Congress has agreed to full funding for the Space Exploration Vision We need your help now to keep it moving forward!

In the early hours of Saturday morning, a U.S. House-Senate conference committee unexpectedly reversed its previous position and agreed to fully fund the President’s FY2005 budget request for NASA. NSS played a big part in the lobbying effort for this bill, including delivering 1700 letters of support to Congress. As the space program lifts off into the 21st century, you can be a part of vital efforts like this one, by joining the NSS leadership team. The NSS Executive Search Committee is seeking outstanding people with the time, talent, and motivation to serve as Officers and Committee Chairs and members.

The deadline for candidates to submit their résumés by email to ndag98-esc@yahoo.com has been extended to Saturday, November 27. There are many opportunities to serve, and one may be a perfect fit for you. We need your help to lead humanity to the stars!

Vice Presidents serve a particularly important role in NSS, coordinating our efforts in areas such as Projects, Chapters, Membership, Public Affairs, and Policy. Here’s some additional information on the Vice Presidents’ responsibilities:

A Vice-President is expected to select or nominate (if not authorized to select) both the committee chair and its members, and to ensure that they work well as a team. In general, the role of a Vice-President over a committee is as the visionary, the leader, the diplomat, the negotiator, and the recruiter. The VP should not chair a committee unless he/she has sufficient time available and skills in coordination, task-management, procedures, etc.

Additional VP expectations/responsibilities are:

  • Recruit people to serve on each committee overseen
  • Help each committee develop an annual plan and budget
  • Ensure each committee annual plan/budget is consistent with that of other committees reporting to other VPs
  • Present each committee annual plan/budget to Board of Directors for approval; iterate with committee as needed
  • Ensure that each committee is working to approved plan
  • Coordinate changes to plan with NSS Executive Committee
  • Ensure that each committee has necessary resources when needed (money, staff support, contract support)
  • Ensure that each committee submits quarterly reports to feed to quarterly report of VP to Board of Directors
  • Ensure that each committee provide any required metrics information on the agreed-to schedule
  • Ensure that each committee provides any requested input to NSS publications (e.g., Ad Astra, NSS Online Report)
  • Ensure that each committee provides adequate support to the Internet (Web Site) Development Team
  • Review performance of each committee and ensure that deserving committees, committee chairs, and committee members receive proper recognition and/or rewards

Please email ndag98-esc@yahoo.com if you have any questions about the Vice-Presidents’ responsibilities, or those of other NSS leaders, and don’t hesitate to send in your resume – there are many opportunities to serve, including one that may be perfect for you!

NSS Ad Hoc Executive Search Committee
Greg Rucker, Chairman
Josh Powers
Ronnie Lajoie
Don Doughty