Governance

Constitution

NUAA is an association registered under Fair Work. Our members make up our constituency, and we are governed by the NUAA Constitution (pdf), voted in at the 2020 Annual General Meeting.

Board

NUAA has a Board of Governance, which oversees the organisation's direction, management and finances. The Board of Governance is elected at the NUAA Annual General Meeting and meets regularly.

Any ordinary member of NUAA can be nominated to join the board. Interested but not a member yet? Read more about membership and apply to join online.

Current members

• Andrew Heslop (Chair)

• Larry Pierce (Treasurer)

• Carolyn Stubley (Secretary)

• Daniel Burns

• Jess Doumany

• Michael Doyle

• Richard Suvlosky

• Dr Mary Harrod (CEO, ex officio)

Purpose of the board

Board members are “custodians” of NUAA on behalf of its members and stakeholders. The Board’s role is to focus on the vision, mission, values and strategic plan — in essence, what the organisation stands for, rather than what the organisation does. The Board ensures that the organisation stays focused on its purpose, meets its funding requirements and is protected by overseeing our financial and legal requirements.

What kind of committee members are we looking for?

We’re looking for people who are passionate about human rights and harm reduction and willing to participate in governance or willing to learn. We especially encourage peers to consider joining the Board. Our current Board is made up of professionals, researchers and members of the community. NUAA members with no experience with boards or administration but are keen to learn are invited to become involved and gain new skills to become effective board members.

Level of commitment

You are elected to the Board of Governance for a period of two years and may serve three terms. The Board meets every second month for about two hours either online or at the NUAA offices in Glebe. Meeting preparation time is about 1-2 hours for ordinary members. Members of the Executive are expected to devote more time to the organisation and attend meetings monthly.

How to get involved

Contact Stuart at NUAA on (02) 9171 6650 to talk about the Board or speak to a current NUAA Board member or member of the NUAA Executive Team.

Board elections

Board members are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The current Board was elected at the 2021 AGM. To run for the board, you need to be a current ordinary member of NUAA and submit your application two weeks prior to the AGM. Positions on the Board are open to all current NUAA ordinary members.

Members are sent an AGM pack each year with nomination forms. You can put yourself forward but need a formal nominator and a seconder to become a candidate. You then attend the AGM and speak to your nomination. Members attending the AGM vote to approve the new Board members, with a ballot if the number of nominees exceeds the number of positions. The AGM takes place in October/November each year.