Seeking Board Applicants

TROA's chairman of the board calls for nominations.

TROA always has been an association of individual members. When members vote on matters of importance, we don't have a delegate system, and we don't vote by region, service, or component. We vote as individuals who have held warrants and commissions in the seven uniformed services. It is one of our association's great strengths — one officer, one vote.

This year we will elect a new "class" to the board of directors — 12 new directors to succeed the 12 who will complete their service in October 2002 — and one additional director to complete the unexpired term of a director who resigned for personal reasons.

A director's service is never dull, as the board is charged with governing and overseeing the operations of the nation's fourth-largest military association. This year's operating budget is more than $19 million, and the board currently shoulders fiduciary responsibility for nearly $145 million in assets. These responsibilities demand that the board be composed of men and women who can think strategically and who understand their responsibility to govern TROA in the best interests of its members.

TROA directors serve one six-year term and must be retired officers and members of the association. Each director serves on at least one of the standing committees, which currently oversee finance, legislation, publications, council and chapter affairs, educational assistance, membership, insurance, health care, member services, and investments. Most committee meetings are held in conjunction with the three scheduled board meetings each year, and the chairman appoints special committees to address specific issues as needed.

Retired officers interested in serving on the board should submit their applications and letters of recommendation by March 20, 2002. A nominating committee — one TROA member from each service who is not a TROA director — will consider all applications received. Details of the application process appear on the facing page and also will appear in the next two issues of this magazine.

Board seats are allocated by service and geographic region, and there are no quotas for uniformed officer grade. (Current directors served in grades W-4 through O-10.) The nominating committee also will be charged to consider service component (regular, Reserve, National Guard), gender, and ethnic diversity.

The committee will seek candidates with special qualifications — such as expertise in financial management, investment banking, health care, law, and political access — that are needed to complement essential board functions. It also will seek chaplain candidates to succeed the current national chaplain, whose service ends in October. Also, committee members will strive to take better advantage of the ideas, perspectives, experiences, and abilities of recently retired officers, since they know well the needs and interests of those still in uniform.

In other words, to continue TROA's leadership in the world of military associations, we need a broad cross-section of our membership on the board. To achieve that, we need a large number of talented, well-qualified officers of all ranks in the application pool. We know that within our membership there are many, many retired officers who have the knowledge, experience, and specialized skills that we can use to good effect for our association.

Proxy materials and a ballot will be sent to each eligible voting member with the August issue of The Retired Officer Magazine. Space will be provided on the ballot to write in votes for other TROA members not on the committee's slate of nominees. Ballots must be received by Sept. 18, 2002. After the election results are validated, new directors will take office after the annual meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 5, 2002.

The future of TROA is in your hands. We need highly skilled men and women in all officer grades to provide direction in the years ahead. Please consider offering yourself as a candidate, and above all, plan to vote in the upcoming election.

How applications are screened

This year, TROA members, as required by our bylaws, will elect 13 new directors to take office this fall — 12 to replace those who will complete their terms and one to complete the term of a director who resigned. We need highly qualified retired officers from grades W-1 through O-10 and with proven track records to serve on the board.

The bylaws prescribe the apportionment of board seats by service. In addition to the five vacancies to be filled without regard to service affiliation, service-specific vacancies are: 3 Army, 2 Navy, 2 Marine Corps, and 1 Public Health Service. This year, the Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have no service-specific vacancies, but officers from those services are welcome to apply for the at-large seats. Applications are specifically sought from retired military chaplains to take the place of the current national chaplain, whose service will terminate in October.

A special Nominating Committee will select for each upcoming vacancy the nominee who, in its judgment, will best serve the interests of TROA and its members. The committee's slate of nominees will be presented directly to the voting membership by mail for election. Ballots will be furnished with the August 2002 issue of The Retired Officer Magazine, and newly elected directors will be installed after the annual meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 5, 2002.

Submitting an application

A retired officer wishing to apply can download an application (www.TROA.org/Application/) or call (800) 245-8762 (TROA), ext. 167, and request an application form. (After working hours, please leave a voice mail message that includes the spelling of your first and last names, your telephone number, and, if known, your member number.) The form will be mailed to you immediately and will ask for:

• a résumé of your military service;
• an account of your activities since military retirement, including your present involvement in business, local civic and political affairs, and service to the retired community;
• your reasons for wishing to join the board and the skills you would bring to the business management and other affairs of the association;
• a recent head-and-shoulders photograph in civilian clothes that is suitable for publication;
• your consent for a credit check if nominated;
• a list of commercial and nonprofit boards on which you currently serve;
• for regular retirees, a copy of your Report of Separation (DD Form 214); for Reserve and National Guard retirees, a copy of your retired pay order or letter of transfer to retired reserve status;
• the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the three references whom you will ask to write to the Nominating Committee on your behalf.

Send the completed form to the Nominating Committee, The Retired Officers Association, 201 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314-2539. Applications and all letters of recommendation must be received by March 20, 2002.

Bylaw requirements

There shall be 36 directors of the association, apportioned as follows: Army-8, Navy-8, Air Force-8, Marine Corps-3, Coast Guard-2, Public Health Service-1, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-1, and at-large without regard to service affiliation-5.

• Directors must be retired officers and current regular or life members of the association.
• Directors hold office for six years, unless sooner removed or disqualified.
• Each director represents the total association and not a regional or service constituency.
• The business management and affairs of the association shall be under the direction and control of the board. It has authority to approve contracts, incur liabilities, expend funds, and attend to other association matters, subject to the right of the voting membership to direct and control the board in the exercise of these powers.

There are no limitations on the percentages of regular and reserve officers or male and female officers who may serve as directors at any one time. Efforts are made to obtain the best-qualified officers from within the association's membership.

Service on the board

Directors serve one six-year term and discharge their governance responsibilities by participating in three board meetings each year, two held in northern Virginia and one in another region. They include meetings of the various standing committees and require about one-and-a-half days, not including travel.

A director should be able to devote at least two to three weeks each year to TROA matters, including travel, board and committee meetings, and participation in other events such as the annual Council Presidents' Seminar, regional chapter symposia, and individual visits to councils and chapters.

A director must refrain from activities that reasonably could be viewed as conflicting with, or possibly influencing the director's judgment regarding, his or her responsibilities to TROA.

Directors receive no compensation but are reimbursed for their TROA-related travel, lodging, and meals.