KFTC Leadership Nomination Information

KFTC is committed to being a grassroots, member-led organization. The process for recommending, nominating, and electing members to KFTC’s Executive Committee reflects that commitment. It is an expression of KFTC’s core values and our 10-year Audacious Goal of centering racial justice as we grow our membership and networks throughout Kentucky’s 120 counties. It’s also an expression of an open, deliberate and democratic process; a model of shared leadership; and a practice of developing grassroots leaders as a primary strategy for social change. Anyone can recommend a member to serve in the elected positions on KFTC’s Executive Committee or the three seats on the Kentucky Coalition Board. Self nominations are welcome. The window is open throughout May. In June, KFTC’s Leadership Development Committee considers those recommendations to create and propose a slate of candidates for each board. KFTC’s Steering Committee will review the proposed slates and formally nominate individuals for election at KFTC’s Annual Business Meeting.

Nominations for the 2022/2023 Executive Committee and Kentucky Coalition Board are open until May 31, 2022. To recommend someone for nomination, please use the online form at KFTC.org/nominations. Or, you can respond by mail using the form alongside this article. There will also be space in May chapter meetings.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS: Due May 31, 2022

KFTC’s Steering Committee is the statewide board that makes decisions about the organization’s strategy, policies, budget and long-term direction. The Steering Committee is made up of one representative from each chapter, one representative from the People of Color Caucus, and the statewide officers on

KFTC’s Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee is made up of six or seven officers, depending if there is Chair or CoChairs on the Executive Committee. This group makes necessary decisions between Steering Committee meetings and provides leadership for the organization. All of the members of the Executive Committee are elected, with the exception of the position of the Immediate Past Chair. The following is a description of the elected positions:

Chair/Co-Chair

Last year, to strengthen our alignment to shared leadership and to the workload, the Steering Committee approved a change that allowed for up to two Chair positions--Co-Chairs. The Chair/CoChairs are voting members of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Chair of the KFTC Steering Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. They preside at all Annual Meetings, Steering Committee meetings, Executive Committee meetings and Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors meetings.

Vice Chairperson

The Vice Chairperson is a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Vice Chairperson of the KFTC Steering Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. They preside in the absence of the Chair/Co-Chairs at all Annual Meetings, Steering Committee meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and KC Board of Directors meetings.

Secretary-Treasurer

This officer serves as Secretary-Treasurer for KFTC and the Kentucky Coalition. They also serve as a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. The Secretary-Treasurer also serves as the chair of the Finance Committee.

At-Large Representative

The At-Large Representative is a member elected from anywhere in the state. They serve as a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. In the event that the previous chair is unable to serve in the immediate past chair position, the Steering Committee may name instead a second at-large representative to be voted on by the membership at the annual business meeting.

People of Color Caucus Representative

KFTC is reimagining our structure to align ourselves with the Big Audacious Goal of centering racial justice as we organize in 120 counties. Earlier this year, in collaboration with the People of Color Caucus, KFTC’s Steering Committee approved the addition of another seat on the Executive Committee--a position for a representative of the People of Color Caucus. Nominations for the People of Color Caucus seat will come directly from the People of Color Caucus.

KFTC’S CURRENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

The following is the current Executive Committee: • The Co-Chairs chairs are Tiff Duncan and Alan Smith. Both have served one year in this position, and both are eligible to serve again. • The Vice-Chair is Rebecca Tucker. She has served one year as Vice-Chair and is eligible for another term in that position • The Secretary-Treasurer is David Miller.

He has served one year as secretarytreasurer and is eligible for another term in that position. • There are currently two at-large positions, one of them in the place of the Immediate Past Chair position. The two at-large representatives are Ebony

O-Rea and Kathy Curtis. Both have served one year in the position and are eligible for another term. Executive Committee members also may be nominated for positions other than the one in which they currently serve.

There are some requirements for serving on KFTC’s Executive Committee: • A statewide officer must be a member of KFTC. • A statewide officer cannot be a paid employee or the immediate family member of a paid employee of KFTC or Kentucky Coalition. • A statewide officer cannot serve in the same position for more than two years.

The Leadership Development Committee considers everyone put forth who meets these requirements. They work to develop a slate that is strengthened by a diversity of perspectives and identities, including gender, age, race, income, educational background, and geography. The Leadership Development Committee also works from a set of desired characteristics that facilitate leading the organization. This year, those characteristics are: • Commitment to KFTC’s Audacious Goal and

Vivid Description. • Are visionaries who connect impacted communities • Reflects the diversity (gender, age, race, income, geography, issue, etc) of who we envision our membership to become as we continue to align to KFTC’s Audacious Goal • Are good financial advocates and fundraisers (an authentic person who is effective and willing to tell their own story and KFTC’s story, and to ask

others to invest in our work) • Have a good working relationship with staff and

Executive Director(s). • Demonstrate a commitment to KFTC’s vision and values • Are knowledgeable about KFTC’s program of work (have experience working with a statewide committee and/or the Steering Committee and/or a local chapter), and are able to see connections among our issues. • Are respectful, listen well, and build consensus. • Are good at thinking through complex organizational challenges • Are good at developing strategies and plans • Keep the larger picture in view and operate on the basis of what’s best for the whole organization • Stand up for what they think is best for KFTC but be willing to accede to others’ opinions

You can recommend as many people as you like for nomination, including yourself, to the Executive Committee. You can put someone forth for a specific position, or for any elected position on the Executive Committee. The exception to this is the seat for the People of Color Caucus, which is an elected position that’s filled through nominations put forth by the People of Color Caucus. The Leadership Development Committee considers all nominees to be eligible for any of the elected positions. As part of their consideration, the Leadership Development Committee offers a set of questions to members who are put forth for nomination. The questions ask members to share their reflections on: • how and why they’ve been active in KFTC, or other ways they’ve been active in community • the identities they carry, and their experiences working in community across lines of difference • how they think we can make change in

Kentucky, what it’s going to take • how they like to communicate and how they respond to conflict • their willingness and the support needed to speak or write publicly on behalf of KFTC. • their growth areas, and their openness to being coached and supported. • What they’re excited to bring to KFTC’s leadership.

These reflections help the committee create a slate that meets the needs and opportunities of KFTC. The committee aims for a slate that is made stronger by diverse perspectives and identities--multi-racial, multi-generational, representative of a range of geographies, class identities, and issue interests, etc-and that collectively, the Executive Committee holds the range of skills needed to lead the organization.

KENTUCKY COALITION NOMINATIONS: DUE MAY 31, 2022

Kentucky Coalition is the affiliate organization of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. Kentucky Coalition (KC) is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning that it is allowed to accept tax-deductible donations from members and can access foundation grants that are not available to KFTC as a 501(c)(4).

Kentucky Coalition’s purpose is to support grassroots community organizing, leadership development, and public education around important public policy. Its reach stretches beyond KFTC and beyond Kentucky. Kentucky Coalition has provided support and acted as fiscal agent for groups working in Appalachia and the South. For instance, Kentucky Coalition is currently the fiscal agent for the Alliance for Appalachia, a group of 15 organizations from Central Appalachia working to stop mountaintop removal mining and creating a sustainable, just Appalachia. conducts planning and evaluation. The board meets at least quarterly, often by conference call.

The Kentucky Coalition Board is composed of the members of the KFTC Executive Committee plus three additional members who are elected by the KFTC membership at its annual meeting. Kentucky Coalition Board members serve one-year terms. The Kentucky Coalition board members who also are members of the Executive Committee follow the term limits placed on them as KFTC Executive Committee members. The three additional Kentucky Coalition Board members may serve four consecutive one-year terms.

Requirements:

• A Kentucky Coalition board member must be a member of KFTC. • A Kentucky Coalition board member cannot be a paid employee or the immediate family member of a paid employee of KFTC or Kentucky Coalition. • A Kentucky Coalition board member not on the KFTC Executive Committee cannot serve in the same position for more than four one-year consecutive terms. The KFTC Leadership Development Committee will consider all nominees and recommend a diverse slate of qualified candidates, taking into account a diversity of characteristics including gender, age, race, income, educational background, place of residence, level of involvement in the local chapter and statewide organization, issue interests and other desired qualities. It is preferred that nominees to the Kentucky Coalition Board are people with prior experience on the KFTC Steering Committee or Finance Committee who do not currently serve as their chapter’s representative.

Current Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors:

The following members, in addition to the Executive Committee members, currently serve on the KC Board: • Joy Fitzgerald is in her second term. • Matthew Gidcomb is in his second term. • Shannon Scott is in her first term.