Open Board of Directors positions for 2024-2025

• Vice President/President/Immediate Past President (Board Chair) – one-year terms
• Chair & Vice Chair, Trainee Committee (one-year term for each position in a succession from one position to the next)
• Patient Representative, Canada (the patient representative is nominated by the PaCE committee.)

Job descriptions for the Board of Directors positions can be found here.

*Nominations for the NAPCRG Board of Directors position of Vice President will be limited to NAPCRG members who have either served previously or currently serve on the NAPCRG Board of Directors and/or have actively participated on a NAPCRG Committee.

Time and Financial Considerations for Board Members

Meetings:

• Conference Calls for updates on programs, setting policy, etc. (as needed)
• Committee Work (generally by email) if applicable.
• November Board Meeting (date varies)
• Spring Board Meeting (date varies)
• Attendance at the NAPCRG Annual Meeting

Travel Cost:

NAPCRG Board members are reimbursed the amount of coach airfare, ground transportation and expenses for the days during the Spring meeting. Board members will be reimbursed for (1) night hotel expense while attending a Board meeting at the NAPCRG Annual Meeting if an extended stay is required. Board members pay for their own travel, additional nights hotel and conference registration to attend the NAPCRG Annual Meeting.

Executive Board Job Descriptions

President Duties

The President is responsible for ensuring that the Board of Directors and its members:

• are aware of and fulfill their governance responsibilities
• comply with applicable laws and bylaws
• conduct board business effectively and efficiently

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, and subject to the organization’s bylaws, the President presides over meetings, proposes policies and practices, sits on various committees, monitors the performance of Directors and Officers, submits various reports to the board, to funders, and to other “stakeholders”; performs other duties as the need arises and/or as defined in the bylaws.

The President provides leadership to the Board of Directors, which sets policy and to whom the executive director is accountable. The President may delegate specific duties to the Executive Director, Board members and/or committees as appropriate.

The President ensures that an agenda is planned for board meetings. This may involve periodic meetings with committee chairpersons and the Executive Director to draft meeting agendas and provide guidance on proposals.

The President is the primary liaison between the Board and the executive director. In this capacity, the President meets weekly with the executive committee and executive director:

• discusses issues confronting the organization with the executive director
• ensures that periodic performance reviews of the executive director are conducted
• participates in the hiring and evaluation of the executive director

The President ensures that the organization maintains positive and productive relationships with other organizations and funders. In this capacity, the President serves as primary spokesperson for the organization. Duties include timely and appropriate reporting of Board decisions and actions to members and/or funders and other organizations.

The President serves as one of the signing officers for certain documents. In this capacity, the President may be authorized or required to sign or countersign checks, correspondence, applications, reports, contracts or other documents on behalf of organization.

Vice President Duties

• Attend all board meetings
• Serve on the executive committee
• Carry out special assignments as requested by the board chair
• Performs presidential responsibilities when the president cannot be
• Participate as a vital part of the board leadership

Secretary-Treasurer Duties

The Secretary-Treasurer nominees are not required to have previously served on the NAPCRG Board of Directors or on a committee, although previous service to either or both is preferable.

• Attend all board meetings
• Serve on the executive committee
• Chairs the Finance Committee, which provides guidance on finances, investments and the budget of the organization.

Immediate Past President/Board Chair Duties

• Chairs board meetings according to accepted rules of order for the purposes of 
  • encouraging all members to participate in discussion;
  • arriving at decisions in an orderly, timely and democratic manner;
  • voting as prescribed in the bylaws.
• Serve on the executive committee
• Carry out special assignments as requested by the board chair
• Participate as a vital part of the board leadership

Term: 3-year term – one year as Vice-President, one year as President, one year as Immediate Past President/Board Chair

Selection/Qualifications: Presidential nominees are nominated by the Nominations Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. The nominee must be a member in good standing and have demonstrated leadership and experience. Previous board experience is preferred. Nominees for the position of Vice President is limited members who have either served previously or currently serve on the NAPCRG Board of Directors and/or have actively participated on a NAPCRG committee.

Open Committee Member positions for 2024-2025

• Awards Committee
• Governance Committee
• International Committee
• PaCE Committee
• Program Committee - Annual Meeting
• Research Advocacy Committee
• Trainee Committee 

NAPCRG has seven standing committees and six related workgroups. These groups meet once every two or three months via teleconference and use email to update and communicate. Committee meetings typically last 1-2 hours and action items from committees are considered by the Board of Directors. 

In order to be eligible for Board/Committee/workgroup membership, candidates must be current, paid members of NAPCRG. Members of NAPCRG’s standing committees serve for a two-year term and are limited to two consecutive terms.

A Committee member’s term begins and ends on the last day of the NAPCRG Annual Meeting (usually held in October or November). 

NAPCRG Committee descriptions can be found here.

Committee Chairs Responsibilities

In addition to the general responsibilities below, it is preferred that the Committee Chair nominees have knowledge, previous experience serving on the respective Committee, and interest in the subject matter and responsibilities of the Committee.

Role: The role of the Committee Chair is to provide general direction and strategic leadership for the committee. Chairs coach and mentor committee members and work closely with the Board and NAPCRG staff to ensure that the goals of the organization and needs of the members are met. Committee chairs may only serve on the committee they are chairing.

General Responsibilities

• Meet with the Committee a minimum of three times per year, either in person at the Annual Meeting or via teleconference.
• Carry out the specific duties related to the Committee Chair position.
• Recruitment and retention of Committee members.
• Ensure a Vice Chair is selected and approved by the Committee through a majority vote.
• Provide strategic leadership – set the course for the Committee, Committee-related workgroups and subcommittees in conjunction with the organization’s strategic plan.
• Assure follow through on all Committee related initiatives.
• Some committee chairs hold a position on the NAPCRG Board of Directors and are required to attend all Board meetings each year either in person or via teleconference. See Board of Directors structure for more information.

Committee Deliverables:

• Use Committee time meaningfully. All Committee meeting agendas should reflect the goals that are to be accomplished during the meeting and the meeting should last long enough to accomplish those goals.
• Develop programs and initiatives related to the Committee’s mission that support the strategic plan of the organization.
• Make recommendations to the Board of Directors.
• Submit a minimum of two Committee reports to the Board of Directors each year.

Term: Two-year term, eligible for one consecutive reappointment.

Selection: Committee Chairs are part of the open call for nominations process. Nominees are reviewed by the Nominations Committee and selected to be approved or voted on by the Board of Directors. The nominees must be members in good standing and have demonstrated leadership and experience. Previous service as a committee Vice Chair or Committee membership is preferred.

Section A: Committee Membership

• To be eligible for committee membership, candidates must be current, paid members of NAPCRG.

• Within three months of this policy being enacted, the chairs of NAPCRG’s standing committees, in conjunction with the current committee members, will determine the optimal size and type of members they require for their committee depending on their specific needs. They will also determine a fair and transparent election or selection for their respective committee members (i.e. the chair will simply approve each new member or the committee will hold a formal election to decide on new members).

• Members of NAPCRG’s standing committees will serve for a two year term and will be limited to two terms each.

• Committee members’ terms will begin and end on the last day of the NAPCRG Annual Meeting (usually held in October or November).

• NAPCRG staff will establish a year-round web page where information/applications for joining a committee will always be available for any member interested in joining a committee.

• The page will be monitored by staff and when applications are received they will be forwarded to the respective committee chair (once the applicant has been screened to ensure they are an active member in good standing).

• All committee chairs will be required to follow-up with any member that expresses or applies for membership on their committee.

• Each year, (usually during the spring) when the call for nominations to the NAPCRG Board of Directors goes out, there will be a call for open positions on NAPCRG’s committees.

• The Nominations Committee will be responsible for gathering (from committee chairs) vacancies that are available on each committee prior to the call for nominations.

• These committee membership opportunities will be publicized during the regular call for nominations to the Board of Directors.

• NAPCRG staff will develop an online application form for eligible committee members to complete and electronically submit when they want to serve on any NAPCRG committee.

• NAPCRG staff will screen each applicant to ensure they are a member in good standing of NAPCRG before the application is forwarded to the committee chairs.

• Once the nominations process closes, the Nominations Committee chair will forward applicants to the respective committee chairs and they (along with their committee) will be responsible for reviewing the candidates and determining who shall be elected.

• Committee chairs will be required to communicate with all applicants whether they are selected or not for committee membership.

• Committees/committee chairs can add members to their committees at any time during the year if vacancies occur and eligible members apply for service.

• Each committee and committee chair will adhere strictly to the NAPCRG Diversity Statement as follows when recruiting and selecting members of committees: The statement is as follows:

“We recognize current and historical inequities in research, including inequities in populations and among researchers themselves, that have resulted in disparities in health and well-being. We strive to create a research environment that amplifies the diverse voices of people and communities across all aspects of research, and particularly for those populations and Indigenous peoples who have been -- or continue to be underrepresented. We seek to promote the participation of a diverse membership in NAPCRG leadership, meetings and programs, research, employment and in all its other endeavors. We strive to include all, inclusive of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, disability, ancestry or national origin; and to promote non-violent, rational idea exchange. We commit ourselves to promote primary care research scholarship nationally and internationally.” – Updated May 9, 2022

• The NAPCRG Nominations or Executive Committees can suggest members for service to a standing committee for consideration.

• Each committee chair (or committee staff) will be responsible for keeping records on each member’s term and length of service on the committee. They will be responsible for ensuring that committee members will be notified when their terms expire and will initiate the process to fill vacancies when necessary.

• No more than a third of the members of each committee will rotate off each year.

• The Nominations Committee could request an annual parameter report and or roster and terms of service from committee chairs to ensure the committees are following the Diversity Statement and terms appropriately.

• The Nominations Committee and chair will monitor each committee chair to ensure they have each established a fair elections process for their committee, are following the NAPCRG Committee Membership policies, adhering to the diversity statement and communicating with anyone that has expressed an interest or applied for membership on their committee.

• This policy will take effect immediately but existing members of all committees will be grandfathered so they will be eligible for serving for two, two year terms. Committee chairs will be responsible for staggering the terms of their members.

• Committee chairs will communicate membership opportunities to NAPCRG staff so they will be regularly promoted and or communicated to the full NAPCRG membership through the NAPCRG newsletter, social media, e-mail and during the annual NAPCRG University held during each Annual Meeting.

• NAPCRG members that express an interest in joining a committee during the NAPCRG University event or at any other times throughout the year will be forwarded to the appropriate committee chair for consideration.

• NAPCRG staff will communicate directly with the interested members to let them know their name and interest was sent to the respective committee chair.

Section B: Subcommittee and Workgroup Chairs

• To be eligible for a subcommittee or workgroup position, candidates must be current, paid members of NAPCRG.

• Within three months of this policy being enacted, the chairs of NAPCRG’s standing committees, in conjunction with the current committee members, will determine a fair and transparent election or selection process for their respective subcommittee or workgroup chairs (i.e. the chair will simply approve each new workgroup or subcommittee chair or the committee will hold a formal election to decide).

• Subcommittee or workgroup chairs will serve for a two year term and will be limited to two terms each.

• NAPCRG staff will establish a year-round web page where information/applications for subcommittee or workgroup chairs will always be available for any member interested in applying.

• The page will be monitored by staff and when applications are received they will be forwarded to the respective committee chair (once the applicant has been screened to ensure they are an active member in good standing).

• Members that express interest or apply for a subcommittee or workgroup chair position will be followed up by the Committee Chairs.

• Each year, (usually during the spring) when the call for nominations to the NAPCRG Board of Directors goes out, there will be a call for open positions for subcommittee or workgroup chairs.

• The Nominations Committee will be responsible for gathering (from committee chairs) vacancies that are available for subcommittee or workgroup chairs prior to the call for nominations.

• These subcommittee or workgroup chair opportunities will be publicized during the regular call for nominations to the Board of Directors.

• NAPCRG staff will develop an online application form for eligible subcommittee or workgroup chair candidates to complete and electronically submit when they want to serve as a subcommittee or workgroup chairs.

• NAPCRG staff will screen each applicant to ensure they are a member in good standing of NAPCRG before the application is forwarded to the committee chairs.

• Once the nominations process closes, the Nominations Committee chair will forward applicants to the respective committee chairs and they (along with their committee) will be responsible for reviewing the candidates and determining who shall be elected.

• Committee chairs will be required to communicate with all applicants whether they are selected or not for subcommittee or workgroup chair positions.

• Committees/committee chairs can add subcommittee or workgroup chairs at any time during the year if vacancies occur and eligible members apply for service or if a new workgroup or subcommittee is created.

• Each committee and committee chair will adhere strictly to the NAPCRG Diversity Statement as follows when recruiting and selecting subcommittee or workgroup chairs: The statement is as follows:

“We recognize current and historical inequities in research, including inequities in populations and among researchers themselves, that have resulted in disparities in health and well-being. We strive to create a research environment that amplifies the diverse voices of people and communities across all aspects of research, and particularly for those populations and Indigenous peoples who have been -- or continue to be underrepresented. We seek to promote the participation of a diverse membership in NAPCRG leadership, meetings and programs, research, employment and in all its other endeavors. We strive to include all, inclusive of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, disability, ancestry or national origin; and to promote non-violent, rational idea exchange. We commit ourselves to promote primary care research scholarship nationally and internationally.” – Updated May 9, 2022

• Each committee chair (or committee staff) will be responsible for keeping records on each subcommittee or workgroup chairs’ term and length of service on the committee. They will be responsible for ensuring subcommittee or workgroup chairs will be notified when their terms expire and will initiate the process to fill vacancies when necessary.

•  This policy will take effect immediately but existing subcommittee or workgroup chairs in all committees will be grandfathered so they will be eligible for serving for two, two year terms.

• Committee chairs will communicate subcommittee or workgroup chair opportunities to NAPCRG staff so they will be regularly promoted and or communicated to the full NAPCRG membership through the NAPCRG newsletter, social media, email and during the annual NAPCRG University held during each Annual Meeting.

• NAPCRG members that express an interest in a workgroup or subcommittee chair during the NAPCRG University event or at any other times of the year will be forwarded to the appropriate committee chair for consideration.

• NAPCRG staff will communicate directly with the interested members to let them know their name and interest was sent to the respective committee chair.

• The Nominations Committee and chair will monitor each committee chair to ensure they have each established a fair elections process for their workgroup or subcommittee chairs, are following the NAPCRG Workgroup and Subcommittee Chair policies, adhering to the diversity statement and communicating with anyone that has expressed an interest or applied for a workgroup or subcommittee chair on their committee.

Adopted April 13, 2014 by NAPCRG Board of Directors