By Ross Boyer, F268985
Chairman, Executive Director Search Committee
August 2010
The Executive Director Search Committee is continuing the process of seeking candidates for the position of FMCA executive director. FMCA Bylaws states, “A qualified person shall be selected by the Executive Board for the position of Executive Director.” The committee is working to complete this task according to the following plan and timeline.
- In mid-May we had an advertisement ready and published in the July issue of Family Motor Coaching and online at rvbusiness.com and rvdailyreport.com to solicit resumes to be submitted by August 15.
- The committee chairman will write an article for the August issue of Family Motor Coaching that explains the progress and what has yet to be done.
- Resumes will be received by the director of administrative services via hard-copy postal mail, e-mail, and fax.
- Return acknowledgments will be sent to the applicants.
- All resumes are to be electronically forwarded to the committee members.
- Committee members will review resumes as they are received and screen those that are not appropriate.
- The call list of candidates will be established by September 1, and preliminary phone interviews will be done individually by the committee members to narrow down the candidates to 10, who will then be interviewed by the entire committee via conference call.
- By November 1, three candidates will be selected to be interviewed by the Executive Board during their November meeting, and appointments will be made with the three selected candidates.
- Executive Board will interview candidates during November committee meetings.
- The Executive Board will select and propose an offer to be extended to the selected candidate.
- Offer accepted by December 1 for an employment start date of January 1, 2011.
This timeline meets the schedule that was proposed by an outside consultant last December. The consultant recommended that due to the length of service of the previous executive director, there should be a three- to six-month stabilization period and then six months to one year for completion of this process. Our timeline would be completed in one year, which would allow an additional six months should the selected candidate decline and additional interviews be needed.
The advertisement has been published in Family Motor Coaching and online at rvbusiness.com and rvdailyreport.com, two prominent Web sites in the RV industry. The advertisement appears below. We have received 14 resumes as of the second week of July. All of the committee members were expecting a greater number of resumes considering the economy and number of unemployed professionals.
The Executive Director Job Description had been created and approved by the Executive Board. The committee has this most recent description. Items from this job description and items that the committee members develop will be used as the skeleton for a “Letter of Agreement” that will be written when an offer to a candidate is made. This “Letter of Agreement” will be approved by the Executive Board and will be reviewed by FMCA’s attorney before the job offer is made and becomes the “Contract of Employment.”
Unfortunately, there is a misconception that the executive director is “just” an office manager. This perception is very far from the truth. The executive director not only manages the office but also manages all the business affairs of FMCA. The executive director is the individual who represents FMCA to the RV industry and to our members. Strong marketing skills to promote the image of FMCA are necessary. Exceptional people skills and the ability to work with both long- and short-term employees to establish goals in order to grow our association are all qualities that are required for a candidate to be selected to be our next executive director.
The members of the Executive Director Search Committee are Ross Boyer “” national vice president, Great Lakes Area, and committee chairman; Tom Eller “” national vice president, Southeast Area; Fred Kennedy “” national vice president, South Central Area; Charlie Schrenkel “” FMCA president; and Lana Makin “” FMCA director of administrative services, staff advisor.
Search Committee Seeks Qualified Applicants
For Family Motor Coach Association Executive Director
Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), an international organization for motorhome owners, seeks to employ a qualified person to serve as Executive Director. This individual will coordinate and manage all of the association’s business affairs and staff in accordance with its Constitution and Bylaws. FMCA’s national headquarters is located 20 minutes east of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Applicants must show evidence of extensive knowledge and successful experience in the following areas:
- Leadership Skills:
o Working with volunteer board, committees, and other volunteer groups in various capacities.
o Managing and coordinating multiple departments and 50 employees. - Marketing
- Finances/Budgeting
- Verbal and written communication skills
- Organizational skills
Possess a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university or equivalent work experience and experience in management position(s).
Airline travel involved.
Knowledge of recreation vehicle matters and/or similar industries is a plus.
Send resume and references to:
Family Motor Coach Association, Inc.
Attn. Executive Director Search Committee
8291 Clough Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45244, or
E-mail: ED@fmca.com, or
Fax: 513-388-5288