Foothills Branch Seeking New Chair-Elect

The Foothills Branch is seeking a new Chair-Elect! Want to get more involved with The Mountaineers and support programs at a foundational level? Consider becoming the Chair-Elect for the Foothills Branch.

The Chair-Elect works closely with the Branch Chair and Branch Past Chair to coordinate and support the efforts and initiatives of the Foothills Branch committees. During their year of on-boarding and training, they learn to work in concert with the broader organization to provide safe and inspiring activities, courses, and volunteer experiences that allow members on the Eastside to explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.  Learn more about the position by checking out the Chair-Elect position description and if interested, please contact Brad Peacock at foothills.branch1@gmail.com.

Activities and Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Branch Chair to become familiar with club and branch policies and processes, strategic priorities, and committees.
• Actively work to build relationships and connections with Foothills committees and volunteers, and build a strong understanding of Mountaineers programs and volunteership through participation, volunteering, and/or intentional onboarding.
• Take the Branch Chair’s place at important meetings and events, on occasions when the Branch Chair is unavailable.
• Assist the Branch Chair and/or activity committees with projects and tasks, as appropriate to the Chair-Elect’s skills, interests, and time availability.
• Will transition into the role of Branch Chair after one year.

Length of Service

The Branch Chair-Elect’s role is part of a three-year commitment. During the first year as Chair-Elect, the primary function is training: to learn organizational policies and branch strategic priorities; to develop leadership and facilitation skills; and to become familiar with and build strong relationships with branch leadership, committee leadership, and Mountaineers staff. Throughout this year of training, the Chair-Elect has the close mentorship of the current Branch Chair and Past Chair. It is expected that the Chair-Elect will transition to Branch Chair after one year, and then after serving a year as Branch Chair, they are then expected to serve in a mentoring role as Past Chair.

Preferred Qualifications

• An active interest and commitment to getting people outside and fostering volunteerism, conservation, engagement, and leadership skills through The Mountaineers programs.
• The ability to identify opportunities for improvement and the interest to play an active role in creating change.
• The ability to follow through on commitments while avoiding personal over-commitment.
• Effective delegation of responsibilities to other branch officers to share work with a team and create a broad base of institutional knowledge.
• Good listening and communication skills and an ability to relate to a broad range of personalities. 
• An ability to facilitate communication across a broad range of activities and Mountaineer stakeholders.
• A team leadership, project management, or organizational management background can be helpful.
• Familiarity with The Mountaineers programs and volunteer structure through participation, volunteerism, or intentional on-boarding.
• The interest and willingness to participate in a wide variety of Mountaineers activities to build trust and rapport with volunteer leaders.
• The ability to manage a flexible workload that fluctuates throughout the calendar year and provides support to volunteer needs.