Nominations Committee

The role of the Nominations Committee is to identify and recruit strong new board members appropriate to the current and future needs of Coast Mental Health and to make recommendations on appointments to the Board of Directors and the membership of the society.  When appropriate the committee reviews our Bylaws pertaining to the Nominations process and recommends changes as necessary.

The Nominations Committee fills vacancies according to set procedures approved by the Board:

1. Board Member Attributes Grid:  The committee uses a list of board member attributes deemed to be essential for the board to carry out its responsibilities into the future.  Recruitment is targeted to address shortfalls and to enhance areas of concern. 
2. Recruitment.  Candidates with the identified attributes are reviewed and short-listed to be interviewed.  Candidates meeting criteria are recommended for appointment and they are approved by the Board.
3. Call for Nominations.  Prior to the AGM a call for nominations goes out to the membership for client directors who wish to be elected at the AGM.
4. Executive Board Positions.  A slate of candidates for election to the executive positions on the board is prepared annually once the full board is approved by the society.

As we have changed the culture of the Board of Directors over the past few years we have noticed, with some concern, the ability of some board members to attend on a regular basis and a drop in participation.  This prompted the committee to request the Board to review the governance structure of the Board of Directors, specifically around composition, recruitment and structure.  A position paper was prepared and the item was placed on the agenda for the Board Retreat in June of this year.

Once again we have been unable to fill one of our client director positions this year representing community homes and the cottages and are looking at options to ensure that we can fill all the positions with suitable candidates.  This year we have also decided to expand our list of potential board candidates by advertising to fill our current vacancies.

Our focus for the coming year is to continue to attract qualified candidates to carry out the work of the Board.

Members of Nominations Committee: Margaret Perry (Chair), Dr. John Higenbottam, Resource Staff: Darrell Burnham