FAQ

What are at-large Alumni Term Director responsibilities?

• Attend monthly virtual Board meetings (1 regular, 1 additional per month)

• Become familiar with the LIAA Operating Model (covers structure, cadences, etc.)

• Acknowledge the LIAA Code of Conduct, and its Board Specific Addenda

• • This will include signing the LIAA Board Conflict of Interest disclosure

• Formally commit on an annual basis  

• • to leading a specific project, and  

  • to a workload expectation of a minimum of eight hours a month on LIAA work.

• Participate in strategic initiatives based on need and interests

• Support semi-annual LIAA Board presentations at Lauder Institute Board of Governors and Lauder Advisory Council meetings.

• Contribute financially every year to LIAA - at whatever level works

What will I be asked for to submit my nomination?

• Name

• Class Year

• Program or Language Track

• LinkedIn profile URL or a resume

• Headshot (in Jpeg or PDF format)

• Current country of residence

• Personal statement of 250 words or less including

• • Brief overview of who you are

  • Why you want to join the Board

  • What you see as your skill sets

  • Indication of Board Committee interest. Please indicate which of the five committees you may have interest in joining and briefly highlight why.

• Acknowledgment of the LIAA Code of Conduct

What are the five Board Committees?

Our current Board Committees are Strategic Alumni Engagement, Talent Acquisition, Legal & Finance, Governance, and Long Term Funding

How much of a time investment is this?

• We commit to a minimum of 8 hours a month, which includes 

• • 1 or 2 hours just for board meetings, plus 

  • time to prep for these, then 

  • depending on the committee these may meet on a weekly basis, and then 

  • there are strategic initiatives.  This is a working board! 

How long am I committing for?

• Alumni Term Directors serve 2-year terms - yours would go from from June 2026 to June 2028

• Alumni Term Directors have a three 2-year consecutive term limit, should they be interested in continuing their service, and are re-elected internally by their peers.  

When do I start?

• Once elected, the new at-large Alumni Term Director officially takes office in June 2026.  We do our best to welcome new ATDs and start Onboarding as soon as possible after welcoming them.  Our first Board Meeting is slated for June 11th (but might change).

Two out of seven Alumni Term Director seats are reserved for alumni who reside outside of the United States. Why is that?

• Our alumni community is globally distributed and we want our Board leadership to reflect that. In the spirit of the Lauder Institute’s mission, we integrate geographic diversity into our Board foundations by reserving 2 seats for alumni who reside outside the US at the time of their election. This way, our Board decisions will better reflect the interests and needs of alumni everywhere. 

• This year, one seat is already held by a Director who is resident outside of the United States, and therefore we require at least one more Director who is resident outside of the United States.

What is the ideal candidate profile? 

• We have no ideal candidate profile, other than willingness to put in the work and Lauder Love.   

• Competencies we are especially interested in include:

• • Marketing / social media

  • Event planning and coordination

  • Analytics 

  • Finance:  budget management and financial institution oversight

  • Legal

• In general, no previous Board work experience is necessary.

What makes an effective Board Director?

• A commonly used framework for non-profit Board Director contributions is the 3 W’s: wealth, wisdom, and work. In LIAA, Board Directors are primarily expected to contribute wisdom and work to advance LIAA goals; this is a working board.  We do request wealth to the extent that we want to have all Board Directors contribute to LIAA every year, at whatever amount

• In terms of board sustainability, the ideal Board Director is one who is committed to their service and could potentially engage for more than one term.

Are Board Directors required or expected to contribute to LIAA financially?

• Yes. Board Directors are required to make financial contributions to the LIAA, but the main request is for their time and involvement. The goal is to have 100% participation from Board Directors; the amount of the contribution is at each Director’s discretion.

Can LRAs and LGAW volunteers run?

• Yes please! All Lauder alumni through the class of 2025 are eligible to run, including people who have volunteered with the Lauder alumni community in any capacity.    

What are the biggest challenges the LIAA Board faces? What is the future state this Board is working toward?

• We have a couple major challenges today:

• • Workload: LIAA has a lot of work to do with only a part-time Head of Operations, a Project Manager/Tech Consultant, and Lauderites who are engaged in pursuing many initiatives.  We need Board Directors who can put in the time to serve the LIAA Board and community on defined projects and some operational needs. 

  • Ford vs. Ferrari: We have great visions and want to be a Ferrari, when we only have the bandwidth to be a Ford

  • Growth:  Our alumni base is growing, and we want to engage as best as possible  

• Our long term goal is to build a sustainable, viable framework to engage an active alumni community with ongoing events and initiatives in global regions.  

Can I be involved with the LIAA without being on the Board? 

• Of course! You do not need to run for the  Board to be involved with LIAA. You can:

• • Work with the LIAA Board. You can join one of our LIAA Committees or serve as a LIAA Board Advisor supporting the Board on a discrete project in an area of your expertise (eg marketing, social media, event planning, finance,  legal, analytics). Help organize 2027’s Immersion Weekend for Alumni. 

  • Lead alumni programming. Have great ideas for Lauder in-person or virtual events? Please write getinvolved@lauderlove.com with any ideas you have to get involved! 

  • Become a Lauder Regional Ambassador or Class Captain. 

  • Join a Lauder Affinity Group. 

 Take the next step! Reach out to getinvolved@lauderlove.com