Dear NAMSS Members,

In response to concerns we’ve heard from members over the years regarding the election of new members for the Board of Directors, the NAMSS Board of Directors established a Succession Planning Task Force in the fall of 2023. This task force, led by Julie Hatley, BS, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP, was charged with reviewing current practices around recruiting and vetting new volunteer leaders, providing leadership development training and opportunities, and ensuring a consistent pipeline of future volunteer leaders.

We’d like to thank the Task Force members for their thoughtful discussions and ultimate recommendations to the Board of Directors.

• Julie Hatley, BS, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP – Chair 
• Karen Claxton, CPCS, CPMSM, FMSP
• Kate Conklin, MS, CHC, CPHQ, CPMSM, CPCS
• James Frieberg, MBA, CPMSM, CPCS
• Renata McConico Demons, BS, MHRM, CPCS, CPMSM, FMSP 
• Gina Mortensen, BS, CPMSM, CPCS, RHIT, FMSP 
• Kevin E. O'Connor CSP, CEC
• Yvette Scott, CPMSM, CPCS 
• Linda Waldorf, MA, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP

As a result of their work and as an effort to address some of the challenges we’ve encountered, the Board recently approved several process changes, which will be implemented immediately and will affect the upcoming Call for Board Nominations:  

• In the past, each Board candidate has been asked to provide two peer references and one supervisor reference, and all three of those individuals would participate in an interview with members of the Leadership Selection Committee. Moving forward, peer references will not participate in an interview. For each candidate who is recommended to move forward after the candidate interview, their supervisor will be interviewed. If a candidate is not recommended to move forward after the candidate interview, their supervisor will not be interviewed. 
• In lieu of the peer reference interviews, references will now be asked to complete a more thorough online reference assessment form to provide additional information about the candidate. These online reference assessments will be included as part of the candidate’s nomination packet and will be used by the Leadership Selection Committee in the candidate vetting process. 
• The Leadership Development Work Group Chair will serve as an ex-officio member of the Leadership Selection Committee. This will allow for more visibility into the Leadership Selection Committee’s decision-making process and provide a mechanism to better provide feedback to Board candidates who are not selected for the slate. The Leadership Development Work Group Chair will not participate in interviews or have a vote in slate development. 

We recognize that there is more work to be done and the Succession Planning Task Force will continue to identify longer-term solutions to improve the process. This work will include better identifying areas of need for the Board and improved leadership development support for our members.

If you are not ready for a Board position now but are interested in learning more about the process or getting involved with NAMSS in other ways, please complete this quick form. 

GET INVOLVED

Michelle Stultz, RN, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP NAMSS 2024 Leadership Selection Committee Chair NAMSS Immediate Past President

Lisa Goodwin, MBA, CPCS, CPMSM NAMSS 2024 President