The term "Leadership Appointment" refers to the process whereby the Executive Board fulfills its constitutional responsibility for appointing selected members to posts of service on specific APHA boards and committees. About 250 of the Association's 600 "leader" positions are filled in this way, most others being filled by Section election. Because most appointments are for multi-year terms, the Executive Board acts on only 75 to 80 such appointments per year. The following criteria govern such appointments:
Only APHA members are eligible to serve on APHA boards and committees.
- Members are ordinarily appointed to serve on only one Association board or committee at a time. Any member is expected to successfully complete current service before being considered for any other group membership appointment.
- Selective reappointment to a successive term is permitted in some groups, but traditionally precluded in others. In a typical year, about one-fourth of available positions are filled with re-appointments.
- Specific affirmative action/diversity goals and targets have been established for each APHA board and committee. Simply put, the current objective is for the composition of each group to be at least 50 percent female and 17 percent minority.
- In the aggregate, and within larger groups, board/committee membership reflects national APHA membership in geographic distribution.
- Especially where Section representation is not the basis for group composition, a concern is maintained for disciplinary balance among board and committee memberships.
- Chair assignments are on an annual basis. Individuals with continuing eligibility for group membership can be considered for annual reappointment as group chair.
- Although suggestions for appointment to service on boards and committees are welcomed from any member, special attention is given to recommendations from Sections, Affiliates and other organizational elements of APHA.
- The APHA president-elect serves as chair of a Leadership Appointment Subcommittee that makes leadership service recommendations to the Executive Board for definitive appointment.