AIAA SF, P.O. Box 1548, Mountain View, CA 94042-1548

AIAA San Francisco Section Call for Officer Nominations

Nominations are now being accepted for officers of the SF Section of the AIAA for 2010-2011. No previous experience on the Section Council is necessary. Essential information:

• Positions: chair-elect, secretary, treasurer
• Term: June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011
• Duties:
  • Specific position descriptions below.
  • Attend AIAA-SF Council meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at Moffett Field. We gather and have a bite to eat 6:00-6:30pm, then get down to business. We aim to finish by 8:00.
  • Also encouraged to attend the Section dinner meetings, which are usually held on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.

The AIAA-SF Council is organized as follows:

• chair
• vice-chair and chair-elect
• secretary
• treasurer
• about 5-7 other council members responsible for specific activities such as organizing dinner meetings or pre-college outreach

What's in it for me?

Of course you realize that serving as an officer for your local AIAA Section is a noble service to your profession, but you might be wondering, "What's in it for me?" It's an excellent opportunity to hone leadership and communication skills that are invaluable in your career whether you are in a management or a technical track. It's also a networking opportunity, not only with members in the Section but also potentially at meetings at the regional and national levels. It is a great addition to any resume. (Or to a promotion letter, for all you NASA civil servants.) And don't forget that you get a free sandwich or salad once a month.

Descriptions of the Officer Positions

There are some rather dry descriptions of the duties and responsibilities of the positions open for nominations at aiaa.org. The descriptions below are based on recent experience to give you an idea of the time commitment.

The vice-chair (chair-elect) serves as the Nominating Committee Chair. Otherwise, the vice-chair does not really have any specific duties or responsibilities other than to prepare to run the outfit the next year. The chair would, however, appreciate any assistance you could provide. You may run a Council meeting or two if I have a business trip or similar emergency. Of course, the Chair-Elect shall act in the place of the Chair in any case of the Chair's failure or inability to act.

Before you commit to being chair-elect, you probably would like to know your future responsibilities as chair. The chair runs the Council meetings, keeps track of the activities of the other Council members, acts as host of the dinner meetings, is the primary point of contact with the Regional and National levels of AIAA, acts as the representative of the Section at special events (like the dedication of Ames Research Center as an AIAA Historic Aerospace Site), submits annual reports to the National office, and various and sundry other tasks.

The secretary writes the minutes of the Council meetings and submits them to the Regional office. The secretary also occasionally writes letters.

The treasurer maintains the budget and handles all financial transactions for the Section. The budget is voted on by the Council at the June meeting and must be approved by the National office. Checks are mailed to us by the National office and must be deposited in the bank, and many dinner meeting attendees pay through PayPal. The treasurer pays bills (such as for computer services) and reimburses Council members for expenses (such as food for the Council meeting). Most of the financial transactions are conducted electronically.

What to Do?

If you would like to nominate someone, including yourself, please send email to:
Laurel Stell
nominations@aiaa-sf.org
Please provide the following:

• the name of the person
• the position you are nominating them for
• their email address
• their telephone number (optional)

Thank you for your interest.
Laurel Stell
Vice-Chair and Nominating Committee Chair