Information About Our Board Of Directors

Board Profile:

The CF Alberta Southwest Board is currently comprised of 7 members, which includes 6 men and 1 woman. The combined membership represents the 13 communities that make up the CF Alberta Southwest region. (Cardston, Claresholm, Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek, Cardston County, MD Willow Creek, MD Pincher Creek, Cowley, Glenwood, Hillspring, Waterton National Park, Granum and Stavely).

The skill sets of the members include a retired Accountant, a retired Lawyer, one member with previous banking experience, 2 members with an agricultural background, 4 members that currently or have previously owned or operated a business, 1 member that is currently sitting on Municipal Councils, 4 members that have previously sat on Municipal Councils with one being a retired Mayor and 7 members with Community Economic Development experience.

There are members who represent the following stakeholder groups: Municipal Governments, Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Committee’s or Commission’s.

Term of Office:

The term of office for a Board member is 3 years. Once the term is completed the community is requested to nominate either a new person or the outgoing Board member for a new 3 year term.

At the Annual General Meeting those Director positions that have completed the 3 year term will be vacated and made available for nomination. An election will be held under the terms set out in 3E of the Bylaws for the vacancies made available for election. At the end of the Annual General Meeting those Directors that have completed the 3 year term will be vacated and the newly elected Directors will be invited to attend the next Board meeting.

Vacant Director positions shall be filled by the following process:

Notice of vacancy and an invitation to recommend a candidate will be sent to the Municipal Council, Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Committee of the community in which a vacancy exists for a 30 day period prior to the next meeting or prior to the Annual General Meeting;

1. Persons interested in becoming a Director of the Board may apply directly to the Board;
2. Applications may be downloaded here;
3. Once completed, applications may be forwarded to Community Futures Alberta Southwest, 436  24 Street, Fort Macleod, AB  T0L 0Z0 or emailed to info@cfabsw.com.
4. Acceptance of recommendation by the Board for the position and screening of applications for suitability;
5. Vote of the Board members in good standing to accept one nominee from the community in which the vacancy exists;
6. Formal invitation to the successful nominee to join the Board of Directors to represent their community at the next Board meeting.

The maximum number of terms for any Board member is 3 consecutive board terms. Once a Board member has been in office for a total of nine years, they will need to resign.

Board Member Training:

• Board members are encouraged to attend special workshops, conferences and seminars that are provided for the organization that deal with Business Development, Lending Policies of Community Futures organizations, Board Development, Community Economic Development, and other topics that arise.
• Board members are required to attend an orientation seminar with the CFABSW administration to familiarize themselves with the organization, its operations, policies and personnel.
• Board members will receive a “Board Member Orientation Guide” and a copy of the current “Policy & Procedures Manual”. These documents include clearly defined roles and responsibilities for board members and staff, Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest provisions and the organizations’ Privacy and Confidentiality policy.
• Board members are also encouraged to individually attend developmental training programs and seminars that can contribute to the organization’s well-being and to their community’s capacities.
• Travel, accommodation, meals and registration costs for conferences are covered when approved in advance by the Board.
• Opportunities to attend workshops, conferences and seminars will be provided to the Board, as the information is received by the office. Board members are encouraged to bring other training opportunities forward to the Board as they arise. The Board will discuss and approve support in advance of the training.