The HBSAB sent the below email blast to all alumni in their market area on March 30th, with a reply deadline of April 9th for nominations. Follow-up (are they willing to chair a committee or be on track to be an officer?) was completed by April 28th. The nominees were confirmed by May 3rd for vote at the annual meeting on May 12th.

This process produced, mostly through self-nomination, a group of twenty potential board members from which the HBSAB selected ten to be nominated this year. Of those, 5 are CEOs, 1 COO, 1 CIO, 2 VC/PE types and 1 nonprofit executive. Several have significant entrepreneurial experience. They bring to us expertise in biotech, cleantech, health/medical and social networking.

The HBSAB also used a spreadsheet to summarize the expertise of each nominee. Having all of the info in one place proved useful. Relevant info on each nominee was captured in the spreadsheed and reviewed to evaluate their potential. (Mousing over each name allows you to view the stored info).

Download the Sample Spreadsheet (excel)

Sample Letter

Dear xxx,

Each year, we search for a few HBS alums to serve on our Board of Governors. These appointments usually are for three years and often extend for another three years. We include, at the end of this newsletter, a document outlining the responsibilities and expectations of our Board of Governors.

This year, we are particularly interested in nominees with some combination of the experience and skills noted below. We are committed to having a board of diverse composition.

Experience

• CEO
• Venture capital, private equity
• Entrepreneur
• Executive search

Industry experience

• Energy
• Clean technology
• Biotechnology
• Health care

Skills

• Marketing communications
• Web 2.0 & social networking
• Finance, investments
• "Connectors"

Our deadline for receiving nominations is April 9th. Our committee will then develop an active pool of potential nominees from which we will select, after due diligence, those to be presented to our membership for confirmation at our annual meeting on May 12th. Those not appointed this year will remain in the active pool for consideration in future years.

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for helping HBSAB continue to provide significant benefits to the alums in our market area.

HBS Association of Boston, Nominating Committee

George Berman, MBA 1949

Dick Morrison, VIS 1976, Chair

Tuck Rickards, MBA 1991

Joan Schneider-Egalka, OPM 16

Marc Zablatsky, MBA 1992

HBSAB Board of Governors

Responsibilities and Expectations
Mission Statement:

The purpose of the HBSAB is to engage the approximately 5,500 Harvard Business School Boston-area alumni, the Harvard Business School students, faculty and staff, and the Boston-area business community, to their mutual benefit.

We will do so by:

• Sponsoring events that promote continuous learning, professional networking, social interactions, and career development
• Featuring current Harvard Business School research initiatives
• Fostering non-profit community service by Harvard Business School alums,
• Strengthening local alums' ties to the Harvard Business School
• Pursuing the other not-for-profit objectives for which we were organized.

Responsibilities for Members of the HBSAB Board of Governors:

Members of the HBSAB's Board of Governor's are expected to make substantial contributions in several of the following areas:

• Become a member of the President's Club upon joining the Board. The current dues for President's Club members are $350. President's Club members pay no event fees for regular events and may attend two dinners for free.
• Attend events. Board members are expected to attend a minimum of four events each year, plus the Annual Meeting. Board members are encouraged to bring guests and colleagues to HBSAB meetings and to serve as Board ambassadors by introducing newcomers to members at meetings.
• Attend two thirds of Board meetings. The Board meets six times a year year, so Board members are expected to attend a minimum of four meetings. If you are not going to attend a meeting, you are asked to communicate your absence in advance and read the printed materials from the meeting you missed.
• Recruit a guest speaker each year. Our speaking events are a key motivator for membership in the HBSAB. We need everyone's help to make sure these events continue to present high-quality speakers who offer valuable learning opportunities to our members.
• Develop contacts with a potential sponsor each year. Each Board member is asked to introduce the Sponsorship Committee to at least one potential sponsor each year. We have learned that sponsors are critical to keeping our event prices attractive to members.
• Serve on one or more Board committees. They include Programs, Finance, Sponsorship, Marketing, Forum and New Venture Competition. These committees are essential to our ability to achieve our mission; acti ve participation on at least one committee is requested of each Board member. Committees usually meet once a month in person and often have additional conference calls.
  
  Adopted 5/10/07