With seven members currently on the new SIGCHI Executive Committee (six elected + one past president), we cannot wait to recruit the rest of our team! First in a series of such efforts are our open calls for the roles below (see also SIGCHI Bylaws). Please read over this post, and pose any questions/comments you have on Sli.do (anonymously) or via email. We will append our responses to the FAQ section below.
Open Calls
VP for Operations — keeps our technological systems in shape, our communities supported, and our passwords safe. (Link to apply)
VP for Conferences — oversees SIGCHI’s 24 conferences, works closely with steering committees, approves conference budgets, and enables mutual learning and knowledge transfer. (Link to apply)
VP for Publications — works closely with conferences, ACM’s Pubs Board, and keeps publication matters transparent. (Link to apply)
VP for Chapters — promotes and supports growth in local communities across the globe, especially those new to SIGCHI. (Link to apply)
AC for Awards — runs the process for identifying SIGCHI awards recipients annually. (Link to apply)
Process & Timeline
The deadline to apply is July 23 AoE. You are invited to nominate yourself or someone else. We will review applications and conduct 25-minute calls with candidates in groups consisting of at least three Executive Committee (EC) members, aiming to find the best fit for the role in terms of prior experience, future aspirations, and willingness to make time for serving as a member on the EC. In the event that a candidate is not selected, we will do our best to convey our reasons promptly and clearly, and make recommendations for alternative means of contributing. We ask for your patience throughout this process. Our timeline will be as follows:
July 6: the first set of open calls is posted (this!)
July 22: The EC Handover—1pm to 3pm
July 23: applications close (AoE)
By August 7: review of applications is complete
By August 15: officers are appointed
By September 15: officers are onboarded
Please note that we will conduct a second set of calls for additional AC roles (TBA), as well as a broader, more general call for volunteering in early August. We will post all updates here.
How We Work
You are invited to attend the EC Handover on July 22nd—1pm to 3pm UTC to learn about the outgoing EC’s accomplishments and continuing commitments, and the incoming EC’s plans for upcoming months!
We are committed to creating an open and inclusive environment where our committee members work according to preferred schedules, treat each other with collegiality and respect, follow through individual and team responsibilities with integrity, and stay in communication with the committee. We target representation in the broadest sense, and are continually pushing boundaries on this front. We aim for facilitating mutual learning, strengthening local and global ties, and equity throughout — across all levels.
Towards achieving the above goals, we organize monthly EC meetings, in addition to smaller, impromptu working group calls as the need arises. In pre-COVID times, we would meet in person four times a year for 2.5 day meetings, but we cannot say yet when physical travel will resume for our meetings and at what frequency. During COVID, we have organized these meetings to take place over several hours and days, every three months. EC members may also need to budget time for meeting with their committees, weekly for some, and less frequently for others. Most importantly, we ask that EC members be willing to distribute the inconvenience of attending meetings outside of our comfort (time) zones.
We use Slack and Zoom to communicate, and Survey Monkey and Submittable to run our surveys (because they support a global audience, are accessible, and GDPR-compliant). We also aspire to stay engaged with our community through various platforms, including Discord, Twitter, and Facebook. Our Operations and Communications teams help us out with using these (and other) platforms. Members of the EC typically have their own committees, which they can coordinate with as and where they prefer.
Please also note that the burden on individual roles is likely to rise and fall over the course of the three-year EC term (2021-2024). For example, the AC for Awards is likely to be far busier during the solicitation of nominations and in planning the announcement and distribution of awards than at other times. However, we would like all EC members to participate in all EC activities as they like and see fit, supporting each other in their and EC goals. Members frequently collaborate on projects of shared interest; for example, there are a number of synergies across the roles of our VPs at Large and VP for Chapters, or across the VPs for Operations, Conferences, and Publications. Applicants are requested to consider whether they would be able to make time for continued engagement. If not, we would gladly make recommendations for potential involvements that involve lighter contributions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How best can I learn about these roles before applying?
The best way to learn about them would be to (1) attend the EC Handover, (2) read the open calls descriptions (on the above SurveyMonkey links), (3) read the SIGCHI Bylaws, (4) review blog/Medium posts from those who currently hold the positions, (5) reach out to those who currently hold the positions, and/or (6) get in touch with us via email (to set up a call) or Sli.do. - How long are the terms for?
All terms will be (nearly) three years long, starting in August 2021 and culminating at the end of the EC term. - Do I need to pay to attend any in-person meetings?
No, ACM will generously cover all our costs for meetings, if/when we meet in person again. - Do I need to be a registered SIGCHI member to apply?
Not all applicants need to be registered SIGCHI members, but once on the SIGCHI EC, all officers must sign up to become SIGCHI members, as per the Bylaws.
Please pose any additional questions/comments you have via email or Sli.do (anonymously). We will post answers here.
Thank you for your time and interest.
Adriana S. Vivacqua & Naomi Yamashita (VPs at Large)
Andrew Kun (VP for Finances)
Tamara L. Clegg (VP for Membership and Communications)
Helena Mentis (Past President)
Shaowen Bardzell (Executive VP)
Neha Kumar (President)
On the SIGCHI Executive Committee