Call for USP Officer and Trustee Candidates

The Nominating Committee for Officers and Trustees (NC-O&T) is seeking candidates for the positions of President, Treasurer, and trustee to serve on the 2010-2015 USP Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees provides oversight for USP's policies, finances, and strategic direction, in accordance with USP’s Constitution and Bylaws.

Two nominees each (20 nominees) will be selected by the Committee for the following positions.

President
Treasurer
Trustees representing pharmaceutical sciences (2 positions)
Trustees representing medical sciences (2 positions)
Trustee representing the public interest
Trustees-at-Large (3 positions without regard to their affiliation)

The President, Past-president, and Treasurer are the officers of the USP Convention. The Board of Trustees also elects a Chair annually from among its members. Traditionally, the office of President has been held by a physician, while the Chair of the Board has been a pharmacist.

Officers and Trustees serve five-year terms, and the President serves an additional five year term as Past president. There is a two-term limitation.

The deadline date for nominations is November 30, 2009.

Desired Qualities for all Board Members

High level of commitment to USP’s vision and mission
Willingness to be a strong advocate for USP
Understanding of larger systems beyond the clinical/health environment
Proven leadership and vision within his/her own sphere
Effective communicator
Sense of integrity and fair play
Thoughtful and respectful
Consensus builder, constructive challenger
Active listener
Ability to subordinate regional, personal, and business biases for the good of USP
Prior Board experience
Willingness to commit time and effort in preparing for all USP Board activities

Board Characteristics — The NC-O&T will seek candidates who can provide the Board with:

Diversity
International perspective
Cultural awareness
Understanding of the political process
Public policy acumen
Technical/scientific knowledge
Business and/or financial acumen

Independence — USP Officers and Trustees must operate independently of their employing organizations in accordance with the USP’s Constitution and Bylaws, policies and rules. Each member of the Board must complete a conflict of interest statement and is required to update the statement on an annual basis.

Committees of the Board — The Board has an Executive Committee, composed of the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the President and Treasurer of the Convention, and the Public Trustee, which also serve as a finance committee. In addition, there are currently five other standing committees of the Board: Audit Committee, Compensation and Continuity Committee, Governance Committee, International Activities Committee, and Investment Committee. Additional ad hoc committees may be formed depending on need. The Chair of the Board makes the committee appointments and does so according to trustees’ interests and expertise.

Time Commitment — Officers and Trustees must be willing to participate in face-to-face Board meetings (in the current cycle this has been four times per year at the USP Headquarters in Rockville, MD or other suitable venue) and serve on one or more standing or ad hoc committees. During the 2005-2010 cycle, each quarterly meeting was comprised of one day of committee meetings and a one-day business meeting, with one of the days falling on a weekend to minimize days lost from trustees’ primary work responsibilities. There are additional time commitments associated with the offices of President, Treasurer and Board Chair. On occasion, Board members also may be asked to represent USP at conferences and meetings, including meetings at USP’s international sites. USP currently has four sites outside the U.S., in Switzerland, India, China, and Brazil. In addition to the above, on average, Board members can expect to participate in 8-10 teleconferences per year on various topics.

Board members receive 40-50 communications per year. The primary communication mechanism is official Board Letters, which provide information deemed to be of importance to the Board (18-20 per year). Occasionally, Board Letters seek Board advice or approval on important issues. Board Letters primarily are delivered electronically and may be answered electronically. Other communications such as important press releases, organizational announcements, etc. (20-30 per year) are also sent to the Board.

Apply

If you wish to be considered as a potential candidate for a USP officer or trustee position, we ask you to please complete and submit the online application, and then email your resumé/curriculum vitae to . The form includes some items that are duplicative/summaries of parts of your CV. Thus, to facilitate completion of the form, you may wish to have your curriculum vitae or resumé and a brief biography available for reference.

USP will send you an email confirmation once your application is received requesting your resumé/curriculum vitae by return email. USP security will not allow attaching documents to emails directly from the Web site.

Applications must be received by USP by November 30, 2009 to ensure consideration.