IRE Board to elect new officers in Tuesday public meeting

June 26, 2020

The IRE Board of Directors will elect its new Executive Committee members during a livestream video meeting at 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday (June 30).

Registration is required. You may sign up at this link. Afterward, the meeting video will be posted online.

Any contested seats on the Executive Committee will be decided by a roll-call vote, replacing the secret ballot used in the past to select officers. After the election of officers, a brief public comment period will be held for viewers. Speakers will be required to comply with IRE’s Code of Conduct.

All five members of the Executive Committee announced June 24 that they would resign to allow a new election of officers. The decision followed an initial election, at the board reorganization meeting on June 20, that resulted in an all-white Executive Committee. The result “left us heartbroken and frustrated,” the committee said of the initial election, in which it was unclear what positions were available and who was running for which offices. “This result contradicts IRE’s mission," the committee added. "Our Bylaws, which require an immediate vote, set up a rushed process that contributed to this outcome.”

During online voting that concluded June 20, IRE members elected one of the most diverse boards in its 45-year history. Seven members were elected to the board, including three Black members, increasing representation to a total of four. In addition, women hold a board majority for the second consecutive year on the 13-member board.

Board members are elected by IRE membership for two-year terms: seven seats during even-numbered years and six seats in odd-numbered years. Each year, the full board votes on one-year terms for its Executive Committee: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and an at-large member.