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Board Nominating Committee

Purpose

ORCID is an independent non-profit organization. Among its principles is governance by representatives from a broad cross-section of Members, the majority of whom are affiliated with non-profit organizations. The Nominating Committee (the “Committee”) shall assist the ORCID Board of Directors (the “Board”) in recruitment of Board membership in keeping with ORCID principles and Bylaws.

Type of Committee

The Nominating Committee is a Standing Advisory Committee of the Board. As such, it provides guidance or recommendations to the Board on specific issues or endeavors as set forth in this Charter or otherwise as specifically requested by the Board. It does not have delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of the Board.

Reporting

The Committee reports directly to the Board, providing a summary report of its discussions, including dissenting opinions, and recommendations as it deems appropriate. The Committee will keep minutes of its meetings and report to the Board, at the next Board meeting, on actions and decisions taken.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Committee

The Committee is responsible for identifying, screening, reviewing and recommending to the Board individuals who are qualified to serve as ORCID Board Directors, and other actions reasonably related to the Committee’s purposes or assigned by the Board from time to time. Specifically:

  • The Committee strives to identify and recruit new Board members as needed to ensure Board membership remains at the level set in the Bylaws.
  • The Committee will periodically evaluate current Board makeup for effectiveness and will recruit new members according to Board needs, area of expertise desired, and/or connection to the ORCID community.
  • The Committee shall seek direction from the Board at its Q2 meeting on the number of seats to be filled and the prioritized Director qualifications and characteristics. 
  • The Committee shall review and recommend to the Board the election schedule for the coming year.
  • The Committee is responsible for overseeing the dissemination of information about the nominations process and soliciting nominations from the membership and researcher communities.
  • The Committee shall screen and review received nominations and recommend a slate of candidates for Board for discussion and approval at its Q3 meeting
  • One or more members may interview each Board candidate, with the Executive Director and other Board members involved as necessary.
  • If, in addition to the slate, independent nominations are received, as per the Bylaws, the Committee shall create a roster for plurality vote, consisting of the Nominating Committee’s slate (approved by the Board) and the member nominee(s).
  • In the event of vacancy in the Board (whether due to an increase in the number of directors or the resignation or termination of a Board member before term completion), the Committee shall be responsible for making a recommendation to the Board within two Board meetings from the resignation on whether to fill the vacated seat prior for the unexpired term. (See Article III, Section 2f of the Bylaws.)
  • In the event a Member-Director is no longer affiliated with a Member, the Committee shall be responsible for determining whether to recommend to the Board for approval that the person serve for a duration longer or shorter than until the next Annual Meeting of the Board. (In absence of a recommendation by the Nominating Committee and approval by the Board, such Director shall serve until the next Annual Meeting.)  (See Article III, Section 2e of the Bylaws.)  

The following activities are outside the Committee’s scope:

  • Nominating Officers
  • Nominating members to serve on the Executive Committee
  • Nominating members to serve on other Board Committees
  • Running the election

Resources

  • The Committee is supported by one or more ORCID staff liaisons selected by the Executive Director, who are responsible for scheduling meetings, developing meeting agendas and Board summary reports with the Committee Chair, creating and distributing meeting materials, and taking meeting minutes but who do not serve as voting members of the Committee.
  • ORCID will reimburse the Committee for fair and reasonable expenses incurred while completing Committee work. Such expenses may include lunch or coffee for a candidate and the Committee, and cost of materials developed for the Board orientation, notebook, or training. Anticipated expenses should be submitted to the Executive Director for pre-approval.  
  • The Committee’s resources will come from the Committee members’ knowledge of the organization, non-profit best practices, and additional relevant sources (e.g., input from other Board Members regarding potential candidates and input from Legal Counsel on governance matters). 
  • The Committee may consult with ORCID’s Legal Counsel on interpretation of ORCID Bylaws. 

Appointment, Role and Responsibilities of the Chair

  • The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the majority of the entire Board, upon recommendation of the Board Chair.
  • The Committee Chair is appointed each year for a one-year term. There is no limit to the number of consecutive one-year terms that the Chair may serve. Service for at least two years would be ideal.
  • Board Directors who wish to stand for an additional term at the subsequent election may not serve as the Committee Chair.
  • The Committee Chair is responsible for identifying and proposing external Committee members to the Board Chair for approval by the full Board. 
  • The Committee Chair serves as the principal conduit between the Committee and the Board, works with the staff liaison to schedule and set an agenda for each Committee meeting, and prepare and distribute handouts and reports to Committee members in advance of each meeting.
  • The Committee Chair is responsible for delivering the slate to the Board.

Committee Member Selection and Composition

As a Standing Committee of the Board, the members of the committee are appointed by the majority of the entire Board, and the Board reviews Committee membership and charter annually.

  • The Committee shall consist of between 5 and 9 individuals proposed by the Committee Chair and approved by the Board. The majority must be Board Directors and the remainder will be representatives of (i) Members that do not have a Director-representative serving on the Board and (ii) the researcher community. 
  • Board Directors who wish to stand for an additional term at the subsequent election may not serve on the Committee.
  • The Board shall endeavor to fill any vacancies as soon as practical, but the Committee may continue to act while there are vacancies.
  • The Committee composition will attempt to reflect the diversity of the Members in terms of types of members and international membership. Committee members will assist in the recruitment of prospective Board members, and are expected to participate in Committee meetings.
  • All members of the Committee may vote in Committee decisions
  • All Committee members are appointed each year for a one-year term. 
  • Committee members serve at the pleasure of the Board and may be removed by vote of the Board.  Any member who is and then ceases to be a Director during their term of service on the Committee may not continue to serve on the Committee unless approved by the Board (subject to the Committee composition requirements in the first bullet).
  • The Executive Director shall serve as supporting staff to the Committee, and shall participate in Committee meetings or deliberations when requested. Committee activities shall otherwise be independent from ORCID management.
  • All Committee members will be required to sign ORCID’s Conflict of Interest policy.

Meetings and Quorum

The Committee meets as needed to fulfill its responsibilities but at least as often as required to meet the agreed Board election schedule.  

Notice of meetings shall be given by the Committee Chair to all Committee members. Meetings may be conducted in person, by phone, or by video conference. A quorum shall consist of the majority of Committee members, and a vote of the majority of members shall be required to approve a matter. Alternatively, a matter may be approved by unanimous written consent of the members without a meeting.

Committee members are responsible for reviewing materials and making substantive contributions to the work of the group.

Committee History

The Board of Directors approved the Nominating Committee on 23 July 2013 and its charter on 21 January 2014. The charter was amended on 2 February 2026, 19 April 2021, 25 May 2022, and 12 October 2023. 

Committee Membership

2024-2025: Heath Marks (Chair), Amal Amin Ibrahim, Nicolas Fressengeas, Kalynn Kennon, Ellen Tise, Chris Chan (external member), Yasuhiro Murayama (external member)

2023-2024: Heath Marks (Chair), Amal Amin Ibrahim, Calvin Johnson, Michael Ullyot, Jesse Xiao, Andrés Pavas (external member), Matt Dailey (external member)

2022-2023: Yuko Harayama (Chair), Linda O’Brien, Amal Amin Ibrahim, Calvin Johnson, Daisy Selematsela, Patricia Brennan (external member),  Salvatore Mele (external member), Andrew Stammer (external member)

2021-2022: Véronique Kiermer (Chair), Yuko Harayama, Calvin Johnson, Daisy Selematsela, Salvatore Mele(external member), Lenny Teytelman (external member)

2020-2021: Karin Wulf (Chair), Mohamed Baessa, Véronique Kiermer, Andrew Preston, Wen-Yau Cathy Lin

2019-2020: Alison Mitchell (Chair), Heath Marks, Daisy Selematsela, Simeon Warner, Karin Wulf, Kazutsuna Yamaji

2018-2019: Karin Wulf (Chair), Richard de Grijs, Alison Mitchell, Johanna McEntyre, Paul Vierkant

2017-2018: Richard de Grijs (Chair), Robert Kiley, Patricia Brennan, Arianna Becerril Garcia, Klaus Zinöcker

2016-2017: Robert Kiley (Chair), Veronique Kiermer, Salvatore Mele, Natasha Simons, Christine Stamison, Simeon Warner

2015-2016: Marta Soler (Chair), Rosemary Feal, Jonas Gilbert, Mark Hahnel, Chris Shillum, Hideaki Takeda

2014-2015: Liz Allen (Chair), Patricia Brennan, Rosemary Feal, Mark Hahnel, Bernie Rous

2013-2014: Simeon Warner (Chair), Liz Allen, Rosemary Feal, Mark Hahnel, Craig van Dyck