Your Chance to Lead: CRA Seeks Candidates for Its Board of Directors

By Tracy Camp, Executive Director and CEO

The Computing Research Association (CRA) seeks your help in recruiting candidates for its Board of Directors. We are looking for individuals who have time, energy, initiative, and resources to work on CRA issues on behalf of the entire CRA community. We have a working Board, and all members are expected to work on community issues.

Members of the computing research community who are interested in serving on the CRA Board should nominate themselves by completing this form by December 5, 2024. Nominees do not need to be affiliated with a CRA member unit.

Nomination Form

Board Member Expectations

CRA Board members serve on various committees, including the CRA Committees on Communications, Elections, Finance, Major Awards, and Surveys, as well as committees for organizing key CRA events, such as the CRA Leadership Academy (next edition February 2025) and CRA New Chairs Workshop (next edition July 2025).

In addition, issues affecting computing research arise unexpectedly, and Board members must take the initiative and lead CRA’s responses. Many CRA committees and initiatives involve year-round attention, regular conference calls, communications with lab directors and academic unit leaders, document writing, and sometimes travel.

The CRA Board, as a whole, meets twice a year, with travel and hotel costs paid by the individual members (unless an exceptional circumstance exists). Board members serve staggered three-year terms. At the discretion of the Elections Committee, and based upon a member’s proactive service record during the expiring term, CRA Board members wishing to stand for re-election may be included on the draft ballot. There is a three term limit.

Board activities include:

Working with the computing research community to envision the future of computing research,
Developing white papers and best practice documents that benefit the computing research community,
Increasing the participation of women and other groups minoritized in computing research,
Thinking strategically about computing education and its impact on the research enterprise,
Testifying before Congress and meeting with policymakers to explain the role of computing and computing research,
Developing workshops on issues critical to computing research and/or researchers,
Planning the CRA Summit (formerly known at the CRA Conference at Snowbird), which takes place every other year, and
Conducting the annual CRA Taulbee Survey.

Additional information on CRA and its activities is available on the About CRA page.

The CRA Board Election Process and Timeline

Members of the computing research community who are interested in serving on the CRA Board should nominate themselves by completing this form. Nominees do not need to be affiliated with a CRA member unit. The deadline for receipt of nominations is December 5, 2024.

The Elections Committee will carefully consider all nominations, with the aim of a final ballot slate containing about twice as many candidates as there are open slots. Important criteria considered by the Elections Committee includes distribution of candidates and current Board members among organizations, distribution among types and sizes of organizations, evidence of leadership, diversity, and evidence of interest in and capacity for service beyond what is typically expected of faculty members and industry/lab researchers.

In December 2024, the Elections Committee will announce the draft ballot. Additional names may be added by the CRA community (as described below).
On January 21, 2025, nominations by petition are due. Each such nomination must be signed by the chairs/heads/leaders of at least five constituent member units that are current in dues payment. Current CRA member units are listed on the CRA Member List page.
In late January 2025, final ballots will be distributed to CRA chairs/heads/deans and industry/lab directors. Each CRA member will take part in the rank voting process to fill the vacant positions.
In late February 2025, election results will be announced.