / / Co-chair: Membership
Vicher / Marie / / Website Assistant