Call for nominations for elections of the Africa Chapter officer positions

We invite you to submit nominations for the upcoming elections of the Africa Chapter officer positions.

Eight (8) positions are open:

  • 1 Chair;
  • 1 Secretary;
  • 1 Treasurer;
  • 5 Sub-Regional Representatives (i.e., Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar). With the exception of Madagascar, the regions follow the United Nations Geoscheme for Africa, considering only countries that house tropical ecosystems.

Successful candidates will serve two (2) year terms. Self-nominations are welcome. If nominating someone other than yourself, please be sure to check whether they would be able to serve in the capacity for the position as defined by the roles and responsibilities described below:

(i) Chair. The Chairperson shall be the Chief Executive Officer of The Chapter. The Chairperson shall preside at meetings of the Chapter members and of the Chapter Committee; shall make and sign bonds, mortgages, contracts, and other instruments in the name and on behalf of The Chapter, except when the Chapter Committee by resolution instructs the same to be done by some other officer or agent; and shall perform all other duties pertaining to the office or properly required of them by the Chapter Committee.

(ii) Secretary. The Secretary shall give or cause to be given all notices and ballots required to be distributed to members or committee members; shall attend meetings of members and of the Chapter Committee and record the proceedings of each such meeting, or in case of inability to attend such meetings, shall be represented by a committee member or other member appointed by the presiding officer. The Secretary shall maintain an updated list of The Chapter members. They also maintain regular communication with the members of relevant news through the listserv, Twitter, Facebook, and other social network outlets ensuring that the Chapter provides unique and relevant information. This includes mining the web for relevant and timely funding opportunities, scholarships, collaborations, and other calls or forwarding news sent by other members.

(iii) Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have responsibility for funds and securities of The Chapter, except as otherwise provided by the Council; shall deposit all monies and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of The Chapter in the Association depositories; shall cause full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements to be kept; shall render to the Association Treasurer, Chairperson of the Chapter and the Chapter Committee, whenever they may require it, an accounting of all transactions as Treasurer and of the financial condition of The Chapter; shall assist with fundraising; and shall perform all other duties pertaining to the office or properly required by the Chapter Committee.

(iv) The sub-Regional Representatives shall serve as the main Contact Point for the Chapter in the subregion that they serve with the objectives of making the Association (ATBC) and the Chapter relevant in Region. If a Chapter meeting venue is chosen with their sub-region, they also facilitate in organizing the meeting and to help the local planning committee fundraise for workshops and special events that have direct relevance to the theme of the meeting. In addition, they work with the local planning committee to fundraise to bring students, conservationists and/or policy makers from the region to the Annual Chapter meeting. They will build a sub-regional network of ATBC members and are expected to call a meeting annually of the sub-region.

Each nominated officer must be a current member of ATBC.

If you know of someone who would be a strong candidate for one of these positions and who would be willing and available to travel to the in-person Africa Chapter committee meeting each year during the term please send your 2019 ATBC Africa Chapter Officer Nomination(s) to:

Lúcia G. Lohmann, ATBC Executive Director at <llohmann@usp.br>

A nomination will consist of a short biography plus a photograph of the nominee.  The most reliable email contact of this nominee should also be provided.

The deadline for submission of nominations is 1st October 2019.

All nominations submitted to the Chapter will be announced on the ATBC website. The voting will be conducted online via the XCD system.