Process for Ad Hoc ACL Leadership Roles

Background

ACL is experiencing rapid growth, and as the membership grows, so do the issues. To handle this growth, the ACL Executive Committee (the Exec) requires more help at the leadership level. The Exec has decided to reach out to the membership to engage more people in specific roles.

These roles are not intended to be permanent, and will be requested and filled on an as-needed basis. When the need is not longer present, the roles will be retired. The people filling these roles are not voting members of the Exec and are not on the Exec’s email list. They may be invited to attend portions of executive committee board meetings on an as needed basis. A special email list consisting of members of the Exec and these additional leaders will be formed to facilitate communication.

These unelected positions have precedent within the ACL. For example, the ACL Anthology Editor is an unelected position and has informally reported to the Information Director in past years. The ACL-affiliated journal editors are appointed by committees. Ad hoc subcommittees have been formed to tackle special issues, such as the Professional Conduct Committee that is currently training members to handle disputes among members.

Process

When the Exec identifies a leadership need, a description of the leadership opportunity will be written that describes the role, the qualifications needed, and the length of time that a person will serve in this role. The opening will be announced to the entire ACL membership along with a request for applications. Qualifications for the position will be listed in the call for nominations. Diversity considerations will be taking into account when considering candidates. A committee will assess the candidates and make recommendations to the Exec. This committee will be appointed by the Exec and will consist of members of the Exec and selected additional members.