Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) invites nominations for the 2016 Tortuga Award. The award recognizes the achievements, and contributions of members of MALCS. To ensure the special quality of the award, the nominee must be a member of MALCS. Nominations can only come from MALCS members. The nomination must be limited to the nominee’s CV, a two-page letter of nomination describing how the candidate meets the criterion, and two additional letters of support written by other MALCS members.

To be considered for the Tortuga Award, nominating letters should speak to these criteria:

1. A commitment to interdisciplinary Chicana, Latina, Afro-Latina, Native American and Indigenous feminist scholarship, cultural productions, and activism (belief in the scholar-activist model).
2. A member’s history of involvement and significant contribution to the MALCS organization.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, June 20, 2016. Please submit an electronic nomination packet (CV, nomination letter, and two letters of support) to the MALCS Executive Committee at gro.sclamobfsctd-79160a@agutrot/archive-2017

History of Tortuga Award

The Tortuga Award originated in 2004 when Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) recognized the need to formally acknowledge the tremendous professional accomplishments and contributions of its members. Annually, this award is given to a MALCS member who has used her expertise, experience and commitment to support and advance the MALCS mission. The Tortuga Award is a token of appreciation for scholars and administrators have made a difference in their respective academic and administrative fields, cleared the educational path for many women of color and gender non-conforming peoples, and whose work established and enhanced MALCS. Past recipients include:

2015 Dolores Delgado Bernal

2014 Josie Mendez-Negrete

2013 Norma E. Cantú

2012 Gloria Cuadraz

2011  Lupe Gallegos-Diaz

2010 No award presented

2009 Karen Mary Davalos

2008 Rusty Barcelo

2007 Brenda Child

2006 Inés Talamantez

2005 Norma Alarcón

2004 Adaljiza Sosa-Riddell & Elisa L. Facio [inaugural recipients}

Annually, there are two types of awards that are presented at our annual MALCS Institute. The first category of awards acknowledge the work of local people and/or organizations who are nominated and determined by the Summer Institute Site Committee. The Site Committee determines the criterion for nomination. The second award is the MALCS Tortuga Award which acknowledges the work of a MALCS member and is determined by the Executive Committee.

At this year’s Summer Institute, we will elect officers for four positions on the organization’s Executive Committee: chairperson elect, treasurer, recording secretary, membership coordinator. We will also elect three at-large representatives for the Coordinating Committee. With the exception of the Chairperson-elect, who serves a three-year term (Chairperson-elect, Chair, Ex-Officio), all elected officers serve two-year terms.

We invite all members to participate in the elections this year and to consider running for office. MALCS needs your energy, talent, and skills! Given the considerable leadership experience among our membership, we hope that elections will showcase this wealth.

Currently, our Nominations Committee is composing a slate of candidates for the election. Members may also self-nominate. Attached, please find descriptions for each of the positions up for election.

If you have any questions, you may contact any member of the Nominations Committee: Lupe Gallegos Diaz, Rita Urquijo-Ruiz, and Jessica Lopez Lyman at gro.sclamobfsctd-67923f@snoitanimon/archive-2017

If you want to be a candidate for one of these positions, please submit a statement of interest to the Nominations Committee at gro.sclamobfsctd-196a11@snoitanimon/archive-2017 by Monday, July 20, 2015. The statement should be a one-paragraph introduction (no more than 250 words) that articulates your interest in and qualifications for serving MALCS in the position you would like to represent.

The ideal candidates should:

1) have been a member of MALCS the preceding year (2014) or other previous years;

2) have served previously in a leadership position with a community and/or an academic organization;

3) uphold Chican@ feminist leadership praxis and;

4) “pledge to acknowledge, value and employ feminist principles and frameworks in our organizational practices” (article II section 2 of the MALCS bylaws: https://www.malcs.org/archive-2017/malcs-bylaws-2014/)

Candidate statements will be distributed to members in advance of the Business Meeting at the 2015 Summer Institute in Albuquerque, NM.

 

 

MALCS Executive and Coordinating Committees:

Position Descriptions  

Chairperson-elect

Election to this position means a three-year commitment on the MALCS Executive Committee–as chair-elect, chair, and ex-officio. The Chairperson-elect shall

• support the chair in the implementation of the policies and procedures of the organization;
• assume the duties of the Chairperson, in the absence of the Chairperson;
• in consultation with the webjefa and communications team, be responsible for making recommendations to the Executive Committee on editorial policy, publishing and functionality of the MALCS’ digital presence and for working with webjefa and communications team to assure implementation of said decisions;
• be responsible for promoting MALCS’ digital publications and recruiting writers for those publications;
• call a meeting of the Executive Committee for the purpose of determining whether the Chairperson is unwilling or unable to perform the duties of the Chair; such a meeting must be called in writing with no less than five (5) days notice, and only when the Chair-Elect has a good cause to believe that the Chairperson is unable or unwilling to perform the duties of the Chair;
• assume the duties of Chairperson if so directed by the Executive Committee;
• assume the office of Chairperson when the Chairperson’s term expires.

 

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall

• in collaboration with the Administrative Coordinator, regularly review, report, and reconcile financial documents and statements for the organization;
• in consultation with the Administrative Coordinator, advise and consult with the Executive Committee regarding budgetary constraints, financial policy, audits, development strategies and activities;
• make recommendations on all routine and non-routine financial matters;
• review any items or requests with financial implications that are made to the National Office, Executive Committee and/or Coordinating Committee;
• chair the Funds Development Committee;
• in the absence of Chair, Chair-Elect, the Ex-Officio, the treasurer will facilitate meetings.

 

Recording Secretary

The Recording Secretary shall

• keep the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Executive Committee, Coordinating Committee, and national business meeting;
• distribute minutes to the Executive Committee and the membership within (30) days after adjournment of each meeting;
• in collaboration with the Chair, prepare the agenda for all meetings;
• compile, organize, and deliver all documents to Administrative Coordinator and to the MALCS archives at UCLA;
• collect and keep contact information on chapters, caucuses, officers and awards.

 

Membership Coordinator

The Membership Coordinator shall

• conduct a yearly membership drive before the Summer Institute;
• in collaboration the Communications Committee and Webjefa, be responsible for making recommendations to the Executive Committee on the uses and functionality of the listservs and email lists and other social media;
• be responsible for maintaining moderation of public and member listservs;
• work in consultation with webjefa to create and maintain the content of the MALCS website’s membership section;
• serve as a liaison between MALCS Executive Committee and the Historian;
• serve as a liaison between MALCS Executive Committee and chapters including soliciting reports and chapter activities for publication on MALCS website.

 

At-large Representatives

Representatives shall

• be elected at the Summer Institute and serve two-year terms with staggered start dates and end dates to ensure office continuity;
• attend the Summer Institute;
• attend meetings of the Coordinating Committee scheduled at the Summer Institute;
• recommend and organize workshops, panels, and themes for future institutes;
• identify pertinent topics in relation to their special interest and regions;
• prepare, report, and submit reports to Secretary;
• submit announcements and items of interests from their region for publication on the MALCS website or other digital venues;
• elected at-large representatives will train incoming at-large representatives in duties;
• keep the chair and recording secretary informed of current contact information.