Rafa Lombardino, PLD Administrator
Elections occur every other year in ATA’s divisions. In the year when elections are NOT held, the Leadership Committee reaches out to members some weeks before the Annual Conference and asks for volunteers to form a Nominating Committee that will handle the election process over the course of the following year.
A Nominating Committee must consist of at least two people, but it may include more. Most Divisions try to have committees of three people since odd numbers ensure there will be no tie votes. Here’s a timeline of activities that will involve the future PLD Nominating Committee this month:
- Headquarters will send out the PLD’s call for Nominating Committee members by October 1
- The PLD Administrator will compile a list of volunteers
- Volunteer eligibility will be verified by the ATA Chapter and Division Relations Manager
During the ATA’s 59th conference this year, we’ll have our Annual PLD Meeting, which will take place Saturday, October 27, from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm. Join us for a lively discussion of our accomplishments throughout the year, plans for the upcoming year, and an announcement regarding the Nominating Committee. During our Annual Meeting, you’ll also have a chance to volunteer.
Following the Annual Conference, the Administrator will submit the name of all Nominating Committee members to the Chapter and Division Relations Manager to verify their eligibility, after which a final announcement of committee members can be sent out to all PLD members.
All Nominating Committee members must meet the requirements below:
- be voting members of ATA
- be members of the Division
- not be current members of the Division’s Leadership Council
Nomination Process
Once the Nominating Committee is created, it will evaluate members of the Leadership Council or other PLD members as potential candidates for Administrator and Assistant Administrator, selecting one or more candidates for each position. All candidates must be ATA voting members. Nominating Committee members are not eligible to be candidates in the election they are helping to organize.
Since the relationship between Administrator and Assistant Administrator is often critical for the success of a Division, Nominating Committees should consider whether prospective nominees would make a good team. Preference is given to candidates with previous involvement in the activities of the Leadership Council. Candidates are strongly encouraged to run for only one Division office at a time.
Finally, ATA Headquarters will send an email announcement to PLD members notifying them of the name(s) of the selected candidate(s). Should PLD members wish to see other candidates on the slate in addition to the ones nominated by the Nominating Committee, they may submit names to ATA Headquarters. Qualified candidates must be added to the slate.
Candidates who have not previously volunteered for the Association or the Division may be asked to join the Leadership Council. If any of these members are not currently involved in the Leadership Council, they will be placed in contact with the current Administrator, who will consider adding them.
Each additional nomination must include a written acceptance letter and a candidate statement from the person nominated. The PLD can circulate any additional candidate statements during the election period, but statements will also be added to the ballot for the consideration of all PLD voters.
For more information, read Who Gets Things Done in the PLD and How do Elections Work?
Rafa Lombardino has been a translator since 1997 and is the author of “Tools and Technology in Translation ― The Profile of Beginning Language Professionals in the Digital Age.” She is ATA-certified in English-to-Portuguese and Portuguese-to-English translations, in addition to having a Professional Certificate in English and Spanish Translations from UC San Diego Extension, where she now teaches two classes: “Tools and Technology in Translation,” which inspired her to write her book, and “Introduction to Swordfish,” about the cross-platform Computer-Assisted Translation tool that she has been using since 2008. Rafa also acts as CEO at Word Awareness, Content Curator at eWordNews, and Project Coordinator at Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories.
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