Call for Council Nominations 2023

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09 February 2023 2726 reads

The RDA 2023 Council Nominations Committee is seeking nominations for four open Council positions.

The RDA Council maintains the vision of the RDA, ensuring the guiding principles of the organisation are maintained, and responsible for its overall oversight, success, strategy, and sustainability.  Council members are expected to be “statespersons” committed to supporting the aims of the RDA rather than promoting special interests, regions, domains or disciplines. 

 


 

Overview

The RDA Council is the highest governing authority of the Research Data Alliance and maintains the vision of RDA, ensuring the guiding principles of the organisation are preserved. The Council is responsible for the overall oversight, success, strategy, and sustainability of the RDA. The powers and authority of the Council are described in the RDA Governance Document. Details of the processes governing Council membership and responsibilities are described in the Organisational and Process Plan Document.

Elected Council Members also serve as Trustees for the RDA Foundation, an official Charity registered in England and Wales under Company Number 9021881. Details are described in the Foundation’s Articles of Association. They have fiduciary and financial responsibility but no liability.

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Membership

Council Members are nominated by a Nominations Committee and elected by the general RDA membership as described in the Organisational and Process Plan Document. In addition to the 9 elected members, the Council has one permanent representative from UKRI-STFC, and other consensus forming non-voting members representing the Organisational Advisory Board (OA and OAB), Regional Advisory Board (RAB), Technical Advisory Board (TAB), and the Secretary-General.

 

KEY INFORMATION:

  • The RDA council meets via conference call once every two months for 90 minutes and face to face at least once a year for one to one and half days. The face to face meeting, where possible, is organised in conjunction with the RDA Plenary meeting.

  • The 2023 Council Nominations Committee is seeking nominations for 4 open Council positions. Three of the four open positions are for a three year term (2023-2026) with all three candidates being sought from the region of “Europe and Africa” and one of the four positions is for a 2 year term (2023-2025) and the candidate must come from the regions of “The Americas”.

  • Nominations consist of a Nominations Letter (candidates may self-nominate) and two endorsements (see “Application Process” for specifics).

  • Nominations should be sent by email no later than Monday 13 March 2023 at 23:59 UTC (see “Application Process” for specifics).

Elected Council members begin their terms starting 23 May 2023 after elections have closed.

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Eligibility

Council members are expected to be “statespersons” committed to supporting the aims of the RDA rather than promoting special interests, regions, domains or disciplines. Council members, while affiliated to an organisation, act in their own interests and not those of the organisation that they are employed by. Since the RDA is an international organization, it is important that the Council also reflect geographic, gender, and cultural diversity. 

For more details on the RDA Council and its role and responsibility visit the dedicated section1 on the RDA website.

Successful nominees are expected to

  • Be committed to the success of the RDA and focus on the benefits to RDA Global over other (and regional) priorities as part of RDA Council discussions and efforts. 

  • Have experience working successfully with a stakeholder community and be willing to do the same on behalf of the RDA.

  • Be willing to engage actively in the RDA as defined by attendance at Council meetings, attendance at Plenaries, responsiveness to the RDA Council and other communications and email, and appropriate other RDA participation and travel.[1]

  • Be able to represent the entire RDA community and not their particular region, profession, expertise, or other category.

  • Contribute good judgement, strategic thinking, shared responsibility, time and attention to Council discussions and efforts.

  • Collaborate well and respectfully with other Council members, RDA leaders, and RDA members.

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Application Process:

Nominators should send a pdf package that includes a letter of nomination and two letters of endorsement (all from registered RDA community members) to Council-nominations-2023@rd-alliance.org by 13 March 2023 at 23:59 UTC.  Interested candidates may self-nominate but not self-endorse.

Nominations should include a short biography of the nominee and describe how the nominee fits the expectations for a successful nominee provided above.

Letters of endorsement should describe why the nominee would be a successful Council member.

MORE INFORMATION 

RDA Council terms2 will complete at the end of May 2023 for:

  • Sandra Collins

  • Edit Herczog

  • Robert J. Hanisch

  • Joyce Gosata Maphanyane

Only one candidate, Joyce Gosata Maphanyane, is eligible to be re-nominated for a second term. 

The Nominations Committee will provide a set of eligible candidates, considering individual capability, the purpose of the Council, and the balance of Council membership, by 27 March 2023. This set will be presented to the RDA Membership and the community is invited to vote according to the RDA election procedures.  All RDA members are eligible to vote in the elections and an online voting system is used to conduct the election.

As defined in the RDA Governance Document3, Council chooses a Nomination Committee each year.  The Council Nomination Committee for 2023 will consist of: 

  1. Juan Bicuarregui, Head of Data Division, Science and Technology Facilities Council, UKRI, UK

  2. Sandra Collins, University Librarian, University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland (Chair)

  3. Edit Herczog, Managing Director, Vision & Values SPRL, Belgium

  4. Rosie Hicks, CEO, ARDC, Australia

  5. Matthew Lucas, Executive Director, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

  6. Shelley Stall, Senior Director, American Geophysical Union, US

This group provides diverse community and governance representation while still keeping the Nominations Committee small enough to be effective.

1https://www.rd-alliance.org/about-rda/our-leadership/rda-council.html

2https://www.rd-alliance.org/about-rda/our-leadership/rda-council.html

3ResearchDataAlliance(2020):RDAGovernanceDocument, Version2.8. DOI: 10.15497/RDA00001.


[1]  Council members are asked to seek financial support for their service through their home organizations or regional RDAs if they exist and it is possible.

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