Board and Members Resources

Process to Join the Board

Process and Overview

To identify high-performing potential Board members capable of effectively leading the Caltech Alumni Association (CAA), a large and complex organization that represents more than 25,000 Caltech alumni across the world, the Nomination Proposal Committee receives nominations and, if an election is held, advises the Board in carefully developing an initial slate of candidates for CAA Board of Director seats that will be vacated in September of each year.

The Nomination Proposal Committee is guided by the principle that the Board should represent the diverse perspectives of all Caltech alumni. It comprises 6 Directors of the Board and 4 alumni not affiliated with the Board to ensure the CAA’s broader needs and priorities are addressed to benefit all members. 

While taking account of the Board’s present composition and the organization’s future needs to develop its report for the Board's Candidate slate, the Nomination Proposal Committee considers a set of relevant attributes including:

  • A commitment to investing the time and energy necessary for effective service
  • An understanding of complex organizations
  • Leadership, mediation, community-building, and consensus-building skills
  • Experience and accomplishment in one of the following academic or professional domains relevant to the Caltech and effective organizational management: Healthcare/ Medicine, Advocacy/Public Policy, Fundraising, Government Relations, Marketing, Financial Management: Accounting, Financial Management: Investments, Law, Public Relations, and Social Media

As outlined in the Board and Members Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the nominations process includes two periods for identifying board candidates: an Open Nomination Period and an Open Petition Period.

Nominations may be submitted at any time using the Online Nomination Portal. Nominations received after the Open Petition Period closes (usually late April), when the Nomination Proposal Committee has begun the current year's selection process, will be considered for the following year.

For information about the nomination and election processes, visit the Board and Members FAQs.

Nomination materials are reviewed by the Nomination Proposal Committee. Nominees and interested parties may also be invited for video interviews with the Nomination Proposal Committee. If an election is held and eligible nominations are received during the Open Nomination Period, the CAA Board will formally announce the slate for the following year in June.

If no eligible petitions are received during the Open Petition Period, nominations shall be closed, and the Secretary will cast the unanimous vote to elect those slate nominees at the Annual Meeting of Members.

If eligible petitions are received during the Open Petition Period, nomination materials and relevant information for all candidates will be published in advance of the eventual election on the CAA website during the Open Ballot Period (August – September). A ballot shall then be prepared and distributed to each CAA member during the Open Ballot Period. Members then vote to select Directors from a combined pool of candidates, including those selected during the Open Nomination Period and all eligible petitioners.

Once all eligible votes are received, the Board will canvass the vote and notify those elected prior to the Annual Meeting of Members in September. In the event of a tie, the Board shall elect one of the tied candidates by plurality vote. Elected Directors will be formally announced at the Annual Meeting of Members to ensure full transparency to all CAA members. Please note, a ballot election incurs a large cost for the Caltech Alumni Association including the costs of mailing, receiving, and processing thousands of ballots. The Online Nomination Portal remains open year around to ensure all interested candidates can be considered without the need to petition.  

To further ensure inclusivity and responsiveness to its members, the CAA Board of Directors also introduced e-voting in 2022. CAA members who wish to vote electronically may do so by opting to receive an electronic ballot and communications.

Timeline

To ensure CAA members are aware and have the opportunity to participate in the nomination and election processes, a brief timeline of notable events is included below:

  • April: The Nomination Proposal Committee begins reviewing applications received to date for the upcoming election
  • June: The Board’s Slate of Nominees are announced
  • By June 14: Open Petition Period Closes
  • August – September (Pending Petitions): Open Ballot/Votingif an election is held and qualified petitions received
  • September (Annual Meeting of Members): If an election is held, new directors are announced at this meeting

Webpage last updated: January 29, 2024

CAA Bylaws

The Caltech Alumni Association Board of Directors has periodically updated the Association’s bylaws over the years to ensure its bylaws remain inline with other high-performing alumni associations. These and future updates are intended to improve the Board’s operations, increase transparency and accountability, improve responsiveness to its members, and address items that were missing from the previous bylaws, such as clarifying important milestones and outlining procedures for term limits, resignations, and replacements of Directors and Officers.

Webpage last updated: July 5, 2023

Ballots and Electronic Voting

1. Can members vote via an electronic method?

Electronic transmission voting for CAA members is allowed and encouraged. However, there are requirements that must be followed for an individual to request electronic voting. See information concerning these requirements.

Source: Section 10.42 of Advising California Nonprofit Corporations entitled “Electronic Transmission by or to the Corporation,” published by Continuing Education of the Bar, 2021.

2. Can I change my preference to vote by electronic transmission?

Individual CAA members must make this request via signed document and include the email address that will be used for ballot notification. CAA may not make a blanket decision to allow members to vote electronically either through an administrative action or by popular vote of members.

 

To change your voting preference to electronic, you may download, complete, and return the Consent to Use of Electronic Transmissions form by email to info@alumni.caltech.edu or by mail to Caltech Alumni Association, MC 1-97, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125.

3. How much does it cost to prepare and mail physical meeting announcements and ballots?

Based on recent figures, ballots cost from $1 to $1.50 each to print and mail. When possible, CAA inserts ballots into other publications already scheduled to mail to lower organizational mailing costs. Since each meeting announcement and ballot can cost more than $25,000, CAA works directly with legal counsel to limit the number of mailings required to conduct regular administrative business.

4. Can Annual Meeting announcements and ballots be distributed electronically?

Annual Meeting announcements may be sent via email. Ballots may be distributed electronically only if individual members express this preference via the Consent to Use of Electronic Transmissions form.

Webpage last updated: July 5, 2023

2023 Annual Meeting of Members of the Caltech Alumni Association

The Annual Meeting of Members of the Caltech Alumni Association took place online, via Zoom, on Thursday, September 21, 2023. CAA members heard from the Board of Director leaders and CAA staff about the organizations accomplishments for fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023). During the year, the Caltech campus reopened and CAA returned to a full schedule of events held online, on campus, and in cities around the U.S. They learned about plans for the coming year, and approves the minutes from the 2022 Annual Meeting of Members.

Summary – 2023 Annual Meeting

Presentation - 2023 Annual Meeting
Agenda - 2023 Annual Meeting

Minutes - 2022 Annual Meeting

Sign Up for Electronic Voting

Sign up for electronic voting and make your CAA votes more efficient and sustainable. Each Techer must request individually to change voting preference, so complete your electronic voting request form today.