NAIS Board Committee Structure

(Updated by the Board Nov 2004)

The NAIS By-Laws, Article VIII, Section 3., provide that "The duties and powers of all committees shall be defined by the Board."

STANDING COMMITTEES

These committees are appointed to do the ongoing, permanent work of the Board.

1) The Executive Committee is primarily charged with the planning of the Board Meetings, and, as provided by the By-Laws, is empowered to exercise all powers of the Board during the interim between meetings of the Board.  In addition, the committee is charged with the following specific responsibilities:

2) The Finance Committee is charged with the responsibility for continuing review, with the CFO of the Association, including formulation of the annual budgets, and supervision of the investment of the Association's reserve funds.  Specific functions include:

To develop recommendations for board approval on the purposes and policies that shall determine the investment program and on the investment procedures to be followed. To review on a quarterly basis the management of both invested reserve funds and short-term investment operating funds.

3) The Governance Committee is specifically charged with the responsibility for preparing the nominations of new trustees and the slate of officers for presentation to the Board for a vote.  The committee is responsible:

To assess the nomination and election process and, from time to time, to present recommendation to the board for revision of policies or procedures. To develop the evaluation tools and procedures for the President and the Board and to oversee the orchestration of those evaluations. To initiate any needed changes to the By-Laws. To provide for ongoing education and professional development of the Board.

4) The Member Services Committee is charged with responsibility for oversight and administration of the policies established by the Board of Trustees for the acceptance of schools and associations to the membership of NAIS.  Its functions include the following:

To undertake continuous review of membership and subscriber criteria and categories for updating and clarification. To review of any problematic applications for membership beyond routine applications handled by the NAIS staff. To consider ways and means of encouraging eligible schools to apply for membership. To guide NAIS in its constituent relations with member associations and other independent school groups. To counsel NAIS on new product and service development that will best serve member schools.

5) The Equity & Justice Committee is charged with responsibility for equity and justice initiatives on the board and throughout the organization. As custodian of the diversity and multicultural initiatives mandated by the mission statement, the committee's directives are:

To work in a collaborative capacity with staff to foster the principles of equity and justice identified in the mission statement and to ensure that the work of the organization is measured by a template of equity and inclusivity. To contribute topics and ideas for continued Board growth and development in this area.

6) The Public Policy/Government Relations Committee is charged with responsibility to oversee NAIS's external relations/advocacy activities pertaining to its mission of serving as the national voice of independent pre-collegiate education and as the center for collective action on behalf of its membership. The committee’s primary responsibilities are to:

Affirm NAIS's external relations/advocacy priorities; Identify and prepare public policy positions; Guide NAIS's government relations work; Guide NAIS's communications and marketing; Shape products and services designed to help member schools and local, state, regional, and national association partners tell their own and the independent school community's stories; and Encourage active collaboration with local, state, regional, and national member

STRATEGIC TASK FORCES

Task Forces are appointed by the Board periodically and are charged with thinking strategically, so that NAIS keeps moving forward to meet the needs of its membership. The task forces will be asked to be creative, addressing issues with a broad based approach that might include bringing in outside speakers, or working together with staff.  Task forces will have an orientation towards the application of NAIS work and services in the schools. In the recent past, Task Forces have been formed for addressing issues of diversity, dues, accreditation, and relations with the state and regional associations, strategic planning, and board development.

Current Ongoing Task Force(s):

The NAIS Commissions on Accreditation (formerly The Committee on the Recognition of Associations' Evaluation and Accreditation Procedures and the Task Force on Accreditation). The responsibilities of the Commission include the following:

Assuring the highest standards for independent School accreditation by articulating principles of good practice for independent school accreditation programs; Developing models of successful accreditation policies and procedures; engaging in research that will inform accreditation practice; determining the desirability of and protocol for NAIS ratification of a school's accreditation; promoting, through advocacy efforts, public understanding of and credibility for independent school accrediting programs.

Additionally, a subcommittee of the Commission has assumed responsibility for overseeing the NAIS Recognition Program, reviewing all reports and materials in support of the recognition process and recommending action to the full board on an accrediting association's request for recognition of its evaluation and accreditation procedures through the Recognition Program. One committee member joins the staff liaison for each on-site evaluation of an association's visiting committee.  The committee includes two non-board members who have experience in school evaluation and accreditation.

The Strategy and Design Task Force:

The purpose of the Strategy and Design (S&D) Task Force is to generate discussion beyond the immediately pragmatic and strategic, to consider the changing environment facing NAIS and its member schools, and research and develop new products and services.

The Global Task Force:

The Global Task Force was created to consider the implications and direction of how NAIS might appropriately orient itself as an organization with a global scope that meets the needs of its member schools in developing and cultivating global citizens and global leaders.  The charge of the task force is to

Advise and develop recommendations for the long-term plan to develop and cultivate global citizens and global leaders in independent schools Devise critical milestones toward that end Recommend strategies to transform NAIS products and services towards a globally oriented organization.