The OrigamiUSA Board of Directors has twelve members: eleven elected members and one ex officio (the President). Each elected director serves for a two-year term. Terms are staggered, with six positions elected in even-numbered years and five positions elected in odd-numbered years. If a Board member resigns before their term has ended, the Board has the power to appoint a new member In their place; however, members so appointed must stand for re-election at the next scheduled election.

In 2024, the following Board members' terms are expiring:

  • Patty Grodner (2022–2024) - patty.grodner [at] origamiusa.org
  • David Kandel (2022–2024) - david.kandel [at] origamiusa.org
  • Marc Kirschenbaum (2022–2024) - marc.kirschenbaum [at] origamiusa.org
  • Michael Montebello (2022–2024) - michael.montebello [at] origamiusa.org
  • Mel Sawyer (2022–2024) - mel.sawyer [at] origamiusa.org
  • Jason Schneider (2022–2024) — jason.schneider [at] origamiusa.org

Thus the open positions for the 2024 elections will be:

  • Six seats, term 2024–2026

Board members appointed to fill out a vacant position serve the remainder of the year of their appointment. If appointed for the first year of a two-year term, those positions will be open in the next election.

Board members elected to the second year of a position initially filled by an appointee or open may run again for a regular two-year term at the end of that term.

Requirements

Each member of the Board ("Director") takes on areas of responsibility and short-term projects based on the member's skills and the needs of the organization. Prospective members should be prepared to make a commitment of time and energy beyond attending the monthly meetings. Requirements for the position are enthusiasm for origami and OrigamiUSA and the desire to make a contribution. In addition, candidates must have been a member of OrigamiUSA for at least one year prior to the election (see schedule), either as an individual or as part of a family membership, and must be at least 21 years old.

Nominations Process

You may submit a nomination for someone else, and/or offer your own candidacy.

Nominations must be received by the listed deadline.

Submit nominations electronically to election-nominations [at] origamiusa.org. If you do not receive a confirmation email from us within a few days, your nomination was NOT received; please contact the Home Office right away.

We must also receive a signed statement (can be email or hardcopy) from the nominee noting:

  1. that the nominee meets the requirements for director as set forth in Article III, Section 2 of the By-Laws (also described)
  2. that the nominee is willing to serve if elected.

After being nominated, the Elections Committee will contact the candidates with details of the election process and a request for candidate information needed for the ballot.

Voting

Proxy ballots will be available to eligible voters in May. We encourage you to vote using your proxy ballot. As the 2024 Annual Meeting will be entirely online, there will be no in-person voting in 2024. Proxy ballots will be tabulated along with the votes cast at the Annual Meeting, and the election results will be announced at the conclusion of the meeting.