The Sports Car Club of America® is a club in every sense of the word – as in, it’s members like you that make the SCCA world go round. It’s true on the local side, where you may have volunteered to do things like design autocross courses, organize road races, work registration, or more; it’s also true on the National level, where you may have put in time on a program board or been a chief at a National event. You’ve truly accomplished a lot, but there’s one position you may have never seriously considered running for: a spot on SCCA’s National Board of Directors (BoD). For those residing in Areas 1, 5, 7, 8, and 13, this is the year that can change.

Understandably, you have questions, like which of SCCA’s 13 Areas are having Board of Directors elections this year, when is the application deadline, and what does a Director actually do? Let’s get to the bottom of it.

Election Years in your Area

There are 13 positions on the SCCA Board of Directors, with those being broken down by geographic location. The image below offers an idea of the geography and who your current Area Director is. You can confirm your Area by checking your Region of Record once you log in to SCCA’s Member Account Portal.

BoD elections are staggered in order to manage turnover on the Board, so you’ll need to plan ahead when running for a seat. For that, here’s what the next three years hold in store:

- 2024 election: Areas 1, 5, 7, 8, and 13
- 2025 election: Areas 2, 6, 10 and 12
- 2026 election: Areas 3, 4, 9, and 11

The 2027 election will cycle back to Areas 1, 5, 7, 8, and 13, continuing the cycle.

What to Expect

“The BoD is responsible for the governance of the SCCA,” Peter Jankovskis, Area 5 Director and Chairman of the Board, explains. “We hire SCCA’s CEO and work with the CEO to set strategic direction for the Club. We monitor the performance of the CEO and program boards. We ensure compliance with laws and internal procedures. We also evaluate existing procedures and modify as needed to adapt to changes in the Club's operating environment.”

None of this is to say you need to have professional skills that align with the BoD’s roles. Rather, Jankovskis says, it’s your prior involvement in the Club that will help you shine. “Leadership experience within the Club is helpful, whether as an RE, Steward, or on an Advisory Committee or program board,” he says. “A willingness to listen and seek out all sides of an issue is critical.”

New BoD members also receive direction early on in their tenure. “We have spent time in recent years strengthening our new BoD member on-boarding process,” Steve Strickland, Area 12 Director and the Board’s Vice-Chairman, says. “This includes a full day of orientation followed by sitting in on the last BoD meeting of the year to observe how the process works.”

You may still feel a little overwhelmed at the beginning of your tenure, but as other Directors explain, you’ll find your footing. “Six months into the job, I wasn’t sure I was making a contribution,” admits Area 8 Director Clay Turner. “Steve Strickland reassured me that I was having more of an impact than I realized. I felt better when Bob Tunnell told me he, too, felt lost during his first year.”

If this his piqued your interest, you’ll want to watch the “Meet the Board of Directors” session from the 2024 SCCA National Convention. This 47-minute Q&A video sees Jankovskis, Turner, and Area 2’s Bob Crawford offer unique insight into the BoD.

Step One

The first step in running for a position on the SCCA Board of Directors is being a member of the SCCA in good standing. From there, you must be a resident of the Area you seek to serve by April 30 of the election year, and there needs to be an election in your Area, as elections are staggered to manage turnover. Next, you’ll need to gather 20 member signatures from your Area and submit them to the SCCA National Office prior to the Oct. 1 deadline.

The “National BoD Election Nomination Form” is located under the “General Information” tab of SCCA’s Member Account Portal, alongside the “SCCA Election Procedures for the Board of Directors” document that covers all of the requirements in greater detail.

It also never hurts to familiarize yourself with SCCA’s governance documents like the SCCA ByLaws, Operations Manual, and BoD Handbook, stored in the same location.

Membership voting for BoD positions begins mid-October, with election results announced shortly after the Nov. 15 voting deadline.

Being elected to a position on SCCA’s Board of Directors is a big deal, and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. That said, if you’ve served the Club on the local level, you’re exactly what the SCCA BoD is looking for.

Photo by Philip Royle