LAC Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities
(Author: Arvydas Urbonavičius, Translation: Ingrida Misevičienė)
The Lithuanian American Community Board of Directors is the highest LAC unit, which oversees LAC activities and practices. The Board consists of 60 elected individuals and 10 District presidents. The Board of Directors is headed by the elected Presidium.
1. The newly elected LAC Board of Directors member’s responsibilities begin with the first Board Convention which takes place in the fall of the election year. Board of Directors meet once a year for the annual Board Convention. (According to the LAC bylaws, the first Convention of the newly elected Board of Directors is to happen no later than October 1st.)
2. Board members are obliged to attend all Board Conventions and to actively participate in all voting. A member not attending the Convention, their absence not justified to the Presidium in writing within 30 days before or after the Convention, shall be considered by the Board as having stepped down.
3. A Board member must choose one of nine acting Board committees: Finance, Bylaws, Youth, Culture, Organizational Affairs, Religious Affairs, Social Affairs, Education and Public Affairs. Having chosen a committee aligned with their experience and ability, the Board member is required to attend committee meetings, discuss and edit resolutions, which at the end of the Convention are presented to the Board of Directors for approval. Resolutions approved by the Board are then presented to the Executive Committee to be executed. Board members offering resolutions should be well acquainted with Executive Committee activities of their chosen field and to propose such resolutions to be implemented for improvement of Executive Committee activities. Editing of resolutions begins prior to a session, by means of a teleconference meeting called by the committee chairperson.
4. One of the most important duties of a Board member is, during the year, to participate in all organized teleconferences, correspondence, and voting, because at this time issues important to the Lithuanian American Community are discussed and resolved.
5. A Board member is not limited to participation in the annual convention. The individual must also be an active member of their chapter, participate in all chapter board meetings and member meetings, and present notifications relating to operations of the National Board of Directors. A Board member should also actively contribute to preparation of projects within their chapter, and participate as much as possible in activities within their own district.
6. An individual determined to become a Board member must understand that the overall success of work by the National Board of Directors largely depends on the contribution of each individual Board member.
7. Board members must read all correspondence: email, letters, reports, notifications; those received from the Board Presidium as well as from the Executive Committee. Board members arrive to Board conventions prepared for serious work.
8. Board members are not compensated for their work associated with the Board of Directors or their travel to the annual conventions.