Board of Directors Application

Purpose and Structure of the Board

The Sonoma County Tourism Board of Directors oversees the governance of the Sonoma County Tourism by establishing policies and priorities for carrying out the organization’s mission of promoting Sonoma County as an overnight destination for leisure travel, groups, conferences and events. The Board consists of 22 directors-at-large, 6 appointed by the Board of Supervisors; 16 nominated by the Governance Committee and approved by the Sonoma County Tourism Board. An Executive Committee, composed of the Sonoma County Tourism Board officers and immediate past chair, has the power to act on behalf of the organization.

For more information, visit About Sonoma County Tourism.

Eligibility

To be selected for nomination and to remain on the Board, one must be the principal, or the designated representative, of a lodging business, or appointed by a Board of Supervisor to represent your district as an operator of a tourism-related business, or an employee or director of a non-profit organization that promotes tourism in Sonoma County.

The Sonoma County Tourism Governance Committee makes a special effort to select a slate of nominees that will allow Sonoma County Tourism to continue its policy of having a Board of Directors that reflects diversity, not only in terms of the type, location and size of lodging businesses, but also in terms of gender and ethnicity.

Term of Office

Terms for board members, directors, and officers are one year. County appointments are two consecutive years.

Attendance at Board meetings

Directors are expected to attend Board meetings. Meetings are approx. 2 hours and are generally held at the Sonoma County Tourism office, except for the retreat meeting, which is held in Sonoma County. Directors who fail to attend 50 percent of the Board meetings in a year may be removed by vote of the Board.

Leadership Duties

Directors are expected to serve on one of the Sonoma County Tourism committees. The frequency of committee meetings varies according to need. Directors are urged to show leadership by attending events such as the Annual Meeting, Sonoma County Lodging Association events, and community events.

Board members are also asked to take an active role in board member development and retention by assisting the Governance Committee in identifying prospective board members.

Please fill out the below form.

Board of Directors Application Form

To be completed by persons wishing to be considered for nomination to serve on the Sonoma County Tourism Board of Directors. This form will be forwarded to members of the Governance Committee as background information during their deliberations to recommend a slate of nominees to the Board of Directors.

Applications are reviewed in March, and recommendations are made to the Board of Directors in April, with a board vote in May. Term of office is based on fiscal year, July - June.

I. Nominee
II. Previous employment
Please complete if affiliation with above organization is less than five years.
III. Committee Engagement
Please list in order of preference your interest in board leadership or committee (see below explanations):

Executive: The Executive Committee is commissioned to stand in for the Board and make decisions when the Board cannot meet. The committee is not intended to usurp the authority and power of the Board. Committee members serve as Board leaders yet keep the pulse of the Board membership to guide their decisions and recommendations to the Board. The Executive Committee is composed of the Board officers, and the chairs of each Board Committee. The Board Chairperson shall serve as the committee chair. The President/CEO shall serve as the staff liaison for the committee.

Governance: The Governance Committee is commissioned to develop, implement and maintain the organizational structure for board and committee management. This structure will allow the board to conduct its work to ensure the stability of the organization; provide governance including policies and procedures and create and sustain a beneficial work environment. The Governance Committee is composed of a minimum of seven (7) board members appointed by the Board Chair and ratified by the Board. The committee chair will be designated by the Board Chair. The President/CEO shall serve as the staff liaison for the committee. The committee typically meets six times a year.

Finance & Legal: The Finance and Legal Committee is commissioned by the Board of Directors to supervise the financial affairs and to formulate financial related operating policies for recommendation to the Board. The Finance and Legal Committee shall be composed of a minimum of five (5) board members appointed by the Board and non-Board members appointed by the committee chair not to exceed four (4) volunteers. The Board Treasurer shall serve as committee chair. The Chief Financial Officer shall serve as the staff liaison. The committee meets monthly.

Marketing Committee: The Marketing Committee is commissioned to integrate and coordinate SCTB’s marketing programs. The Marketing committee will provide the services of “advise and consent” for a comprehensive marketing plan and for SCTB staff. The Committee integrates recommendations from and with all established program committees. The committee has a recommended size of nine (9) members, where the majority of the seats will be comprised of Board members, appointed by the Board chair and ratified by the Board. Non-board members are appointed by the Committee chair and shall not exceed the majority held by Board members on the committee. To plan for succession and to engage new members of the committee as well as to provide a break for current committee members, and at the discretion of the Committee chair, terms of committee members shall be for two years, after which members can rejoin after a period of one year. The Chief Marketing Officer shall serve as staff liaison to the Committee. The committee meets quarterly.

Group Business Development Committee: the Group Business Development Committee supports and guides the process of group business development, working closely with the SCTB sales staff and the Board of Directors. The Group Business Development Program Committee is composed of at least three (3) Board members appointed by the Board chair and ratified by the Board. The committee chair will be designated by the Board. Non-board members are appointed by the Committee chair and shall not exceed five (5) volunteers (comprised of travel industry leaders and partners of group business). The Chief Sales Officer shall serve as staff liaison to the Committee. The committee meets quarterly.

Community Engagement Committee: is commissioned to elevate local awareness around the impacts of a robust tourism economy, and the importance of destination marketing and stewardship through broad community outreach. Through collaboration with tourism-facing organizations, city and county governments and key constituents, the Committee will work with a broad base of stakeholders to generate awareness around the value of tourism. The committee is composed of a minimum of three (3) board members appointed by the Board chair and ratified by the Board of Directors. The committee chair will be designated by the Board of Directors. Non-board members are appointed by the committee chair and shall not exceed seven (7) volunteers, comprised of representatives of key stakeholder groups representing hospitality partners, Sonoma County’s business community, nonprofits, and government officials. The Director of Community Engagement shall serve as the staff liaison for the committee.

Revenue Generation Committee

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List three persons who are not related to you and who have definite knowledge of your qualifications and fitness for the position for which you are applying:

I understand this application will be kept on active file for two years and I hereby authorize Sonoma County Tourism to verify all information included in this application. I further understand this application is subject to California public records law and may be released upon request. Meetings of the board and standing committees are subject to Open Meeting laws.

By submitting this application, I understand the commitment involved, and I can perform the duties of a board member.

Contact Information for questions and form submittal:
Sonoma County Tourism
400 Aviation Blvd., Suite 500, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
[email protected]
707-522-5808

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