Board of Directors - Roles

We encourage members to get more involved and join the Board of Directors.  All Board Members are expected to attend monthly board meetings and provided a brief written report of any actions taken since the previous meeting.  Board members also attend the annual meeting and the summer retreat.

Director of Action and Advocacy

The Director of Action and Advocacy is the LWVHC’s representative in the legislative world of Howard County and, in certain cases, the State of Maryland. 

  • Coordinate with the Directors of Education and Environment to:
  • Monitor proceedings and legislation related to LWVHC priority issues from the Howard County Council, Maryland General Assembly (as pertains to specific Howard County legislation), and County Executive by watching/attending public meetings and hearings and reading reports on proposed legislation. 
  • Monitor and track our priority legislation as it passes through County and State legislative bodies.
  • Prepare testimony in line with previously adopted League positions to present to the Council, State Delegation, and Executive regarding proposed budgets, legislation, and administrative actions. 
  • Work with Volunteer and Events Coordinator to build committees to assist with these duties. 

Director of Communications

The Director of Communications promotes the LWVHC’s visibility and connections with the Howard County community.

  • Manage communications to the public, such as press releases, letters to the editor, Columbia Association newsletters, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) posts. 
  • Receive information from the Directors and co-ordinate notices with the President/Vice President. 
  • Collaborate with Online Services and the Publications Director to ensure consistency of messaging.

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leads the LWVHC’s efforts to engage all individuals, households, communities from all backgrounds. See the LWV DEI Policy here. 

  • Support our League in applying an equity lens to review our activities. 
  • Reach out to BLM, The Council of Elders, PFLAGG, the Chinese, Indian and Korean Community Associations, CASA, and other groups to keep up with their news, make them aware of League activities, and share their activities with our League. Coordinate Voter Registration and Voter Education Information Centers at local community association events.  
  • Notify the Online Director to post community events on the calendar. 

Director of Education Action

The Director of Education is the LWVHC’s representative in matters relating to education policies and legislation at the county and state levels as well as within the Howard County Public School System.

  • Monitor the proceedings (meetings, public hearings, work sessions and votes) of the Board of Education. Be aware of PTA Council and HC Educators Association actions and positions. 
  • Prepare testimony as needed related to new legislation, regulations, policies and programs affecting Howard County in light of League Program positions and priorities, in coordination with the Director of Action & Advocacy and the President.
  • Inform the Volunteer and Events coordinator and Publications Director about relevant events in advance so that they can be added to the HoCo League calendar.

Director of Environmental Action

The Director of Environment is the LWVHC’s representative in matters relating to environmental policies and legislation at the county and state levels.

  • Monitor proposed legislation/regulations issued at the County and State level which affect Howard County. 
  • Prepare testimony as needed related to new legislation, regulations, policies and programs affecting Howard County in light of League Program positions and priorities, in coordination with the Director of Action & Advocacy and the President.
  • Act as liaison to other local environmental groups, such as the Howard County Conservancy, Sierra Club, Energy Efficient Maryland, NRDC, 350.org, etc.  
  • Attend Environmental Fair/Earth Day events to register voters, provide voter education information, and recruit members.  
  • Inform the Volunteer and Events coordinator and Publications Director about relevant events in advance so that they can be added to the HoCo League calendar.

Director of Fundraising

The Director of Fundraising leads all LWVHC income-gathering activities. 

  • Organize and arrange fundraisers to support the League’s activities, such as restaurant nights, walk-a-thons, and merchandise sales. 
  • Publicize the Valentine’s Day Appeal and other fundraisers.  
  • Obtain donations and advertising to support publishing of The Voters Guide.  
  • Inform the Volunteer and Events coordinator and Publications Director about relevant events in advance so that they can be added to the HoCo League calendar. 

Director of Membership Services

The Director of Membership Services is the LWVHC’s primary point of contact with new and existing members. 

  • Welcome new members via email, letters, and/or phone calls, write membership communications, update the new members’ handbook as necessary. 
  • Coordinate with the Volunteer and Events coordinator to recruit volunteers. 
  • Coordinate with the President, Community and Student Liaisons and Diversity and Voter Services Directors to plan recruitment events. 
  • Send all communication to Online Services and Communications Directors for publication. 
  • Maintain the member database. 
  • Follow up with members who fail to renew their membership. 
  • Inform the Directors of Publications/Online Services about relevant events in advance so that they can be added to the HoCo League calendar.

Director of Online Services

The Director of Online Services manages the tools used by the LWVHC. These include Nation Builder, Google Calendar, Google Mail (gmail), Google Drive and Zoom. 

  • Support all aspects of the Nation Builder Platform which allows the LWV HC to communicate with its members and potential members.   Specifically:  Updating WebPages, Creating Surveys, Creating Events, Seeking Volunteers, Encouraging New Members, Renewing Existing Members, Creating Fundraising Pages and sending out email communications to Members.
  • Coordinate with all Directors to publicize events and activities. Note that the content of all communications and web updates needs to be approved by the President before posting.
  • Google: Manage access to the shared Google Workspace accounts,  Update the online Google Calendar 
  • Zoom: Manage access to the LWV HC Zoom account and create Zoom meetings  for all Board, Unit, and other meetings as necessary.

Director of Publications

The Director of Publications manages the LWVHC’s internal communications and annual publications. 

  • Compile monthly reports provided by board members for our monthly newsletter, The Voter. 
  • Update and proofread the workbook for our annual meeting, our League handbook, advocacy training materials (i.e. The Elected) and other League literature. 
  • Send publications to the Director of Online Services to be posted on the website and emailed to members.

Director of Voter Services

The Director of Voter Services leads the LWVHC’s efforts to register, educate, and engage voters. 

  • Coordinate with President, Community and Student Liaisons, and Director of  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to plan and staff voter registration drives.  
  • Update Vote411.org, the LWV candidate information warehouse, as required. 
  • Update, publish, and distribute the LWVHC Voters Guide (send online copy to Online Services for publication), 
  • Plan Candidate Forums for Primary and General Elections with assistance from the Volunteer and Events Coordinator.
  • Coordinate with the Board of Elections and groups such as Common Cause to support election workers, including recruiting, training, and organizing members to participate in the Poll Evaluation Program. 
  • Let the Publication Director know of any events in advance so that they can be added to the HoCo League calendar.  

Community Liaison

The Community Liaison fosters the LWVHC’s relationships with our partners and other Howard County organizations that share our mission and priorities. 

  • Act as liaison to partner community organizations, such as the Association of Community Services (ACS), American Association of University Women (AAUW), Howard County Citizens’ Association (HCCA), etc.
  • Receive news updates from these associations and send them information about our activities. 
  • Collaborate with the President to attend monthly ACS meetings.
  • Relay information about upcoming community events to the Online Director for inclusion in the League calendar. 
  • Share our calendar events with ACS and other community organizations and media calendars. 
  • Coordinate with the Director of Membership Services and Volunteer and Events Coordinator to recruit and organize members for community service (ex. food bank, CCC, park cleanups, Grassroots). 

Student Liaison

The Student Liaison coordinates LWVHC outreach and engagement with students of all ages in Howard County. 

  • Work with county high schools (HCPSS), HC Association of Student Councils, Howard Community College, and HCC SGA, to advance knowledge of the HoCo League of Women Voters. 
  • Coordinate with HCPSS to recruit LWVHC volunteers to serve as judges at the annual county-wide 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearings and for other opportunities to participate in similar events. 
  • Coordinate with the Director of Voter Services to plan and participate in voter registration and education sessions at community services, career, and other events at local schools.  
  • Work towards creating a Student Unit based at HCC.   
  • Inform the Publications Director about relevant events in advance so that they can be added to the HoCo League calendar. 

Volunteer and Events Coordinator

The Volunteer and Events Coordinator helps the LWVHC increase engagement by managing opportunities for members to get involved and assisting in the planning and implementation of member events.

  • Coordinate with the Director of Membership Services to reach out to new and existing members about volunteer opportunities.
  • Maintain volunteer database.
  • Recruit new volunteers from membership when needs arise; attend LWVHC events to engage with potential new members. 
  • Recruit and organize members for setup/takedown of annual Delegation Breakfast, County Council Legislation meeting, Annual Meeting, and other special League events/celebrations. Manage catering arrangements the day of the event if needed. 
  • Coordinate with the Fundraising Director to organize hospitality/food donations for events if appropriate.