The Board of Governors is a volunteer Board focused on governance, oversight and strategic direction of the school, rather than its day-to-day operations. Governors are unpaid and volunteer to dedicate significant time and expertise to the Society, and are also fiduciaries of the school, responsible for overseeing the school's fiscal stewardship.

Read more about the SMUS Board of Governors

In addition to having the required experience to serve, a significant time commitment is required to serve on the Board.  During peak periods, this may require up to 20 volunteer hours per week, with average commitment of up to 40 volunteer hours per month.  Candidates responding to this Call for Nominations should be prepared to commit this level of volunteer time to Board service, including regular (as often as one per month during school months) trips, if applicable, to Victoria, BC.

If you are a Society Member with these qualifications and are willing to dedicate significant volunteer time in service to the School, please email the Nominations Committee Chair at [email protected] before the deadline, when the Call for Nominations will close. 

 

The Nominations Committee will reply to confirm receipt of your email and then contact you to discuss your interest.   After that discussion, the Nominations Committee will conduct an evaluation and interview process with qualified candidates and will bring forward its recommendation for Governor candidates to the Society in late spring or summer 2026. 

Expressions of interest received after the deadline or that don’t meet the requirements set forth in this Call for Nominations are welcome, however these may be considered for future board years or perhaps for starting service on suitable Committees of the Board.

The Society benefits when all potential Board candidates are considered and assessed earlier on in the process, prior to the Nominations Committee making its recommendation of Governor candidates to the Society.  To do this responsibly requires adequate time to identify, interview, and evaluate interested candidates using the same standard criteria.

• Candidates who respond to this Call before the deadline and who meet the requirements set out in Section 5.5 of the SMUS Bylaws will be part of this process and thereby preserve their eligibility to self-initiate their own nomination in 2026, independently of any Nomination Committee recommendation.
• As a note, returning Governor candidates have already expressed their interest as candidates and have already completed a returning governor evaluation process.

This requirement supports procedural fairness and good governance on behalf of the Society.

The Nominations Committee works on behalf of the Society to evaluate the Board composition to ensure effective governance of an institution of SMUS’ scale and complexity, and to identify and recommend the most qualified candidates to the Society.

 In fulfilling this responsibility, the Committee considers:

• the skills and experience required by the Board to fulfill its responsibilities to the school
• succession planning, including for Board Officers and Committee Chairs
• a diversity of backgrounds, expertise and perspectives

This call for Nominations is one avenue to identify and connect with Society members that may be well-suited, qualified, and interested in Board service.