Alumni Trustees

Alumni

Four alumni nominated for trustee positions Voting begins in April

The Phillips Academy Board of Trustees is responsible for governance of the Academy. It is comprised of Charter Trustees appointed by the Committee on Trustees (a committee of the Board) and Alumni Trustees as follows:

the President of Alumni Council ex-officio for one three-year term;
the Senior Cochair of the Annual Giving Board (a committee of the Alumni Council) ex-officio for one two-year term; and
four Alumni Trustees elected by the regular members of the Alumni Association, each for a term of four years, staggered such that two terms expire every other year.

Alumni Trustee Positions by Election

The Alumni Trustee position was created by the bylaws of Trustees of Phillips Academy (“Trustees Bylaws”) which states:

“The Alumni Association of Phillips Academy shall have the right to select such number of persons to serve as Alumni Trustees as the Trustees shall from time to time establish. The method of selection and the terms of office of such Alumni Trustees shall be as determined by the Trustees after consultation with the Alumni Association. Persons selected as Alumni Trustees shall have the right to attend all meetings of the Trustees, to receive notices of such meetings, and to participate fully in the discussion of any matter properly before the Trustees. They shall not be Members of the Corporation and shall not become Members by reason of their selection, and shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Trustees. Alumni Trustees may vote on all matters except those restricted to the Trustees by said Constitution and Act of Incorporation, both as amended from time to time, including but not limited to elections of officers and the Head of School.”

The elected Alumni Trustee candidate selection and election process is defined in the Bylaws of Alumni Council (“Council’s Bylaws), which are available on the Alumni Council's landing page. Council's Bylaws are superseded by the Trustees Bylaws.

Alumni Trustee elections take place every other year in even years. All members of the Alumni Association are eligible to vote. Terms start on July 1 and end on June 30.

Alumni Trustee Candidate Selection

The Nominating Committee of Alumni Council is responsible for considering and recommending candidates to stand for election. Its goal is to recommend individuals who, if elected, would add productive knowledge and experience and the broad representation reflected in our alumni community to the Board. Candidates eligible for consideration include current and former members of Alumni Council and other alumni who have effectively served the best interests of the Academy and the Alumni Association in one or more manners set forth in the Alumni Council Bylaws.

To select the strongest slate of alumni for election by the general alumni body, the Nominating Committee:

Reviews a wide range of possible candidates for consideration.
Researches possible candidates.
Discusses possible candidates based on five areas of qualification:
- Volunteer service to Andover (required)
- Consistent financial support to Andover (required)
- Distinction in their professional field (required)
- Volunteer service beyond Andover (preferred)
- Previous service on Alumni Council (preferred)

In addition to these criteria, the Nominating Committee seeks to support the Academy’s Statement of Purpose which reads, in part, “the Academy is committed to establishing a community that encourages people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to understand and respect one another and to be sensitive to differences in gender, ethnicity, class and sexual orientation.”

Once the Nominating Committee has selected a slate of Alumni Trustee candidates, it presents the slate to the Executive Committee of Alumni Council for consideration and approval. Once approved by the Executive Committee, the slate is presented to the President of the Board of Trustees for consideration. The President of the Board of Trustees invites each selected Alumni Trustee nominee to stand for election.

Alumni Trustee Nominations

Nominations are submitted during Volunteer Summit Weekends in the Falls of odd years or can be submitted by any member of the Andover community by completing the form at the bottom of this page. In submitting names, please consider the qualifications noted above.

Up to two (2) additional alumni in any election cycle can be nominated by means of petition per the following:

Eligible alumni who seek nomination by Petition shall submit a written and mailed or emailed statement that is received by the Secretary of the Academy no later than the May 15 preceding commencement of the Petition Period. Upon receipt of the written statement, an official document for signature collection shall be provided (the “Petition”).
The Petition period commences on June 1 of the year preceding the Alumni Trustee Election and ends at 11:59 pm ET on October 1 of such year (the “Petition Period”). No Petition shall be effective unless (i) containing the signatures of a minimum of one thousand (1,000) regular members of the Association and (ii) received by the Executive Secretary during the Petition Period (each Petition satisfying the foregoing requirements being an “Effective Petition”). In addition to providing the official document for signature collection, the Executive Secretary shall ensure that for the duration of any Petition Period there is an electronic means by which each regular member of the Association can indicate such individual’s endorsement of the Petition other than through manual signature on such official document.
In the event more than two candidates are seeking nomination by Petition during any election cycle, such nominations shall be limited to the first two candidates to achieve an Effective Petition.

Voting

All members of the Alumni Association are eligible to vote for Alumni Trustees. Membership of the Alumni Association includes “Any individual who has been a member of a regular-session class at Phillips Academy or Abbot Academy for at least one marking period . . . once that Class has graduated.”

The process proceeds according to the following timeline:

FALL: Alumni Council Nominating Committee begins consideration of nominee submissions. (Odd years)

APRIL: Final slate of candidates announced and voting instructions sent via email or postcard. Search “electionservicescorp” in your Inbox/Spam folder. (Even years)

MAY: Votes collected and tabulated by a third party. (Even years)

JUNE: Newly elected Alumni Trustees announced Reunion Weekend. (Even years)

If you believe you did not receive an email or postcard or if you have questions regarding the election, please contact Karleigh Antista in the Office of Alumni Engagement.

Nomination Form

Five Areas of Qualification:

Volunteer service to Andover (required)
Consistent financial support to Andover (required)
Distinction in their professional field (required)
Volunteer service beyond Andover (preferred)
Previous service on Alumni Council (preferred)

In addition to these criteria, it is important to keep in mind the Academy’s Statement of Purpose which reads, in part, “the Academy is committed to establishing a community that encourages people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to understand and respect one another and to be sensitive to differences in gender, ethnicity, class and sexual orientation.” Current members of the Alumni Council’s Executive Committee and current Academy employees may not be nominated.