The 2012 nominations/elections are in process for the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Mountain Plains regions. View the 2012 nominees (voting instructions have been sent to the Designated Contributors for the states in each region).

Nominations/Elections Timeline:

Nominations process opens: Tuesday, April 10
Nominations process closes: Monday, April 30, 8:00 p.m. ET
Voting opens: Monday, May 14
Voting closes: Monday, May 28, 8:00 p.m. ET
Results announced: Tuesday, May 29

Introduction

In 2009, the state/territory/tribal breastfeeding coalitions were invited to elect regional representatives to participate in USBC’s strategic planning process. Each state and territory was assigned to one of seven geographic regions, with an eighth region for tribal coalitions. Eight Coalitions Regional Representatives were thus elected to attend the January 2009 USBC meetings. They also attended the August 2009 and January 2010 USBC meetings, to participate in adoption of the final strategic plan and implementation planning.

Although originally only a temporary arrangement for strategic planning, the USBC Coalitions Committee recognized the value of this regional structure for enhanced communication and collaboration. The regional representative structure was thus formalized with this nominations and elections process, with new elections held after the 2010 conference and the addition of an alternate for each region. USBC serves as facilitator of this ongoing nominations and election process to assist the coalitions in selecting individuals to represent them at USBC meetings.

*NEW*: On February 29, 2012, the USBC passed a bylaws amendment creating a new membership category for the Coalitions Region Members: "The eight regions of state/territory/tribal breastfeeding coalitions (Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain Plains, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, West, and Tribal), are automatically voting members in the USBC, and will elect individual representatives pursuant to the requirements and nominations/elections processes as specified in the Membership Policies and Procedures." Therefore the existing regional representative structure and the Nominations/Elections procedures listed here now apply to this USBC membership category.

Nominations

There is a Coalitions Regional Rep (CRR) and Alternate Regional Rep (ARR) for each of the eight regions. Coalitions Regional Representatives and Alternate Regional Representatives will serve for three (3) year terms. The terms are staggered to assure no more than three (3) CRRs and three (3) ARRs will be new in any given year. No individual may serve more than six (6) consecutive years; provided, however, that each Rep shall serve until his or her successor has been elected. An individual who has served six (6) consecutive years in either position may be eligible for reelection only after three (3) year’s absence from any Rep position.

Note: To transition to staggered terms, some of those elected in 2010 were elected for one year, some for two years, and some for three years. Initial terms are as shown in the chart below. After the transition period, all Coalitions Regional Representatives and Alternate Regional Representatives will serve normal three year terms.

All nominees should be active members of their state/territory/tribal breastfeeding coalition. If the coalition does not have formal members, the nominee should be an active leader or participant in the coalition’s activities. By submitting a self-nomination, an individual affirms that they are willing and able to take on the CRR/ARR Roles and Responsibilities. All nominees are asked to submit a letter of support for their nomination from their state/territory/tribal breastfeeding coalition. Please e-mail the letter of support from your state/territory/tribal breastfeeding coalition to office@usbreastfeeding.org or fax to 202-367-2132.

CRR and ARR positions are held by individuals, and as such are not reflective or representative of individual representatives’ coalitions. The duties of the CRRs/ARRs shall be to serve and carry out the best interests of the region as a whole.

Initial Term = 3 years	Initial Term = 2 years	Initial Term = 1 year
To be elected in 2013	To be elected in 2012	Elected in 2011
West	Mid-Atlantic	Northeast
Southwest	Midwest	Southeast
Tribal	Mountain Plains

Elections

Each state/territory coalition will have one vote towards the selection of their representatives. USBC will serve as election administrator and provide an online election tool for each region. Voting instructions will be sent to the three Designated Contributors for each registered coalition; they will be asked to assign one authorized individual to submit the coalition’s vote.

The participation of a majority of a region’s coalitions shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for election purposes. The individual with the highest number of votes in each region will be elected Coalitions Regional Representative; the individual with the second highest number of votes in each region will be elected Alternate Regional Representative. In the event of a tie, there will be a runoff between the two individuals who are tied. If a tie persists after the runoff, or if there were only two individuals on the ballot to begin with, the election will be decided by the flip of a coin performed by the Chair of the USBC Coalitions Committee.

To update your coalition’s Designated Contributors, please visit the Coalitions Resources page. Registered Coalitions are those listed in USBC’s Coalitions Directory. To register a new tribal breastfeeding coalition, please e-mail office@usbreastfeeding.org.

Vacancies

A vacancy in a region’s CRR position, regardless of cause, shall be filled by the current ARR for the remainder of the term of the CRR to be replaced. A vacancy in a region’s ARR position shall be filled by a special election, following the same procedure used for regular elections.