Regional Advisory Council Charter
Purpose
A Regional Advisory Council shall provide strategic input/advice to the Board; provide input and feedback to the Executive Director/or designee on the portfolio of products/services in its region, make recommendations on matters as requested by the Board and or the Executive Director/designee; and help build and maintain member affiliation.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide strategic input to the Board of Directors to assist in meeting the mission, vision, and strategic plan of the DIA, particularly for their region.
- Provide input on topics as requested by the Board.
- Provide input and feedback to the Executive Director/designee on whether the composition and quality of the DIA portfolio of products and services meets the professional needs of the membership in their region.
- Recommend topics and content for workshops, training, annual events and other events, particularly for their region.
- Review, monitor, or assess specific programs as requested by the Executive Director/designee.
- Provide nominations to the Board on:
- Chairperson(s) for the major annual meeting in their region.
- Individuals who should be considered for DIA Awards.
- Help build and maintain member affiliation by defining ways to engage volunteers in the service of the organization and implementing them after approval from Executive Director/designee.
- Serve as ambassadors of the DIA to the membership and community at large.
- Gather input and act as liaison with members/DIA staff/key constituencies as appropriate or as directed by the Board or Executive Director/designee.
- Collaborate with other Regional Advisory Councils to ensure consistency of operations, and ensure that appropriate communication links among Councils are maintained.
- Encourage inter-SIAC collaborations and sharing of SIAC best practices as appropriate.
Authority
Each Regional Advisory Council is accountable to the Board through the Chair of the Council. A Regional Advisory Council shall provide advice, consultation or recommendations to the Board and/or the Executive Director/designee and as such, does not have decision-making authority.
Subject to Board approval, the committee will have access to external professionals to render advice and counsel when necessary.
Membership
Each Regional Advisory Council shall be made up of DIA members that represent the needs of their members and geographic region while maintaining operational efficiency. The number of members shall not be more than 35. The Chair is an Ex-officio member of the Board with full voting rights as per Section V1.B.2a of the bylaws. Standing members are a Vice-Chairperson who is appointed by the Chair as well as the Immediate Past Chair for a single year. The Chair shall appoint members to satisfy matters of balance and expertise including representatives from regionally active SIACS, utilizing input from the Executive Director/designee and current members of the Advisory Council. Membership should include overlapping terms to ensure continuity of experience. All terms begin July 1 and end on June 30 of the following second year, assuming that replacements have been appointed. To enable new volunteers to serve, a member shall serve a maximum term of four consecutive years. Past members are eligible for re-election or re-appointment after a two-year service hiatus.
Meetings
The Committee shall meet quarterly to accomplish its objectives and will conduct face-to-face meetings or teleconferences as appropriate to fulfill its obligations. The Chair will assign and ensure that there will be an accurate recording of minutes of each meeting that are available to the Board of Directors. A majority of member attendance whether face to face or by teleconference for these meetings will constitute a quorum.
Provisional Regional Advisory Councils
As DIA expands globally, the Board may empower Provisional Regional Advisory Councils to develop a suite of products, services, and membership in the region and move toward a self-sustaining DIA presence in the area. The Provisional Regional Advisory Councils shall be guided by this charter and be accountable to the Board through their Chairs who will represent the Provisional Regional Advisory Council at the Board meetings. Based on the determination of the success of DIA’s expansion in the regions, the Board will confer upon the Provisional Councils the status of a Regional Advisory Council and their Chairs will become voting members of the Board.