LIAA is stronger when you are part of the action! If you are interested in getting involved with the LIAA Board, this is your chance. We are a learning board where incoming Alumni Term Directors have the opportunity to gain board experience to then serve on other boards. No previous Board Director experience required, although please note we do behave as a professional non-profit board, taking our roles of governance and time commitments seriously.

The LIAA and its Board of Directors

LIAA's mission is to build and support an engaged, thriving and sustainable global Lauder alumni community, including the Institute and students, across industries, geographies and classes through lifelong learning, networking, affinity groups and other vibrant, engaging events.

Our goals are to:

●       Increase opportunities for alumni engagement with alumni, the Institute and students

●       Collaborate with the Institute and students to identify and achieve mutual goals

●       Elevate the Institute’s profile as the leader in global business education and impact

We’re excited about the progress we have made engaging alumni and connecting the Lauder alumni community.

In the last couple of years, we have:

●       Held two election cycles, incorporating five alumni-elected Directors into our ten person board. This is our third year of all alumni elections since reintroduction in 2023.

●       Created a Talent Acquisition Committee to best harness the wonderful energy of our alums both for LGAW and for LIAA

●       Made significant progress on our financial sustainability, raising funds to cover LIAA’s operating expenses

●       Created an Operating Model to ensure smooth operations and clear expectations

●       Revamped the LIAA calendar so we can aim to better engage alumni around the world

●       Continued the online webinars, with over 77 webinars and over 90 alumni speakers

●       Held almost 100 regional in person events, with active engagement of 57 regional ambassadors (LRAs)

●       Created 5 alumni Affinity Groups

The LIAA Board manages strategy and resources, people and financial, to support alumni activity. Our focus areas for the next 1-2 years include:

●       Sourcing a chair and members for our Strategic Alumni Engagement Committee to drive alumni engagement through structured events and initiatives

●       Implementing the long term strategy as provided for in LIAA’s Operating Model

●       Ensuring the LIAA’s long-term sustainability at both a leadership and financial level

 As an Alumni Term Director you will have an opportunity to meet alumni from across all classes and regions, as well as work closely with Institute and Alumni Leadership, including members of the Lauder Institute’s Board of Governors and the Lauder Advisory Council.

Open positions

This year there is one open seat of the seven at-large Alumni Term Director (ATD) seats on the LIAA Board. We are holding elections for this seat, whose two-year term will begin in June 2025, and are particularly interested in this Director taking on the role of Chair of Strategic Alumni Engagement, the LIAA committee that drives alumni event strategy, implementation and analytics in collaboration with the ED.

In general, two of the Alumni Term Member seats are reserved for an alum living outside the US. This year LIAA is fortunate to already count with two non-US residents, so there will be no distinction necessary when it comes to the highest vote getters.

How to Submit a Nomination

To nominate yourself, please submit your application here.  Lauder alumni through the class of 2024 are eligible to run.

You will be asked for:

●       Name

●       Class Year

●       Program or Language Track

●       LinkedIn profile URL or a resume

●       Headshot (in Jpeg or PDF format)

●       Current country of residence

●       Personal statement of 250 words or less including

○       Brief overview of who you are

○       Why you want to join the Board

○       Why you’re the best candidate for Chair of the Strategic Alumni Engagement committee

●       Acknowledgment of the LIAA Code of Conduct

Nomination emails must be received by 11.59pm EDT on April 17, 2025. Candidates will be announced on April 22, 2025.  Elections will run online from May 8-18, 2025 and the winner will be announced no later than May 23rd.

We will be holding two Q&A sessions:

Wednesday 4/9           9 am PDT, noon EDT, 6 pm Paris REGISTER HERE

Thursday 4/10             6 pm PDT, 9pm EDT, 9 am Friday 4/11 Hong Kong REGISTER HERE

Our current Board Directors will share their perspectives and answer alumni questions about the Board’s work, the Strategic Alumni Engagement committee and the elections. Click here to sign up for April 9 or April 10. They will be recorded for those who can’t attend!

Any additional questions, please email getinvolved@lauderlove.com.

FAQ

What are at-large Alumni Term Director responsibilities?

●       Attend monthly virtual Board meetings (1 regular, 1 additional / optional per month)

●       Become familiar with the LIAA Operating Model (covers structure, cadences, etc.)

●       Acknowledge the LIAA Code of Conduct, and its Board Specific Addenda

●       Formally commit on an annual basis 

○       to leading a specific project, and 

○       to a workload expectation of a minimum of eight hours a month on LIAA work.

●       Participate in strategic initiatives based on need and interests

●       Support semi-annual LIAA Board presentations at Lauder Institute Board of Governors meetings.

●       Contribute financially every year to LIAA - at whatever level works

What will I be asked for to submit my nomination?

●       Name

●       Class Year

●       Program or Language Track

●       LinkedIn profile URL or a resume

●       Headshot (in Jpeg or PDF format)

●       Current country of residence

●       Personal statement of 250 words or less including

○       Brief overview of who you are

○       Why you want to join the Board

○       Why you’re the best candidate for Chair of the Strategic Alumni Engagement committee

●       Acknowledgment of the LIAA Code of Conduct

How much of a time investment is this?

●       We commit to a minimum of 8 hours a month, which includes 1 or 2 just for board meetings, plus time to prep for these, then depending on the committee these may meet on a weekly basis, and then there are strategic initiatives.  This is a working board!

How long am I committing for?

●       Alumni Term Directors serve 2-year terms - yours would go from from June 2025 to June 2027

●       Alumni Term Directors have a three 2-year consecutive term limit, should they be interested in continuing their service, and re-elected internally. 

When do I start?

●       Once elected, the new at-large Alumni Term Director officially takes office in June 2025.

Two out of seven Alumni Term Director seats are reserved for alumni who reside outside of the United States. Why is that?

●       Our alumni community is globally distributed and we want our Board leadership to reflect that. In the spirit of the Lauder Institute’s mission, we integrate geographic diversity into our Board foundations by reserving 2 seats for alumni who reside outside the US at the time of their election. This way, our Board decisions will better reflect the interests and needs of alumni everywhere.

●       This year, we already have two seats held by non-US residents, so there will be no distinction necessary when it comes to the highest vote getter.

What is the ideal candidate profile?

●       In general, no previous Board work experience is necessary

●       While in the past we have had no ideal candidate profile, this year we are specifically seeking someone willing to serve as Chair of our Strategic Alumni Engagement (SAE) Committee.

●       The SAE committee sets the strategy and vision for a diversified portfolio of high-quality, value-added, unique, and compelling programming built for and by Lauder alumni

○       Based on LIAA’s strategic alumni engagement pyramid

○       Delivered with ongoing support from the Executive Director and alumni volunteers

○       Executed according to a 4-year cycle of events

○       Implemented using the SAE vision and a cross-functional team approach

○       Conducted using a strategic process approach

●       So we are looking for someone who can

○       Work across teams, including working with the Executive Director, the President and our Talent Acquisition team

○       Lean into analytics to best serve our alumni around the globe and across classes

●       Experience that could be helpful, but not required, includes:

○       Exposure to event planning cycles

○       Understanding of limited resource (funding and people) optimization

○       Large group communication needs and consistent follow up

What makes an effective Board Director?

●       A commonly used framework for non-profit Board Director contributions is the 3 W’s: wealth, wisdom, and work. In LIAA, Board Directors are primarily expected to contribute wisdom and work to advance LIAA goals; this is a working board.  We do request wealth to the extent that we want to have all Board Directors contribute to LIAA every year, at whatever amount.

●       In terms of board sustainability, the ideal Board Director is one who is committed to their service and could potentially engage for more than one term.

Are Board Directors required or expected to contribute to LIAA financially?

●       Yes. Board Directors are required to make financial contributions to the LIAA, but the main request is for their time and involvement. The goal is to have 100% participation from Board Directors, the amount of the contribution is at each Director’s discretion.

Can LRAs and LGAW volunteers run?

●       Yes! All Lauder alumni through the class of 2024 are eligible to run, including people who have volunteered with the Lauder alumni community in any capacity.   

What are the biggest challenges the LIAA Board faces? What is the future state this Board is working toward?

●       We have two major challenges today:

○       Workload: LIAA has a lot of work to do with only a part-time Executive Director and Lauderites who are engaged in pursuing many initiatives.  We need Board Directors who can put in the time to serve the LIAA Board and community on defined projects.

○       The Strategic Alumni Engagement Committee (SAE) needs a chair.  This is a very important committee, it leads our alumni events and initiatives at a strategic level. Therefore the incoming Director to the LIAA Board will also agree to step into the role of SAE Chair.

●       Our long term goal is to build a sustainable, viable framework to engage an active alumni community with ongoing events and initiatives in global regions

Can I be involved with the LIAA without being on the Board?

●       Of course! You do not need to run for the  Board to be involved with LIAA. You can:

○       Work with the LIAA Board. You can join one of our LIAA Board Committees or serve as a LIAA Board Advisor supporting the Board on a discrete project in an area of your expertise (i.e. fundraising, marketing, finance, social media, legal, analytics). If interested, please reach out to getinvolved@lauderlove.com

○       Help organize LGAW. Want to help plan THE EVENT of 2025?! Please reach out to the LGAW team at info@lgaw.org

○       Lead alumni programming. Have great ideas for Lauder in-person or virtual events? Please write laura@lauderlove.com with any ideas you have to get involved!You can also join our programmingcommittee or become a Lauder Regional Ambassador or Class Captain.

○       Join a Lauder Affinity Group.  Check out our affinity groups!