Call for Nominations & Motions – 2024 Annual Meeting of Members
The Nominating Committee of the Ontario Basketball Association (OBA) is notifying every Active / Affiliate / Honourary Member (“Voting Member”) of the Call for Nominations (candidates) for directors to serve on the Board of Directors for Ontario Basketball and the Call for Motions for the Annual Meeting of Members (AMM) on Saturday, October 26th, 2024, to be held virtually. Please note the following:
- Four (4) directors’ positions are open for election on Saturday, October 26th, 2024;
- The Chief Executive Officer (Claude Nembhard) will collect Nominations on behalf of the OBA Nominating Committee.
At this time, Ontario Basketball is placing particular emphasis on candidates with the following skills:
- Accounting and Financial Management [CPA]
- Not-for-Profit Governance – Completed coursework from a recognized post-secondary institution
- Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion implementation
- Human Resources [CHRP, CHRL]
- Certified Fundraising Executive [CFRE]
- Facility Management [ORFA]
Candidates with other competencies as outlined in Section 5.3 of OBA By-Law 1 are also invited to apply. Ontario Basketball welcomes applications from members of racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of various sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to help Ontario Basketball engage productively with diverse communities and contribute to the mission of the organization.
Board of Directors Nomination
Any individual interested in seeking election to the Board of Directors must be eligible as per By-Law 1 of OBA, and must complete a Nomination & Nominee Profile Form [.pdf], and a current CV / resume. Please submit your completed forms via email to Chief Executive Officer, Claude Nembhard at cnembhard@basketball.on.ca.
Nominations will be accepted until 4:00PM EST on Monday, September 30, 2024.
As required by the Ontario Non-Profit Corporations Act, elections will be held at the Annual Meetings of Members. Please note, however, nominations from the floor will not be accepted.
Governance of Ontario Basketball
The governance of Ontario Basketball is the responsibility of a Board of Directors and is currently comprised of seven (7) Directors-at-Large, elected by the membership at the Annual Meeting of Members. The Board of Directors is a “policy” or “governance” board, focused on establishing strategic direction, adopting appropriate policies, and applying effective oversight to ensure the organization is advancing toward its goals. Day-to-day operations of Ontario Basketball are the responsibility of a full-time Executive Director who reports to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director and full-time OBA staff work with various volunteers, committees, and technical experts and advisors to develop and implement programs that achieve the organization’s objectives while complying with the board’s policy framework.
Eligibility Criteria to be a Director-at-Large
To serve as Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of Ontario Basketball, one must:
- Be an Active Member at the time of his or her election or appointment or become an Active Member within ten (10) days of such election or appointment
- Be at least eighteen (18) years of age
- Be a resident of Ontario
- Not be an undischarged bankrupt
- Not be a mentally incompetent person(s) as determined by a qualified medical practitioner licensed to practice medicine in the province of Ontario
- Other criteria established by the Nominating Committee based on section 5.2.1 of OBA Bylaw-1
Please be aware: To ensure that members of the Board of Directors understand their duties and obligations, Ontario Basketball has adopted a Directors Agreement which all board members must execute upon successful election to the board.
As a volunteer board member, you will be encouraged to participate in a variety of developmental opportunities. Opportunities to engage in governance training, Safe Sport, Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders, and Making Head Way in Sport are a few of the developmental pieces that OBA board members will be encouraged to participate in.
Expectations and Commitment
Members of the Board of Directors of Ontario Basketball typically spend an average of 2-4 hours per month on board-related activities, but this may increase if they hold a position such as President or Chair of a Committee. Quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors take place in November, February, May, August of each year. Additional board meetings may be requested by the Executive Director and/or President if warranted. The meetings are typically on a weeknight, held via Zoom and may last up to two (2) hours. Briefing materials are distributed one week in advance of the meeting and members are expected to have read and considered the material in advance of the meeting.
Some roles, such as the role of President or Chair of a Committee, will from time to time require engagement during business hours and candidates for these roles should have this flexibility in their schedule.
Board members are not compensated for their position on the board but will be reimbursed for preapproved expenses directly related to board activities, including, but not limited to, accommodations, travel and meals.
Qualifications and Competencies
Effective board members will be those whose life and work experience and background equip them to contribute in a meaningful way to setting Ontario Basketball’s strategic direction and priorities, evaluating, and adopting appropriate policies, overseeing financial performance relative to expectations, and delegating operational responsibilities to the OBA Executive Director & staff while holding them accountable for achieving results while complying to policy.
GENERAL COMPETENCIES
- Prior Not-For-Profit volunteer or board experience is an asset
- Awareness and understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a director of a governance board
- Experience working in an executive, managerial, or oversight capacity
- High standards for personal integrity
- Collaborative, constructive working style
- Good communication skills
- Thorough understanding of conflicts of interest related to the position
SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
The Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors has assessed the skills and competencies that would be of particular value to Ontario Basketball at this time. These skills are:
- Accounting and Financial Management [CPA]
- Not-for-Profit Governance – Completed coursework from a recognized post-secondary institution
- Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion implementation
- Human Resources [CHRP, CHRL]
- Certified Fundraising Executive [CFRE]
- Facility Management [ORFA]
Other competencies of value to the board are enumerated on the candidate information form, and candidates are encouraged to document their qualifications on each of these dimensions.
JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
Ontario Basketball works to promote Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the sport of basketball, and we seek also to make the leadership of Ontario Basketball diverse and inclusive. We welcome candidacies from members of racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of various sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to help Ontario Basketball engage productively with diverse communities and contribute to the mission of the organization.
The Ontario Basketball Association is dedicated to ensuring open, accessible, equitable and respectful environments, and is committed to reflecting the diverse communities it serves. We encourage applications from members of our diverse communities, including Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women, persons from racialized groups,2SLGBTQ+ persons, those who are able to speak fluently in other language(s), and anyone committed to a rewarding experience as a Board Member with Ontario Basketball. The Ontario Basketball Association supports equity, diversity, inclusion and will provide accommodations in all stages of the selection process, as necessary. If you require accommodation in order to apply to this advertisement, please advise cnembhard@basketball.on.ca.
Nomination Process
Anyone seeking to be a candidate for election to the Board of Directors of Ontario Basketball must submit a fully completed Candidate Package no later than 4:00PM EST on September 30th, 2024.
A complete Candidate Package includes:
- A completed Nomination & Profile Form outlining the candidate’s professional experience, governance experience, basketball/sport experience, NFP experience, etc.). The information on this form will be made available to the membership in advance of the Annual Meeting.
- Current CV or Resume
To ensure that there are sufficient well-qualified candidates for consideration by the membership, the OBA Nominating Committee may seek out and nominate candidates in addition to those nominated by the membership.
A candidate’s nomination by the OBA Nominating Committee merely admits them to the process of evaluation by the committee – It does not represent an endorsement of the candidate. The nominating committee’s report to the Membership reflects the Committee’s final recommendations following careful evaluation of all the candidates eligible to stand for election at the close of nominations. The purpose of the OBA Nominating Committee evaluation process is to identify those candidates that are best suited to meet the needs of Ontario Basketball, given their knowledge, skills and experience, and other attributes and their understanding of the duties and obligations of a member of a governance board.
Following the close of nominations, the OBA Nominating Committee will evaluate the nominees and select a short list of nominees to be interviewed. Following deliberations, the OBA Nominating Committee will develop a list of candidates to be recommended to the membership at the Annual Meeting of Members. The OBA Nominating Committee will advise all nominees of the list of those recommended by the Committee at least 14 days prior to the date of the Annual Meeting and at least 3 days before the committee’s recommendations are published to the membership.
Motions
Please submit all motions in writing to Claude Nembhard by Monday, September 30th, 2024 at 4:00pm EST. The Motion Form [.pdf] has been included. Please note, motions from the floor at the Annual Meeting of Members will be for discussion only.
Contact
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity in greater detail, please contact Claude Nembhard, Chief Executive Officer.
Forms
- Nomination & Profile Form [.pdf]
- Motion Form [.pdf]
Please note: Ontario Basketball recognizes that the contact information for Active Members is subject to change during the course of the membership year. In order to ensure that Ontario Basketball provides appropriate notice to all its Active Members, this notice will be posted on the Ontario Basketball website during the period of the Call for Nominations.