2008 Election Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of the Shop.org Board of Directors?
How is the ballot selected?What is the Application Rating System?
Should candidates write their own application?
Who is on the nomination committee?
What positions are being elected in 2007?
Who is eligible to run for office?
What is the Election Calendar?
What are the responsibilities of Board members?
Who are the current Board members?
What are the benefits of serving on the Board?
What do I have to do to submit my nomination?
Can I nominate someone else?
What is next after submitting my nomination?
When will nominees be notified if they have been selected to be on the ballot?
What if the Nominating Committee does not choose me?
What information will be provided to the voters?
Who votes for Shop.org Board of Directors?
When will voting take place?
When will the results be announced?
How are new Board members oriented?
When is the first Board meeting for newly elected Directors?
Are there any Election Rules?
What is Shop.org's non-profit status?
What is the role of the Shop.org Board of Directors?
Complete details of the role of the Board can be found in the Board Charter. The overall role of the 19-member Shop.org Board of Directors is to provide:
- Strategic planning guidance on the vision and mission of the organization, strategic priorities and major initiative
- Feedback on the membership experience
- Support of programs and services
How is the ballot selected?
The Nomination Committee selects two candidate for every seat being contested. For the 2008 election, 10 retail candidates will be placed on the ballot for 5 seats, and 6 non-retail candidates will be placed on the ballot for 3 seats. The Nomination Committee uses the four criteria below for selecting applicants to the ballot. Applicants are rated (see rating system below) based on how closely their application is aligned to the criteria.
- Past contributions to Shop.org (i.e. committee involvement, participation as a speaker or roundtable facilitator at Shop.org events, blog postings, introductions to keynote speakers, mentor involvement, regional captain)
- Industry contributions
- Industry leadership and influence
- Thought leadership
- Significant digital retail innovation or accomplishment
- Willingness to contribute their time to support the role of the Board and attend four in-person meetings per year (held in conjunction with Shop.org events) for a two year term
- Contribution to the diversity of the Board to reflect the membership composition
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What is the Application Rating System?
Each application will be rated using the system below. Ratings will be used to guide the decision of the nominating committee.
- (Y or N – an N is grounds for disqualifying the application)
Willingness to contribute their time to support the role of the Board and attend four in-person meetings per year - (0 to 60 points)
Past contributions to Shop.org (i.e. committee involvement, participation as a speaker or roundtable facilitator at Shop.org events, blog postings, introductions to keynote speakers, mentor involvement, regional captain) - (0 to 40 points)
Industry contributions
- Industry leadership and influence
- Thought leadership
- Significant digital retail innovation or accomplishment
- (Y or N)
Contribution to the diversity of the Board to reflect the membership composition
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Should candidates write their own application?
We recommend that candidates write their application themselves. We find that personally written applications better reflect a candidate's interest in and committment to Shop.org.
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Who is on the Nomination Committee?
The Nomination Committee is comprised of Shop.org Board members between the first and second year of their term. Current Board members running for re-election do not serve on the nomination committee. The nomination committee includes:
- Miki Berardelli, Vice President of Marketing, Polo Retail Corporation & Polo.com
- Pinny Gniwisch, Founder, EVP Marketing, Ice.com
- Brett Hurt, Founder and CEO, Bazaarvoice, Inc.
- Carrie Johnson, VP and Research Director, Forrester Research
- Scott Key, SVP, Relationship Marketing and Business Direct, Gap, Inc.
- Richard Last, VP, New Business Development Director, jcp.com
- John Lazarchic, Vice President, E-Commerce, PETCO Animal Supplies
- Kelly Mooney, President, CXO, Resource Interactive
- Robert Myers, SVP, QVC.com, QVC, Inc.
- Scott Silverman, Executive Director, Shop.org
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What positions are being elected in 2008?
Five retail member directors and three associate member directors will be elected in 2008. Two candidate for each open position will be placed on the ballot. The ballot will include 10 retail candidates and 6 non-retail candidates.
Who is eligible to run for office?
All employees of Shop.org member firms in good standing are eligible to run for Board seats. Essentially, any employee of a member firm can submit a nomination for himself or herself or someone else; however, Board members are usually senior level executives. A member in good standing means that the company has paid dues through October 2008. Only one representative per member company may run for a Board seat.
What is the election schedule?
- June 27 — Deadline for Submission of Nomination Applications
- July 14 — Nominating Committee Determines Candidates
- Aug 4-15 — Voting
- Aug 25 — Results Announced
- Sept 15 — First mandatory meeting of new Board
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What are the responsibilities of Board members?
Board seats are volunteer positions. The responsibilities of Board members include:
- Attend four in-person Board meetings per year
(half-day each - usually are tied to a Shop.org event) - Preparation for meetings - reading Board books and materials in advance
- Responding to emails/phone calls from staff or executive committee within 24 hours
- Serve a two-year term
- Serve on Nominating Committee in second year of term
- Contribute time, leadership and expertise
Who are the current Board members?
Seventeen elected Directors (11 Retail, 6 Associate) and two permanent Directors
- Elected Retail Member Directors
(six returning and five open seats)- Miki Berardelli, Vice President of Marketing, Polo Retail Corporation & Polo.com
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Gary Briggs, former SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, eBay North America
- Troy Brown, Sr. Director & General Manager, The Timberland Company
- Chuck Davis, Chairman and CEO, Fandango, Inc
- Pinny Gniwisch, Founder, EVP Marketing, Ice.com
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Denise Incandela, President, Saks Direct
- Scott Key, SVP, Relationship Marketing and Business Direct, Gap, Inc
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Richard Last, VP, New Business Development Director, jcp.com
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - John Lazarchic, Vice President, E-Commerce, PETCO Animal Supplies
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Robert Myers, SVP, QVC.com, QVC, Inc
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Sam Taylor, CEO, Oriental Trading Company
- Elected Associate Member Directors
(three returning directors, three open seats)- Patti Freeman Evans, Research Director, JupiterResearch
- Carrie Johnson, VP and Research Director, Forrester Research
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Brett Hurt, Founder and CEO, Bazaarvoice, Inc
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - John McAteer, Head of Retail, Google, Inc
- Kelly Mooney, President, CXO, Resource Interactive
(returning - one year remaining in current term) - Elaine Rubin, President, Ekrubin inc.
- Permanent Directors
- Tracy Mullin, President and CEO, National Retail Federation
- Scott Silverman, Executive Director, Shop.org
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What are the benefits of serving on the Board?
- Serve as the leadership of the organization and the industry
- Set the agenda for Shop.org
- Interact and network with leaders
- Spokespeople for the industry - PR opportunities
- Speaking opportunities
- Ability to be on the cutting edge of trends and discussions with fellow Board members
What do I have to do to submit my nomination? All nominees are asked to download and complete the Nomination Application and email a photo (300 dpi, jpeg) to 2008election@shop.org by Friday, June 27, 2008.
Can I nominate someone else?
Yes, you can nominate someone else. You can contact those who you think would be a good Board member, or suggest their name to Shop.org and we will contact them. IMPORTANT: The nominee must ultimately complete the application and agree to serve.
What is next after submitting my nomination?
Following the close of the nomination period, a Nomination Committee, composed of the returning Board members, will evaluate the nominations and select two candidates for each open positin - 10 retail candidates and 6 non-retail candidates. The Nomination Committee uses specific criteria to evaluate and rate applicants.
When will nominees be notified if they have been selected to be on the ballot?
All nominees will be notified no later than August 1, 2008.
What if the Nominating Committee does not choose me?
The ballot will contain a space for write-in candidates.
What information will be provided to the voters?
Shop.org will post the completed Nomination Application and a photograph of each candidate selected on the ballot on the Shop.org Web site when the ballots are sent. A special Election newsletter will also be sent to all members via email.
Who votes for Shop.org Board of Directors?
Each Shop.org member company has one vote. The ballots are sent to the person who has been designated as the primary contact/voting member for the company. Contact Scott Silverman at scott@shop.org if you are would like to confirm or change your company's voting member. Employees who are not the voting members are encouraged to share their opinions about who should be elected with their company's voting member.
When will voting take place?
Ballots will be sent to the voting members of Shop.org member firms on August 4.
Ballots must be returned by August 15, 2008, 9PM EST.
When will the results be announced? Results will be announced on August 25, 2008.
How are new Board members oriented?
Prior to the September 15 Board meeting, new Board members are required to participate in a telephone orientation that provides a basic understanding of organizational, financial and membership structure of Shop.org.
When is the first Board meeting for newly elected Directors?
The first Board meeting after the elections is Monday, September 15, 2008, in Las Vegas. In-person participation in this meeting is mandatory.
Are there any Election Rules?
- Candidates agree not to participate in unsolicited campaigning via email, snail mail, phone fax or other methods.
- Candidates must be from member companies that have paid member dues through October 2008.
What is Shop.org's non-profit status?
Shop.org is a division of the National Retail Federation, which is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization.
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