Interested in Serving on the MAC Board of Trustees?

Each year, as stated in MAC’s bylaws, the Board of Trustees selects members to serve on a Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is then tasked with selecting a slate of four MAC resident members to serve the club as the new class of trustees. The bylaws require that a past MAC president serves on the Nominating Committee, and club tradition is that the current board asks the prior year’s president to take on the role of committee chair. The Nominating Committee will be formed and start its work in September, and as the committee’s upcoming chair, I want to share the history behind the nominating process.

Historically, the selection process for new trustee candidates has placed significant emphasis on members who have been involved in MAC’s committee system. The Nominating Committee often gives the most weight to members who have served on one or more standing committees (for example, Budget & Finance, Athletic, House, etc.). Board candidates often have had experience chairing one or more standing committees, as such experience further develops a deeper understanding of club operations. All of this experience helps candidates contribute to the board’s ability to make decisions in the overall best interests of the club.

The Nominating Committee will continue to focus its search for board candidates primarily on members who have served in our committee system. However, we would also like to hear from qualified resident members who may not have committee experience but do have relevant, executive-level professional experience, training, or knowledge that might be helpful to the board, and who express interest in serving on the board. This new process, which was successfully piloted last year, is intended to extend its reach to the broader MAC membership and be more inclusive, among other things.

We will be asking any resident member who is interested in serving on the board — whether they’ve been involved in the committee system or not — to inform the Nominating Committee of their interest before the selection process begins by completing a brief interest form. This form is available on the Board of Trustees page on themac.com.

What, generally, does volunteering to serve on MAC’s board entail? Like other nonprofit boards, under Oregon law, trustees are charged with acting in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of the club. In summary, Oregon nonprofit law generally imposes three duties of trust on trustees: a duty of due care, a duty of loyalty to the club, and a duty of obedience to the law and our governing documents.

Future board members should understand and expect the following commitments:

• Board members serve for a three-year term which begins in February. There are monthly board meetings, and preparation may require reviewing 400 to 600 pages of material for discussion and decisions.

• First- and second-year trustees are assigned as liaisons to multiple standing and ad hoc committees. They’re required to attend those monthly meetings and report back to the entire board. Third-year trustees traditionally take on the role as one of the four officer positions; responsibilities and time commitment vary depending on the position and circumstances.

• In terms of the overall time commitment, first- and second-year trustees generally spend an average of 10 to 15 hours per week on MAC board work, with the officers spending anywhere from 20 to 30 hours per week.

The Committee Support Team and current committee liaisons will be reaching out soon to all current committee members to provide details on how they can formally make known their interest in serving on the MAC board. For those interested in serving on the board but have not been involved on a MAC committee, please submit an interest form on the club’s website.

— Mary Turina, 2024 Nominating Committee Chair