Nominations for the NSTA Board of Directors and Council

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NSTA's Governance Structure

The Board is comprised of the three (3) NSTA Presidents and the ten (10) Division Directors. The Council is comprised of the NSTA President and eighteen (18) District Directors.

Board of Director Offices to be filled in the 2021 election are:

• President—Term of office: 3-year commitment beginning June 2021 through May 2024 (Year 1 as President-elect; Year 2 as President; Year 3 as Retiring President)
• Division Directors—Term of office: 3-year commitment beginning June 2021 through May 2024
  • Preschool-Elementary Science Teaching
  • Middle Level Science Teaching
  • Informal Science
  • Professional Learning in Science Education

Council Offices to be filled in the 2021 election are:

• District Directors—Term of office: 3-year commitment beginning June 2021 through May 2024
  • District II: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
  • District IV: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
  • District VIII: Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia
  • District X: Idaho, Michigan, Ohio
  • District XIV: Arizona, Colorado, Utah
  • District XVI: American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada

NSTA's Eighteen Districts

District I: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
District II: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
District III: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland
District IV: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
District V: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
District VI: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
District VII: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
District VIII: Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia
District IX: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
District X: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio
District XI: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
District XII: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
District XIII: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
District XIV: Arizona, Colorado, Utah
District XV: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
District XVI: American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada
District XVII: Alaska, Oregon, Washington
District XVIII: Canada

Election Guidelines

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall be comprised of ten Division Directors and three NSTA Presidents. Candidates for Division Director must meet the following criteria at the time of election and during their term of office:

• Preschool and Elementary Division—a preschool or elementary school classroom teacher.
• Middle Level Division—a middle level school classroom teacher.
• High School Division—a high school classroom science teacher.
• Post-Secondary Science Teaching Division—a college/university faculty member whose primary role is science teaching.
• Informal Science Division—is to be a science educator in a non-traditional setting with an educational mission.
• Research in Science Education Division—an active researcher in science education.
• Coordination and Supervision Division—in a position with responsibility of coordination and/or supervision in preK–12 science education.
• Pre-service Teacher Preparation Division—a college/university faculty member whose primary role is preparing teachers of science in the area of professional content knowledge and have experience regarding national accreditation.
• Multicultural/Equity in Science Education Division—is to be actively involved in an area of multicultural and/or equity in science education.
• Professional Learning in Science Education Division—active in professional development and have the primary role of providing professional development to preK–12 teachers of science.

The following should be considered before applying:

1. Division Director may not run for District Director immediately following their term as Division Director.
2. Division Directors may not serve two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors; except a Division Director may be elected NSTA President.

Council

The Council shall be comprised of 18 District Directors as indicated in the NSTA Bylaws, Article III, Section 2.

The following should be considered before applying:

1. Each candidate for the office of District Director shall reside in the district the individual seeks to represent.
2. District Directors may not serve two consecutive terms as District Director.

Responsibilities and Duties

President-Elect

The President-Elect has duties as outlined in the NSTA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4C which include: appointing chairmen and NSTA representatives to convention committees (for all conventions occurring during their term as President) and participates in planning sessions for all such committees. Then, as PRESIDENT, has duties as outlined in the NSTA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4A which include: serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors and of the Council and has general charge of the affairs of the Association.

District Director

District Directors are elected for a three-year term of office. District Directors must be NSTA members and reside and/or work in the district which they represent. Only NSTA members residing in districts for which directors are running for election may vote for their district’s director. See Operating Policies “Council” for the election cycle. Specific duties, obligations, and ways in which the Director can be helpful:

1. Serves on the Council and on committees as designated. Attend NSTA Council meetings. Becomes fully cognizant of the Bylaws and Operating Policies of NSTA and of all financial semi-annual reports (budget). Makes quarterly reports to the President concerning activities in their District.
2. Attends NSTA National Conventions and Area Conventions when possible and makes himself/herself visible to the membership. Assists at NSTA Membership Booth at Conventions. Attends Chapters and Associated Groups functions and meetings at Area and National Conventions, including the Chapters and Associated Groups breakfast at National Convention.
3. Works as much as is feasible with members and Chapters and Associated Groups in his/her District by:

• Attending state chapter meetings in District insofar as possible.
• Attending local meetings of associated groups as far as possible.
• Attending drive-in conferences where convenient or possible.
• Fostering membership activities.
• Displaying NSTA materials at conferences and state meetings.
• Seeking out names of new Chapters and Associated Groups officers in his/her District and sending them to NSTA headquarters.
• Sending letters of congratulations to new Chapters and Associated Groups presidents in his/her District.
• Attending summer Chapters and Associated Groups meeting held in conjunction with annual Board meeting.
• Sending in nominations from his/her District for awards of all kinds.
• Encouraging other members, state chapters, division affiliates, and associated groups to make nominations of qualified members for positions on the NSTA Board of Directors.
• Sending in suggested names, etc., for committee assignments to NSTA headquarters and to President-elect.
• Serving as a liaison between his/her District and NSTA on issues of importance to science and science education.

Division Director

Division Directors serve on the NSTA Board of Directors and has duties, as outlined in the NSTA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 1. Division Director's duties are essentially the same as those of the District Directors. In addition, Division Directors have the following responsibilities:

• Maintains Division and Affiliate relationship.
• Serves as Chairperson of Division Standing Committee to which he/she has been elected, for term of his/her office.
• Coordinates and sets priorities for work to be done in his/her Division; also works cooperatively with other Division Directors.

It is imperative that your application contain accurate and complete information.

For consideration by the Nominations Committee, nominees must strictly adhere to the instructions for completing the Nomination Form. Nominations that do not meet specifications, or are received after the filing deadline will be disqualified. Be sure all requirements for these nomination procedures are met, checked, and submitted by the deadline.

All materials in your nomination application packet should be submitted online.

• Nomination Form—To be completed and signed electronically.
• Biographical Data—Your biographical data is required in the format described described in the online submission form to include
  • Section One—Current Employment Information and Degrees Received
  • Section Two—NSTA Activities. List NSTA involvement such as committees and NSTA publications, both past and present.
  • Section Three—State Chapter, and Associated Groups Activities. List involvement in past and present.
  • Section Four—Additional Activities and Honors; character limit 1525.
• Résumé—A résumé in any format two pages long is required; character limit 7650.
• Position Statement—Prepare your position statement as you want it presented in the ballot material. It addresses your philosophy of science teaching, the role and responsibility of NSTA in the profession, or other beliefs regarding science, technology, or science education. You are required to indicate your envisioned actions as relevant to the office for which you are seeking nomination to. Proofread the position statement carefully; character limit 1225
• Letters of Endorsement—For President-elect, six letters are required; for Board and Council, four letters are required. These letters may be from NSTA members or nonmembers. The nominee’s nomination letter (if any) will count as one of the six letters. These letters should address the following characteristics: (1) Personal—the nominee should show evidence of leadership qualities; (2) Professional—the nominee should show involvement, scholarship, and knowledge in science education. NSTA will not solicit letters of endorsement; this is the nominee’s responsibility. Nomination forms can not be used as letters of endorsement. Letters of endorsement must be included with your nominations material. Letters received under separate cover will not be considered or returned. The letters should be attached to your online application.

Procedures for NSTA Election for Board of Directors

An outside independent contractor will e-mail ballots and biographical material, receive returned ballots, count and tally results, and report those results first to the chairperson of the NSTA Nominations Committee, and then to the NSTA Executive Director.

By vote of NSTA Membership, NSTA Bylaws will now allow the inclusion of electronic balloting procedures for the Board of Directors and Council elections.

The contractor will be responsible for assuring accuracy of data entry, shall retain all ballots until the election is certified by the Nominations Committee, and provide, with acceptable evidence, ballots to members who may not have received them due to e-mail or other problems. Using guidelines provided by the Nominations Committee, the contractor will be responsible for accepting or rejecting ballots, reporting on those and providing invalid ballots to the Nominations Committee following the election. The Nominations Committee then has the authority to make final decisions on such questionable ballots.