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Nomination and Election Procedures

ISCB Leadership Nominations and Elections

The nomination system for student council leaders, board members and officers consists of members submitting nominations via an online form. Members must first login to the membership page, and then select "Leadership Nomination" from the menu on the left of the page once logged in. Members of affiliated regional groups who are not ISCB members may submit nominations by contacting us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Text below outlines election procedures, to jump directly to a section, select the following: Timeline, Call for Nominations, Curriculum Vita, Criteria for Selection, Review of Nominees by Board Directors, Electronic Discussion, Electronic Voting, Board of Directors, EC Responsibilities, Training Period


2024 NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS TIMELINE

February 15:
(firm annual date)

Call for nominations for Treasurer and Vice President (hereafter collectively referred to as "Officers") and the Board of Directors. Student Council Board of Directors Representative and Executive Leadership Team.

Only members can nominate; self-nominations are not allowed.

April 18
(1 week after the April BoD Meeting)
Closing date for Board of Directors Nominations
May 9
(~4 weeks prior to the June BoD Mtg)
Closing date for Board of Directors nominees’ acceptance via submission of candidate statement
May 10 - 25
(Minimum 2 weeks + 1 day pre June BoD teleconference)
Board of Directors nominees endorsement period by current board members; no limit on number of nominees a board member can endorse. (Internal Process)
May 28:
(Minimum 2 weeks pre June BoD teleconference)
Results of endorsement period available for view by current board members; candidates listed alphabetically in 2 groups (top group includes candidates endorsed by at least two board members, bottom group includes candidates with less than two endorsements) (Internal Process)
May 30:
(~6 weeks pre-ISMB)
Closing date for Officers nominations.
June 13:
(last BoD teleconference before ISMB in-person BoD Meeting)
Board of Directors votes on motion regarding eliminating nominees with less than two endorsements from consideration as candidates in the Board elections. (Internal Process)
June 17:
(3 weeks pre-ISMB)
Closing date for Officers nominees' acceptance via submission of candidate statement.
July 2 - July 16:
(2 week election period; ends on last day of ISMB conf)
Online election ballot available to members for Officers; must be a current member of ISCB in order to vote in this election. (Internal Process)
July 12
(pre-ISMB conf opening)
Election of new Directors (this is a closed session of the Board of Directors at the ISCB annual face-to-face Board Meeting during ISMB where current Directors vote on new Directors to fill open seats being vacated by outgoing Directors). (Internal Process)
July 13:
(by end of ISMB conf)
Final results of new Board of Directors election announced during the ISCB Town Hall Meeting at ISMB
August 1) Board of Directors must ratify Officer election results;

2) Officer election results announced via ISCB website.
October 10, 2024-
January 20, 2025:
(beginning with Oct BoD teleconference)
Training Period for new Directors and  Officer(s).
January 21, 2025:
(firm annual date)
New Directors and Officer(s) take office


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2024

ISCB Members are encouraged to put forward nominees for Directors and the specific Officer positions up for election. In 2024 the Officer positions to be elected are Treasurer and Vice President. (Looking ahead... in 2025 the elections will be for Vice President and President-elect) Nominations and elections will follow the schedule detailed in the Timeline above.

All successful candidates will take office on January 21 of the following year. Directors will serve three-year terms and Officers will serve three-year terms concurrently as Officers and Directors, followed by one additional year as Directors.

In order to be eligible to be an Officer candidate, a person must be an ISCB member in good standing, must have served as a Director for at least one (1) year at any time during the history of the Society leading up to the start date of becoming an Officer (first term Board members, therefore, meet the eligibility requirements for election to an Officer position), and must pledge to make every reasonable effort to attend the weekly Executive Committee teleconferences, the bi-monthly Board of Director teleconferences, and, at their own expense, the face-to-face Annual Board Meeting held in conjunction with the ISMB conference.

In order to be eligible to be a Director candidate, a person must be an ISCB member in good standing, and must pledge to make every reasonable effort to attend the bi-monthly Board of Director teleconference meetings, and, at their own expense, the face-to-face Annual Board Meeting held in conjunction with the ISMB conference.

The online nomination form requires the name, affiliation, and e-mail address of the person being nominated, along with an assurance that the indicated person meets the qualifications and is willing to stand for election for the position in question. This form also requests a few sentences of justification that makes the strongest case possible for the nominee.

Click here to submit a Nomination

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CURRICULUM VITAE

Each candidate for office will complete an online questionnaire requesting the following. Especially important is the last question in which the candidate states his/her goals and objectives if elected to be an office holder of ISCB.

(Name) (Position Title) (Affiliation) (Address)
(E-mail Address) (Telephone) (Facsimile)
(Education: Institution and Location, Degree[s])
Year(s), Field(s) of Study)
(Previous Employment)
(Honors)
(Areas of research)
(Recent and Relevant Publications: Choose up to the 10 most recent or 10 best papers)
(Statement of Issues of Greatest Importance to ISCB)
(Statement of Personal Objectives for ISCB)

Click here to submit a Nomination

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CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

To be nominated to be an ISCB Officer, a member should have been an ISCB board member in good standing in for at least one (1) year by the time of the start of the term for which the Officer is nominated. Director nominees may join the Society any time prior to election to meet the member in good standing requirement to qualify as a candidate. Given a collection of nominees, the Nominations Committee will evaluate the candidates and, from this evaluation, select a credentialed list for presentation to the Board of Directors for their review. The main criteria for this evaluation will be the following criteria:

  1. Evidence of willingness to carry out the responsibilities of the office. The quality of the statement regarding goals while in office will be heavily weighted in the decision.
  2. Diversification needs of the complete Board of Directors regarding geographic origin, gender, academic/industry affiliation.
  3. Status in the scientific community.
  4. Achievement of representation between relatively young researchers and senior scientists.


Click here to submit a Nomination

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REVIEW OF THE BOARD NOMINEES BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Prior to the annual meeting of the Board of Directors, the set of Board nominees will be reviewed by the nominations committee for the purpose of ensuring that the nominees meet the qualifications. The nominee candidate statements will then be presented electronically to the Board of Directors for an endorsement period. Candidates receiving at least two endorsements from current board members will stand for board election.

Click here to submit a Nomination

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ELECTRONIC VOTING BY MEMBERS FOR OFFICER CANDIDATES

Voting and announcement of results will take place following the schedule detailed in the Timeline above.

Click here to submit a Nomination

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

General Powers
ISCB is registered in the United States as a 501c3 non-profit corporation. The property and business of the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

Number and Term of Office
The number of Directors shall be not less than three (3) and not more than thirty (30). Directors must be current members of the Corporation. Directors terms begin on January 21 of the year following their election and each Director shall serve a term of three (3) years.

Regular Meetings
Regular meetings of the Board of Directors are held by conference call approximately every eight (8) weeks. The annual face-to-face meeting of the Board of Directors is held during the ISMB conference. All Directors are expected to participate in the bi-monthly conference calls and attend the in-person meeting during ISMB. Exceptions are made based on individual circumstances.

Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held whenever called by any member of the Board of Directors. The Secretary or person appointed by the President shall give notice of each special meeting of the Board of Directors, by mailing the same at least three (3) days prior to the meeting or by e-mailing over the Internet the same at least two (2) days before the meeting, to each Director; but such notice may be waived by any Director. Unless otherwise indicated in the notice thereof, any and all business may be transacted at any special meetings.

Compensation of Directors
Directors shall not receive any stated salary for their services as such, but, at the discretion of unanimous approval by the Executive Committee, a fixed sum may be allowed for attendance at each regular or special meeting of the Board and such compensation shall be payable whether or not a meeting is adjourned because of the absence of a quorum. This sum may be disbursed to all Directors, or to individual Directors with extenuating circumstances regarding lack of institutional reimbursement of costs to attend each regular or special meeting. If the sum to any or all of the Directors exceeds $5000, it must be approved by majority vote of the Board.

Click here to submit a Nomination

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (OFFICER) RESPONSIBILITIES

Powers and Duties of the President
The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation and shall have general charge and control of all its business affairs and properties. He or she shall preside at all meetings of the members. The President may sign and execute all authorized bonds, contracts or other obligations in the name of the Corporation. The President shall have signature power and the authority to assign signature power to the Executive Officer and/or Vice Chair of Conferences to sign checks in amounts up to $5,000. All checks for amounts over $5,000 for costs not associated with contracts and expenses previously approved by the Board of Directors shall require approval of the Board of Directors and the signature of two officers or one officer and one Appointed Officer. The President shall have the general powers and duties of supervision and management usually vested in the office of president of a corporation. The President shall be ex-officio a member of all the Standing committees. He shall do and perform such other duties as may, from time to time, be assigned to him by the Board of Directors. In the event that the membership does not take affirmative action to fill the office of Chairman of the Board, the President shall assume and perform all powers and duties given to the Chairman of the Board by these By-Laws.

Powers and Duties of the President-elect
The President-elect may sign and execute all authorized bonds, contracts, or other obligations in the name of the Corporation. The President-elect shall have such other powers and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to the President-elect by the Board of Directors or by the President. In case of the absence or disability of the President, the duties of that office shall be performed by the President-elect, and the taking of any action by the President-elect in place of the President shall be conclusive evidence of the absence or disability of the President.

Powers and Duties of the Vice President
The Board of Directors may appoint more than one Vice President. Any Vice President (unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Board of Directors) may sign and execute all authorized bonds, contracts, or other obligations in the name of the Corporation. Each Vice President shall have such other powers and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to the Vice President by the Board of Directors or by the President. In case of the absence or disability of the President and President-elect, the duties of the office of President shall be performed by any Vice President, and the taking of any action by any such Vice President in place of the President shall be conclusive evidence of the absence or disability of the President.

Powers and Duties of the Secretary
The Secretary shall handle all voting matters, whether at actual meetings, telephonic meetings or meetings held on the Internet or other electronic media; he or she shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of members and Directors and all other notices required by law or by these By-Laws, and in case of his or her absence or refusal or neglect to do so, any such notice may be given by any person thereunto directed by the President, or by the Directors or members upon whose written request the meeting is called as provided in these By-Laws. The Secretary shall record all the proceedings of the meetings of the members and of the Directors in books provided for that purpose, and he or she shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him or her by the Directors or the President. He or she shall have custody of the seal of the Corporation and shall affix the same to all instruments requiring it, when authorized by the Board of Directors or the President, and attest the same. In general, the Secretary shall perform all the duties generally incident to the office of Secretary, subject to the control of the Board of Directors and the President.

Powers and Duties of the Treasurer
The Treasurer shall oversee the Executive Officer’s and/or Vice Chair of Conferences’ custody of all the funds and securities of the Corporation, and he or she shall oversee the Executive Officer’s and/or Vice Chair of Conferences’ full and accurate account of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Corporation. The Treasurer shall oversee the Appointed Officers’ deposit of all moneys and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such depository or depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors. He or she shall have the power to sign checks under his or her signature in amounts up to $5,000. All checks for amounts over $5,000 shall require the signature of two officers or one officer and one Appointed Officer. The Treasurer shall oversee the Appointed Officers’ disbursement of the funds of the Corporation as may be ordered by the Board of Directors and may require the Appointed Officers to make proper vouchers for such disbursements. The Treasurer shall render to the President and the Board of Directors, whenever either of them so requests, an account of all of the Appointed Officers’ transactions and of the financial condition of the Corporation. The Treasurer shall give the Corporation a bond, if required by the Board of Directors, in a sum, and with one or more sureties, satisfactory to the Board or Directors, for the faithful performance of the duties of his or her office and for the restoration to the Corporation in case of his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office of all books, papers, vouchers, moneys, and other properties of whatever kind in his or her possession or under his or her control belonging to the Corporation. The Treasurer shall perform all the duties generally incident to the office of the Treasurer, subject to the control of the Board of Directors and the President.

Click here to submit a Nomination

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TRAINING PERIOD

The newly elected Board Directors will be invited to participate in the bi-monthly Board of Directors teleconferences from through the start of their term in January. The newly elected Officer(s) will be invited to participate in the weekly Executive Committee teleconferences through the start of their term in January, as well as the bi-monthly Board of Directors teleconferences.

The newly elected Student Council Leaders will be invited to immediately begin involvement in online discussions and upcoming activities of the Student Council.

Thus, upon taking office on January 21, the new elected Student Council Leaders, Board Directors and Officers would have had up to a 3-month training period.

Click here to submit a Nomination


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