I’m pleased to announce that nominations for the ORCID Board of Directors are now open. As a community-built organization, ORCID is governed by a Board that is representative of its membership and wider community stakeholders. The ORCID Board fulfills an important role in the organization’s governance by providing strategic guidance and oversight for the successful achievement of ORCID’s mission. Our Board members are elected for three-year terms on a staggered schedule, so every year, we hold elections to appoint new members to the board. More information is available in the ORCID Board Charter.
This is your opportunity to participate in ORCID’s governance, and we are asking for your help.
Nominating Committee & elections process
The ORCID Board nominations process gives the ORCID membership a direct voice in the organization’s governance. The Board’s composition and annual elections are an important part of ORCID’s charter, and the election process ensures that ORCID grows and develops in close partnership with its members. This year, we are looking to fill up to 6 board seats, including one researcher seat (please note that nominations are now closed for 2021).
As this year’s Chair of the Nominating Committee, I look forward to working closely with the other Committee members who represent the diversity of ORCID membership:
- Yuko Harayama, RIKEN, Japan (Board Member)
- Calvin Johnson, NIH, USA (Board Member)
- Salvatore Mele, CERN, Switzerland (External Committee Member)
- Daisy Selematsela, UNISA, South Africa (Board Member)
- Lenny Teytelman, Protocols.io, USA (External Committee Member)
The role of the Nominating Committee is to select a ‘slate’ of candidates that is balanced and diverse, taking into account the needs of the organization as well as including different sectors, regions, and skills, as well as the ORCID bylaws requirement that a majority of Board seats be occupied by not-for-profit organizations. In addition to ensuring that the Board is representative of our community’s diversity, we are seeking perspectives and skills complementary to those of Board Directors who will be continuing to serve next year.
Qualifications and expectations
Board Directors must be employees, officers, or directors of current ORCID member organizations. In addition, ORCID reserves two Board seats for researchers, irrespective of their affiliation.
New Board Directors will serve for a period of three years, starting from January 1, 2022 (the first Board meeting will be in February 2022). They are expected to attend all board meetings—currently there are 5 virtual meetings a year; pre-COVID, there were 3 in-person meetings a year—and to play an active role in ORCID activities during the course of their term. A Board Meeting Attendance Fund helps reduce financial barriers to participation in Board governance.
For more information about ORCID governance, please see the Board Charter. Annual reports and other governance information is available on our Governance web page.
We are looking for people with a broad range of skills and experience in leadership roles—including those who work in organizations which support research/researcher workflows, associations, university research services, or research technology/profile platform providers. This year, to complement the skills of the existing board members, we are specifically seeking those who have experience with the following areas:
- Risk management, with legal, privacy, and/or IT focus
- Financial management and business modeling, with an interest in serving as Treasurer in the future
- Advocacy in research communities on behalf of ORCID, in particular through networks in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, to complete the Board composition in light of ORCID’s global footprint
- In-depth understanding of the arts, or humanities, and social sciences research communities, and their relevant needs
How to apply
Please nominate yourself, encourage a colleague to apply, or nominate another individual with their permission using the ORCID Board Nominations Form (please note that nominations are now closed for 2021). Please be sure to tell us what strengths you would bring to the Board, and why you’re interested in serving.
Key dates
We will consider all recommendations received by August 9, 2021. The slate will be presented to the current Board for approval at our September meeting, after which it will be announced publicly. The community then has the choice of either voting on the slate or proposing additional candidates (within 30 days of the slate being announced), in which case the election will become a plurality vote by candidate. To propose additional candidates, a group of 20 or more members must submit a nomination in writing to ORCID before October 29, 2021. Note that the group may not include more than one member per consortium (for specific details, see Article III, Section 2b of ORCID’s Bylaws). We will send notifications and open the election by electronic ballot on November 1.
| ORCID Board 2022 Election Key Dates | |
| Date | Activity |
| May 25, 2021 | Call for Board member recommendations |
| August 9, 2021 | Closing date for board recommendations |
| September 21, 2021 | Nominating Committee presents slate for Board approval |
| September 29, 2021 | Slate made public |
| October 29, 2021 | Closing date for alternative nominations |
| November 1, 2021 | Voting opens |
| December 1, 2021 | Voting closes, results announced at virtual members meeting |
| January 1, 2022 | Elected members start their term |
| February 2022 | Board Meeting (Date TBC) |
We look forward to receiving your recommendations over the coming months.
If you are thinking about nominating yourself but aren’t sure or have questions, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Remember, the deadline for nominations is August 9, 2021.
