NRC Election Guidelines for Administrators

1. Board of Directors, Elections, Overview 

 

The NRC is currently governed by a 25-member Board of Directors. 

 

Board members are elected by the general membership from a slate of candidates prepared by the organization’s Slate Development Committee.  Nominations for candidates are solicited from the membership. The Slate Development Committee screens all nominees. In considering whether to slate a nominee, the Committee will consider the nominee’s completed nomination form, the nominee’s resume, and at least one letter of recommendation.  The Committee may also consider other sources it deems appropriate to verify the nominee’s qualifications. 

 

After careful deliberation, the Committee will present a recommended slate of candidates to the NRC Executive Committee for acceptance and presentation to the membership.  It is the goal of the NRC to maintain a Board that reflects the sectoral, racial, gender and geographic diversity of the NRC membership.  

 

The slate of candidates is submitted to the general membership prior to the annual members’ meeting.  Additional nominations can be made from the floor at the annual members’ meeting. Members of the NRC Board of Directors are elected by a majority vote of the membership, both those present and those voting by proxy.  Approximately one third of the Board positions are up for election in any given year. 

 

Board members must be at least 18 years of age.  Board members must be NRC members in good standing.  Board candidates must have been members in good standing for at least one year prior to their assuming office.  Board members must be committed to the advancement of recycling and the NRC mission. Management experience is highly preferred for service on the Board as is broad knowledge of the recycling industry.  Service on or experience with other boards of directors is also preferred. 

 

1. a. Board Nomination Criteria

 

The Slate Selection Committee observes the following guidelines in compiling the annual slate of Board candidate recommendations:

1. a balance of functional constituency, (i.e. sectoral, racial, gender and geographic diversity);
2. affiliation with state or regional organizations;
3. commitment by the individual to attend Board meetings and actively participate in the work of the Board;
4. having been an NRC member in good standing for at least one year;
5. be at least 18 years of age;
6. having qualifications and experience relevant to serving as a Board member of the corporation.

 

1. b. Board Candidacy after Term has Expired

 

A member of the Board of Directors of the National Recycling Coalition who has served two consecutive terms will not be eligible for election to the Board of Directors for a period of two years. A previous NRC Board Member’s volunteer work during this interim period will be heavily weighted in consideration of future Board candidacy.

 

1. BOARD DEVELOPMENT & SLATE SELECTION GUIDANCE PROCEDURE

 

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to the Slate Selection Chair in developing and managing the slate selection committee process and recruiting candidates for the NRC Board of Directors.

 

Goal

It is the intent of the slate selection process to maintain fairness and equity in bringing forward to the membership for consideration experienced, highly qualified, representative, contributing candidates for the NRC Board of Directors. All efforts will be taken to find candidates that represent and reflect the various organizations, industries and geographical regions of the organization while maintaining diversity and considering skill sets that may be advantageous to the board and organization. The NRC Board and staff will model integrity and confidentiality throughout the Slate Selection process.

 

Slate Selection Process

1. Board President shall appoint the Slate Selection Chair. Slate Selection Chair shall not be a member of the Executive Committee.  At this same time, the President will appoint a member of the Executive Committee to liaison with the Slate Selection Chair. This liaison may be the Chair of the Board of Directors.
2. Slate Selection Chair will receive a timeline for the election process from staff for consideration and approval.
3. Staff shall provide the Slate Selection Chair with the candidate recruitment documents for review and comment.
4. Slate Selection Chair will solicit members to serve on the slate committee from NRC leadership, councils, committees, and past Presidents. 
5. Slate Selection Chair shall assemble a Slate Committee of not less than four members, including the Slate Selection Chair. Slate committee members will not also be members of the Executive Committee. The committee should demonstrate integrity and confidentiality and thoroughly evaluate candidates’ qualifications for the Board.
6. Slate Selection Chair, with assistance from staff, will make every effort to promote the vacancies on the Board and recruit candidates through the NRC Councils, Recycling Organization Council, current leadership, sponsors, the newsletter and the NRC website along with any other forms of external communications, including social media platforms utilized by the NRC. 
7. Outreach will make clear that all requested documentation must be received by the deadline, submitted online in one PDF document to NRC staff. If all materials are not received by that deadline, the application may be disallowed. 
8. Slate Selection Chair shall keep the Executive Committee informed of the slate process and timeline through the Executive Committee Liaison.
9. Staff will receive and review applications for completeness, confirming that minimum qualifications are met. 
10. Slate Selection Committee members shall be provided copies of all the qualified nominees’ submitted documents for consideration.
11. Slate Selection Chair shall conduct at least one meeting of the Slate Selection Committee to consider nominees’ qualifications and ability to serve as an NRC board member.
12. Executive Committee shall have the right, at the request of the Slate Selection Chair, to hold open the nomination process past the published deadline, should the nominations received be less than or equal to the number of vacancies. The extension shall be posted to the NRC website.
13. The Slate Selection Committee shall, in a timely fashion, forward its recommended slate of candidates for the Board of Directors to the Executive Committee to ratify for the ballot.
14. Should the Executive Committee have concern with any of the candidates, it may ask the Slate Selection Committee to further deliberate, investigate or reconsider its recommendations.
15. After the Executive Committee has ratified the candidates, the Slate Selection Committee shall notify the slated candidates.
16. After the candidates have been notified and agree to the terms of the Board Letter of Commitment, the names of the candidates shall be made public on the NRC website and other outreach platforms as appropriate.
17. Slate Selection Chair or other designated individual will notify any candidates that are not slated. Names of nominees that are not slated will not be made public.
18. Non-slated candidates shall have two weeks to file an appeal with the Slate Committee. The appeal process and a determination will be assessed within the following two weeks.
19. Staff will provide candidates timely information about the election process (ballots, voting, opportunities to meet with Board and membership, etc.)

 

Election Process

1. A non-interested third party will be engaged to receive and count all ballots.
2. Information about the candidates will be posted on the NRC website, in the NRC newsletter and on the ballot when distributed.
3. Ballots will be distributed to the NRC active member list.
4. There will be three ways for the NRC membership to vote:
5. Submit completed ballot at the annual members’ meeting by the published deadline.
6. Proxy the vote to another NRC member who can then vote by mail or on-site by required deadlines.
7. Submit proxy vote via electronic device by required deadlines. Proxy votes will be verified by the non-interested third-party vote counter.
8. Candidates will be provided a scheduled opportunity to meet with the membership.
9. Slate Selection Chair will announce and introduce the candidates at the annual members’ meeting and call for nominations from the floor.
10. Write-in candidates can be nominated from the floor at the annual members’ meeting; but if elected, cannot take office until their minimum qualifications are verified by staff. Candidates from the floor will only have their names and affiliations listed on the ballot.
11. After the close of the election, the non-interested third party shall count the ballots.
12. The top vote recipients will fill the vacancies on the Board.
13. Executive Director shall be informed by the non-interested third party of the election results. The actual numerical results will not be made available except to the Executive Director and if there is a challenge, the Slate Selection Chair for investigation.
14. Executive Director shall make the percentage of votes cast by an Affiliate State available to that Affiliate State representative upon request.
15. Executive Director and Slate Selection Committee members shall contact candidates by phone, email or text with the candidate’s results and ensure successful candidates’ willingness to comply with the Board Letter of Commitment. Executive Director or other designated individual will contact non-successful candidates. 
16. The following day, the new Board will be announced and subsequently published on the NRC website and announced through a press release.
17. The ballots will be kept for one year.

III. SEATING THE NEW BOARD AND ELECTING OFFICERS 

Placeholder for procedures for indicating when first meeting of the newly-elected board will take place and for electing officers from the board of directors at that meeting.

Last updated: 8-21-2019