Elections Timeline

Now through August 21 11:59 p.m. ET: Solicitations of Nominations for Candidates

August 22-23 Review of Nominees’ Qualifications and Publication of Names and Statements from Qualified Candidates

***DEADLINE TO PAY DUES TO VOTE IN ELECTIONS IS AUGUST 23***

August 24-31 11:59 p.m. ET: Voting (only members current on dues will be sent a ballot)

September 1-2: Counting of Votes by the Election Committee

September 3: Publication of Results


Board Positions
(info on positions appears further below)

President*
Vice President for State*
Vice President for USAID, FCS, FAS, Peace Corps, MCC, and other U.S. government agencies with foreign affairs components*
Secretary/Treasurer*
Social and Outreach Director*

*Must be DC-based

Policy Director
Communications Director
Post Representative Coordinator 
Parent and Family Members Coordinator

The Board has selected the following members to serve on the Election Committee:

Mike Konstantino
Megan Thompson
Josh Trinidad

To nominate someone or yourself, please send a candidate statement to board@glifaa.org by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 21, 2022. 

The following positions are open for nomination. Full information can be found in the glifaa By-Laws. The Committee asks candidates for President or one of the Vice-Presidents to verify they are active employees of the appropriate foreign affairs agency.

Per Section 3 of the by-laws, the Board of Directors shall consist of the following elected officers:

President, who shall be an active employee of one of the agencies delineated in Article II and have been such an employee for no less than five years at the time of election; as Spokesperson, shall be the primary representative of the organization; shall supervise the general business and affairs of the organization; and shall preside at all meetings of the Boards and of the general membership, except that he or she may appoint interim presiding officers as necessary in his or her absence to carry out the organization’s work;

Vice President for the Department of State, who shall be an active employee of the Department of State and shall be responsible for coordinating all activities of the organization as they relate to dealing with the management or policies of the Department;

Vice President for USAID, FCS, FAS, Peace Corps, MCC, and other U.S. government agencies with foreign affairs components who shall be an active employee, or contractor meeting the requirements of full membership, of one of those agencies and shall be responsible for coordinating all activities of the organization as they relate to dealing with the management or policies of those agencies;

Secretary/Treasurer, responsible for keeping accurate minutes of all meetings; for collecting dues and receiving any other donations or contributions; and for disbursing funds with the authorization of the Board, or, in time-sensitive situations and for expenditures not exceeding $250, with the sole authorization of the President acting on behalf of the Board; for maintaining an accurate accounting of the organization’s funds which shall be presented to the membership at each business meeting; and for chairing the Election Committee under certain conditions;

Communications Director, responsible for social media and the preparation and transmission of a regular newsletter to inform members of ongoing activities and issues which shall be provided to all members and affiliates, and such others as the Board of Directors may direct; for overseeing the maintenance of the organization’s central e-mail, website, social media, and membership database; and for coordinating all interactions with the press and public;

Social and Outreach Director,responsible for initiating and organizing events throughout the year to provide or support social, professional, and developmental outlets for the organization’s membership, including annual PRIDE events, parties and providing opportunities to liaise with other members of the LGBTQI+ community; and,

Policy Director, responsible for developing and coordinating the implementation of the organization’s advocacy strategies on behalf of LGBTQI+ employees throughout the agencies delineated in Article II; and for coordination with other federal LGBTQI+ employee groups on shared strategies to advance the equality and inclusion of LGBTQI+ federal workers.

If approved by membership, the outgoing glifaa board proposes changing the by-laws to add the following elected officers to the Board of Directors:  

Post Representative Coordinator,who will oversee glifaa’s Post Representative program by maintaining a publicly available and up-to-date list of glifaa Post Representatives overseas, introducing new glifaa Post Representatives to their role, and engaging in regular communication with Post Representatives on behalf of the board. 

Parent and Family Members Coordinator,who will be the board’s main point of contact for all issues of importance to glifaa members with children and similar dependent family members other than spouses.

Note: any member seeking office as the President, either Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, or Social and Outreach Director must be stationed or reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for at least 9 months of his/her prospective term.

The board is also working to finalize proposed amendments to the bylaws to maintain compliance with glifaa’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and streamline board operations. More information will be provided in the coming weeks.