Staff Council Elected Positions

Elected positions must be filled with full-time and regular part-time, non-executive benefited staff of the George Washington University (as defined by Human Resources), to include both exempt and non-exempt staff (individual contributors and managers), who have successfully completed their Introductory Employment Period and who are not represented by a union or subject to any collective bargaining agreement. Employees participating in staff council duties should not have any interference in their day-to-day work.

Elected members are expected to attend no less than 75% of all business meetings. A regular business meeting of the entire Council shall be held monthly at a regularly scheduled date determined at the beginning of each elected year. Business meetings shall not exceed two hours in duration. Annual or bi-annual strategic planning meetings may replace a monthly meeting and exceed the two-hour meeting duration.

All elected positions are for one year and begin July 1st of the election year.

Executive Officers

The executive officers of the Staff Council shall be the President, Vice-President, Historian, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Immediate Past President, and Committee Chairpersons. It is the responsibility of each officer to ensure that committees are formed, bi-annual board reports are submitted, and standard operating procedures are written and edited to maintain transparency, and accountability, and to ensure seamless transitions between council members. 

President

The President is the outward-facing representative of the Staff Council. They are responsible for facilitating Staff Council meetings, coordinating emergency meetings, approving the Staff Council’s annual budget, and approving all written communications made by the Council. The President names Committee Chairs and makes provisional appointments of members to a committee. The President will serve as the Staff Council representative to the GW Board of Trustees.

Vice-President

The Vice-President is the inward-facing manager of the Staff Council. They are responsible for oversight of the Staff Council’s committees. They also organize the Staff Council mentorship program and update the onboarding manual as needed. 

The Vice-President assumes the role of President in the President’s absence, removal, or incapacitation. The Vice-President serves as the President-Elect: at the completion of their Vice-Presidency, this person will assume a one-year term as President.

Correspondence & Engagement Secretary

The Correspondence & Engagement Secretary is responsible for administering the Staff Council website, social media, newsletter, and all outgoing communications from the Council to the GW community. The Correspondence & Engagement Secretary shall partner with Marketing and Communication on branding efforts and advertising deemed necessary for the good of the Staff Council.

Historian

The Historian oversees the management of the Staff Council documents and records. They are responsible for the distribution of meeting agendas, recording attendance at meetings, and drafting minutes. These documents are to be made available to any member of the Staff Council. When necessary, the Historian manages campus space reservation requests.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for the development and tracking of an annual operating budget. The Treasurer manages the collection and distribution of all Staff Council funds and ensures that all financial records of the Staff Council are kept current and organized.

Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian is responsible for making sure staff council meetings stick to the agenda and keep meetings moving along with the times scheduled. This position will monitor conduct at staff council meetings and intervene when necessary to clarify the mission of this council. The Parliamentarian will intervene when a meeting talking point would be better alleviated at a different GW office. The parliamentarian is responsible for conducting officer elections. The parliamentarian is precluded from being a candidate for any position in the election they manage.

Immediate-Past President

The immediate-past President may provide guidance to the current Staff Council Officers, and should be invited to attend all Staff Council Officer Meetings, but is not entitled to a vote in such meetings. If the immediate-past President is unable or unwilling to serve in an advisory role, the President may select any prior Staff Council Officer to fill the advisory role. 

Committee Chairs

Committee Chairs are responsible for leading their assigned committee’s initiatives. They shall report back to the Staff Council membership any items or decisions that their committees are working on or that needs to be addressed by the larger Staff Council membership. Committee Chairs are named by the President.

School and/or Division Representative

School and/or Division Representative members are elected to serve as the representative from their area and must serve on at least one standing committee. The full list of representative groups is as follows:

  • Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
  • GW Information Technology (2 representatives)
  • School of Business
  • School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
  • School of Medicine and Health Sciences (2 representatives)
  • School of Nursing, College of Professional Studies
  • Elliott School of International Affairs
  • Graduate School of Education and Human Development
  • GW Libraries & Academic Innovation, GW Museums
  • Milken Institute School of Public Health (2 representatives)
  • GW Law
  • Development and Alumni Relations
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • Enrollment and Student Success
  • VP Finance and Treasurer, VP Financial Planning and Operations, Controller
  • Safety and Facilities (2 representatives)
  • Office Of The President, Deputy Provost & Provost Immediate, Faculty Affairs, ODECE
  • Office of Communications and Marketing Human Resources Management and Development
  • Athletics and Recreation
  • Office of the Vice President for Research, Institutes