Global Conference: Co-Chair

The conference co-chairs work in close collaboration with the Executive Director and Board Liaison to assist with the execution of the Global Conference. Each co-chair oversees one of the conference committees and also participates in high-level decisions with the full leadership team. See the additional navigation tabs on the left side of the page for specific responsibilities associated with each conference committee. 
 
Skills set: Ideally, conference co-chairs will be individuals with strong leadership capabilities who have served on the conference committee in the past. Other desired qualifications include: comfortable with collaborative decision-making with direction from staff and the Board as needed, a history of involvement in and commitment to the organization, a firm understanding and demonstration of the organization’s mission, vision and values, a commitment to the success of the organization and the conference, ability to think and act strategically and make difficult decisions if necessary, experience leading and motivating large teams, experience managing complex, multifaceted events, attention to detail, flexibility, creativity.

Overall Responsibilities 

• Along with the Executive Director and Board Liaison, develop goals for the conference, including any recommendations for significant changes.
• Review evaluations from previous years' conference to identify key topics and new ideas.
• Provide input into the overall conference schedule.
• Maintain regular communication with the Board Liaison and Executive Director to make sure conference planning is aligned with the strategic direction of the organization.
• Provide support for and maintain regular communication with the conference leadership team. 
• Assist with overall review of conference printed program.

Committee Management

• Host committee meetings on a regular basis to discuss progress and assist with shared decision-making. Note: the Executive Director may attend meetings as needed, based on the agenda. Maintain communication with the Executive Director and Board Liaison regarding committee progress. Ensure that an agenda is distributed prior to all conference committee meetings, and that minutes are taken during meetings and distributed in a timely manner (note: it's a good idea to delegate the minutes to a committee member(s)).
• Assist the Executive Director with ensuring all committee members understand the SOPs and other reference documents. Direct specific questions about the SOPs to the Executive Director.
• Ensure committees are fulfilling responsibilities as outlined in the SOPs. 
• Conference Co-chairs have the flexibility to delegate tasks and manage their committees based on what works well for them. However, the expectation is that committees will remain one cohesive unit, and committee members will have regular communication and work together. Within each committee, there are high-level decisions that would benefit from the input of the full committee to ensure that diverse perspectives and experiences are considered.  
• Work with the Executive Director to ensure conference volunteers are utilized, a manageable workload is maintained, and the conference timeline is followed (with allowance for flexibility given the changing nature of the environment). The Executive Director can provide guidance and examples to assist with this if needed.
• Along with the Board Liaison and Executive Director, ensure Conference Policies are followed. 

Financial

• Provide input into the conference budget before it's approved by the board.
• Work closely with the Executive Director and Board Liaison to ensure the budget is adhered to and expense targets are not exceeded.
• Communicate all conference expenditures to the Executive Director for approval (before contracts or agreements are confirmed with speakers, venues, etc.). The committee has some flexibility to work within the approved budget, provided approval is received from the Executive Director (and Board Liaison, if needed).