COMMITTEE MEMBER APPLICATION
Purpose and Structure of SCT Board of Directors and Committees
The Sonoma County Tourism Board of Directors oversees the governance of 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, 8 appointed by the Board of Supervisors; 14 nominated by the Governance Committee and approved by the Sonoma County Tourism Board. The Executive Committee, is composed of Sonoma County Tourism Board officers and the immediate past chair. The Governance Committee is composed of Sonoma County Tourism Board Directors and officers.
More information here.
Applications may be submitted for volunteer positions on the five committees listed below:
Finance & Legal Standing Committee: This 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 Program Committee: members of this 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, with the majority of the seats composed 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 Program Committee: members of this committee support and guide 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 Vice President of Sales 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.
The Travel Trade Development Committee: supports and advises the SCT Travel Trade department’s domestic and international scope of work in support of SCT’s Strategic Plan. Committee members are appointed by SCT’s board of directors and are asked to serve for a minimum of one year. The Travel Trade Development Committee has a recommended committee size of five (5) to ten (10) members and shall be comprised of a minimum of two (2) Board Members appointed by the Board and non-Board Members appointed by the committee chair not to exceed ten (10) volunteers. The committee will seek representation a diverse group of individuals representing multiple segments from the hospitality industry, including lodging, tour operators, attractions, wineries, etc. SCT’s Vice President, Business Development and Director, Travel Trade serve as the staff liaisons to the Committee.
Vacation Rental Industry Segment Committee: The Vacation Rental Committee is designed to create a robust communications channel between the short-term rental community and Sonoma County Tourism. As a channel for insights, SCT will invite members of the vacation rental community together to share information, including:
Input
- Real costs of operating a short-term rental property – hosted and non-hosted
- Policies mandated for operating a property
- Neighborhood impacts of increased short-term rental inventory
- Vacation rentals and housing stock
- Ownership demographics
- Marketing and sales opportunities offered through various booking channels (AirBnB, VRBO, etc.)
Output
- General understanding about Sonoma County Tourism and benefits available
- Marketing opportunities through SCT’s paid, earned and owned channels
- Collective industry messaging
- Community engagement opportunities
- Connectivity with the Sonoma County Hospitality Association – policy and legal implications
Committee Participation:
Participation is open to owners/operators or property managers in unincorporated Sonoma County – the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) paid by the property is the county-wide fund for which SCT receives a portion.
The staff liaison for this committee is the President/CEO.
Eligibility
Every effort shall be made to include qualified and interested Board members and volunteers from a variety of constituencies on the membership of the committees. 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 volunteers that reflects diversity, not only in terms of the type, location and size of businesses, but also in terms of gender and ethnicity.
Appointment and Term of Office
With advice from the Governance Committee, and subject to approval by the full Board, the Chairman of the Board shall appoint a Director as the chair of each committee. Subject to approval by the full Board, the Chair of each committee shall appoint the members of his or her committee. Committee Chairs and members shall serve for one year, and shall be reappointed at the annual organizational meeting. Committee Chairs shall serve for a maximum of 3 consecutive one-year terms. Except for the Executive Committee, all committees shall be advisory only to the Board unless otherwise specifically authorized to act by the Board.
Attendance
Committee members are expected to attend meetings. Meetings are approx. 2 hours and are generally held at the Sonoma County Tourism office. Members who fail to attend 50 percent of the meetings in a year may be removed by vote of the Board.
Meetings and Notice
The Chairman of the Board, the chair of the committee, or a majority of the committee’s voting members may call meetings of a committee. All meetings shall be noticed and held in accordance with the requirements of the Brown Act.