The ACTFL Presidency
The Presidency of the ACTFL Board is a three-year commitment, broken up into three distinct positions: President-Elect, President, and Past-President.
First Year - President-Elect
The President-Elect spends their year learning from the President in preparation of the following year of service. The President-Elect is a member of the ACTFL Executive Committee and participates in monthly Executive Committee phone calls/virtual meetings along with the President, Past President, Treasurer, and Executive Director. The President-Elect is a voting member of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties as the President may assign.
Second Year - President
The President is a member of the ACTFL Executive Committee and chairs monthly Executive Committee phone calls/virtual meetings along with the President-Elect, Past President, Treasurer, and Executive Director. The President also presides over each ACTFL Board of Directors Meeting during the year of their Presidency. In addition, the ACTFL President is responsible for approving all committees (work begins at the end of the President-Elect year) and establishing any additional committees/task forces, as needed and as permitted in the ACTFL Bylaws. Other responsibilities include: Presenting at regional, state, and other conferences on behalf of ACTFL Serving as a spokesperson for ACTFL in the press Writing a quarterly President’s column in The Language Educator (TLE) and Foreign Language Annals (FLA) Presiding over the ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo
Third Year - Past President
The Past President is a member of the ACTFL Executive Committee and participates in monthly Executive Committee phone calls/virtual meetings along with the President, President-Elect, Treasurer, and Executive Director. The Past President is a voting member of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties as the President may assign. The Past President is currently responsible for approving the awards committees and presiding over the ACTFL Professional Awards ceremony at the ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo.
Board Expectations
All members of the ACTFL Board of Directors are also expected to participate in three Board meetings each year:
- Late January/Early February – Board Training/Orientation
- May Board Meeting in Alexandria, VA
- November Board Meeting in conjunction with the ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo
Travel is required; however, ACTFL covers all associated costs, including substitute teachers. Additional virtual meetings may also be required during the year. It is expected that Board members will come to the meetings well prepared and ready to dedicate their time to Board business. Members are asked to read all materials sent in advance of a meeting, respond in a timely fashion, and contact the Executive Director with questions and concerns prior to the meeting.
Board members are also required to:
- At the annual convention, attend and participate in all Board of Director meetings and in the Delegate Assembly. Accept other convention assignments as appropriate
- Serve on committees as appointed by the President
- Perform other duties as assigned by the President
Board members may also be asked to represent ACTFL in an outreach capacity by:
- Attending local, state, and regional world language educators’ meetings
- Making presentations at these meetings and to the boards of the host organizations
- Actively recruiting ACTFL members at local, state, and regional meetings
- Speaking at meetings of local, state, and regional chapters of general educational organizations
- Performing other appropriate duties on behalf of ACTFL
