Board Positions

Job Descriptions

Board Members (3-year Term)

Members of the ACTFL Board of Directors play a key role in leading the strategic direction and advancing the mission, vision, and strategic plan of ACTFL and the language education profession. Members will represent ACTFL professionally in a variety of settings acting as advocates for the mission of ACTFL as well as the language education profession. Board members have important legal and fiduciary responsibilities, requiring them to review and approve budgets, protect the organization’s assets, be good stewards of the organization's finances, and oversee the strategic direction and health of ACTFL. Members of the ACTFL Board are also expected to serve on at least one of several ACTFL committees during their term. All members of the ACTFL Board of Directors are also expected to participate in three Board meetings each year, one of which is planned in conjunction with the ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo in November. Travel is required; however, ACTFL covers all associated costs, including substitute teachers. Additional virtual meetings may also be required during the year.

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, assists in planning meetings, and serves as presiding officer when the President is unable to function in that role. 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 and is a voting member of the Board. 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 valued advisor to the current 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; perform other duties at the convention as requested by the Executive Committee.
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

Board Nominations

Interested in serving on the ACTFL Board?

ACTFL members in good standing for at least three years are encouraged to apply to serve on the ACTFL Board of Directors.

Learn how to apply

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