EAPA 2025 Board of Directors Election FAQs

The EAPA Board of Directors election will be an open election process. As we are an ever evolving organization, we seek to find the best candidates to fill the Executive and Director At-Large positions. The Nominations Committee is seeking to find candidates who meet the criteria of a highly skilled Board of Directors.

Over the last decade the EAPA Board has moved from a “representational board” to a strategic board where all directors are expected to operate for the good of the entire association.

In accordance with the current Strategic Plan, the strategic skill sets we are seeking include bridge building with all stakeholders, leadership development, research and education, and technology. Candidates will be sought who possess these skills and who can contribute to the Board and EAPA as a whole.

Any and all members have direct input in the nominations process by nominating themselves or other eligible members to run for the Board. Members are highly encouraged to nominate multiple candidates for each opening. The Nominations Committee will interview and vet the candidates and choose the candidates who best fit the needed skill sets to move the association forward. We are seeking multiple candidates for each open position and members will have the opportunity to vote for a President-Elect, a Secretary-Treasurer, and Directors At-Large - one who must be from organized labor, and one who must be a non-U.S. member. Please note that we can have more than one of each of these categories elected, but we must have at least one of each.

Duties of the Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee will:

1. Recruit and accept written nominations from members for open Board positions.
2. Determine eligibility and evaluate candidates. This may include direct contact with potential candidates via any means of communication, interviews, asking candidates to complete questionnaires, and/or talking with colleagues or others in a position to provide input on candidate skills, experience, and characteristics.
3. Select and certify the candidate ballot and approve the final ballot to be placed before eligible voting members. The approved ballot shall contain any number of qualified candidates for each open position, selected to provide the mix of skills, abilities, and geographical diversity needed by the Board.

Operationally, at the start of the nominations process the BOD meets and establishes the priority skill sets needed to continue to move EAPA forward. This prioritized skill set creates the foundation from which the Nominations Committee operates in its evaluation of candidates.

The Nominations Committee is responsible for three (3) distinct functions:

1. Membership education.
2. Nominations process management and ballot development.
3. Election management.

 Open Board Positions, Duties and Responsibilities, Eligibility

President Elect

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Assumes the duties of the President in case of absence or inability to fulfill the duties of the office.
• Becomes President at the expiration of the President's term.
• Assists the President in negotiating the employment contract of the CEO, in accordance with Article II of the EAPA bylaws.
• Serves as an ex-officio member of the Employee Assistance Certification Commission ("EACC").
• Serves as a member of the Executive Committee.
• Serves as chair of the Directors meetings.
• Coordinates governance activities related to the strategic plan for EAPA.
• Coordinates governance activities related to Chapter/Branch engagement and development.
• Performs such other duties as EAPA's governance documents or as the Board may require.

Eligibility:

• At least two (2) years prior Board experience; or at least two (2) years prior service as an EAPA committee, panel, or task force chair; or service of at least two (2) years as an elected EAPA chapter or branch president.
• Voting membership in EAPA currently and at least the four (4) consecutive years immediately prior to nomination.
• Current CEAP in good standing.

Secretary/Treasurer

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Is responsible to ensure the accurate production of minutes of all Board and membership meetings.
• Except as otherwise set forth in the EAPA Bylaws, is responsible to ensure that any notices or ballots required by these EAPA Bylaws are sent properly and in a timely fashion.
• Is responsible to ensure that the official corporate and financial records of EAPA are properly maintained.
• Has custody and use of EAPA's corporate seal, but may delegate such responsibility as needed.
• Chairs the Finance Committee.
• Works with the CEO and any other necessary staff to submit annual financial reports and budgets for Board approval.
• Serves as a member of the Executive Committee.
• Performs such other duties as EAPA's governance documents or the Board may require.

 

Eligibility:

• At least two (2) years prior Board experience; or at least two (2) years prior service as an EAPA committee, panel, or task force chair; or service of at least two (2) years as an elected EAPA chapter or branch president.
• Voting membership in EAPA currently and at least the four (4) consecutive years immediately prior to nomination.
• Current CEAP in good standing.

Directors At-Large -  At least one of which must be a non-U.S. member, and at least one of which must be from U.S. organized labor.

 

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Serve as the governing and policy-making body of EAPA.
•  Supervise the activities of EAPA.
• Meet and conduct business in person, by telephone, or other electronic means, meeting the requirements of Article V Section 4 of these EAPA bylaws.

  Eligibility:

• Current or past active participation in an EAPA chapter, branch, or global EAPA committee, panel, or task force.
• Voting membership in EAPA currently and for at least the two (2) consecutive years immediately prior to nomination.
• Current CEAP in good standing. At-Large Directors residing outside of the United States may be exempted by the Nominations Committee from this requirement.
• At least one At-Large Director must be a non-U.S. EAPA member.
• At least one At-Large Director residing in the United States must be a member of a labor union and work in a labor employee assistance program.
• Maintain eligibility requirements throughout their term on the Board.
• Serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms as a member of the Board. A member may serve additional consecutive terms as an officer provided that no person may serve in the same officer position for more than two (2) consecutive terms.

EAPA BOD Candidates' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What do I need to do to be nominated?

Each candidate must be nominated by at least two (2) individual members in good standing, which is defined as an active member. If you choose to nominate yourself, you must have at least one additional nomination. Nominations will be accepted only if all required information has been received by EAPA from the nominators before the end of the nomination period. All nominations received by EAPA will be forwarded promptly to the Nominations Committee for review.

Is there a limit to the number of members who can run for a Board of Director (BOD) position?

There is no limit to the number of candidates who can run for Board of Director positions, indeed multiple nominations of diverse candidates are highly encouraged for each position. The Nominations Committee is charged with evaluating all the candidates put forward, selecting and certifying the candidates and approving the final ballot to be placed before eligible voting members. The approved ballot will consist of candidates for each open position, selected to provide the mix of expertise, skill, background, and geographical diversity needed by the Board. Eligible voting members will vote for candidates. There will need to be at least one candidate from U.S. organized labor and at least one who is non-U.S. though there can be more.

What are the skill sets and areas of expertise needed by the Board of Directors?

 The skill set focus areas are:

1. Ability to build bridges with stakeholders (e.g., chapters, branches, other professional associations)
2. Leadership development
3. Ability to leverage technology
4. Research and education

Additionally, other highly desirable skills are:

• Communications/Media relations, including marketing
• Labor (US and/or International)
• Public policy (US and International)
• Strategic and critical thinking

Do I have to be an accountant to run for Secretary/Treasurer?

NO. However, the Board does have fiduciary responsibility to its members and the public and will, therefore, be seeking someone with business acumen and solid financial common sense. The Secretary/Treasurer provides leadership to a Finance Committee of individuals with additional financial expertise and experience, meeting as often as monthly as EAPA operations may require. While the headquarters staff develops EAPA’s annual budget, the Secretary/Treasurer and the Finance Committee carefully review the budget and then submit it to the Board for adoption. An outside accounting firm performs EAPA’s annual audit.

If I were elected to the Board, what are my time and travel commitments? 

Board Directors are expected to attend the in-person Board Meeting that takes place immediately before the EAPA Annual Institute & EXPO, as well as attend and maintain visibility during the entire conference. Generally, Directors have found that most of their work can be done via e-mail and Zoom meetings. The EAPA Board currently meets via Zoom session quarterly for 3 hours every month. Directors are expected to be present at all meetings (minimum attendance requirement is 80% of held meetings).

All Directors are further expected to participate in quarterly Town Hall meetings with membership, the annual business meeting, and annual leaders' training held during the annual conference.

All Directors are expected to have read and be fully versed about the topics and/or documents that are to be discussed in any given meeting.

What are my financial commitments if I were to be elected to serve?

Service on the Board is voluntary and unpaid. Board members may incur some personal expenses as part of their service to EAPA, for example in making long distance phone calls or attending the Annual EAPA Institute & EXPO.

Upon their election, new directors are invited to attend the in-person Board meeting preceding the Annual EAPA Institute & EXPO at their own expense. Newly elected Board of Directors are strongly encouraged to attend their official installation to the Board during Institute. The new Board assumes office following installation.

Individual directors are encouraged to make a financial contribution to EAPA, typically in the form of a sponsorship to the Annual EAPA Institute & EXPO or as a charitable gift. It is also increasingly likely that Directors will be asked to help obtain financial contributions for the association.

How will I be helped to fulfill my obligations as a Board Director?

At the time of election, each new Director will be assigned a Board “mentor”, someone who has served on the prior BOD. The mentor is asked to call and welcome the new Director after the election, communicate regularly with the new Director regularly between the election and the first Board meeting, and be available to them between Board meetings as a resource. Mentors will be prepared to answer questions, introduce new Directors to Board members they have not met, and provide some historical context for Board discussions.

In addition to being assigned a mentor, all new Directors are expected to attend a Board Orientation that will include:

• Review of EAPA policies and position statements.
• Review of Board manual contents.
• Review of Board responsibilities.
• Overview of EAPA departments, staff and programs.
• Overview of EAPA committees and task forces.
• The current EAPA Strategic Plan.
• Overview of upcoming EAPA events.
• Hot button issues upon which the Board is working.

  EAPA Voter Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is eligible to make nominations in the EAPA Board of Directors election?

Any EAPA member whose membership is current at the time of the nomination may submit nomination(s) for the 2025 EAPA Board of Directors election.

Who is eligible to vote in the EAPA Board of Directors election?

For this election, all current EAPA members are eligible to vote. 

How will I vote?

Active EAPA members in the above listed membership categories as of the first day of the Election Period will be emailed a link to place their vote. Any duplicate submissions will be considered as invalid and will not count as a vote.

When can I vote?

With online voting, you may vote at any time within that period. The voting website will be available 24 hours/ 7 days per week. 

Who can I vote for?

Voting eligible members may vote for all positions open At-Large Director positions. Profile information for individual nominees will be posted on the EAPA website preceding the election period.