We are glad that you are interested in learning about the Academy’s Community Board!

The resources provided on this web site are designed to provide basic information about the board, including what the work of governance involves. You can learn about the structure of the board, how it functions, what the roles and responsibilities of board members are, and also some of the potential challenges board members may encounter.

As you know, the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture is both a nationally recognized accredited educational organization, and a provider of unique healthcare services in the Gainesville and Alachua County area. Service on the organization’s Community Board is one important way supporters can help to strengthen and improve the institution. The opportunity to serve on the board is potentially open to a wide range of individuals associated with the college, as described below.

Board service can be both rewarding and challenging. It is not necessarily for everyone, so it is useful to know what the expectations are before you offer to get involved. If you ultimately decide that board service is not for you, you can still contribute by volunteering your services on board committees, or in other ways.

The Community Board currently has 15 voting seats. Board seats are currently designated for five (5) distinct categories of stakeholders at the college. Each category is assigned three (3) seats. The stakeholder categories are:

This category is broadly defined to include members of the local Gainesville community, clinic patients, supporters of the college, and also members of the broadly defined Five Element community. Generally speaking, with the potential exception of clinic patients, public interest members do not have longstanding prior affiliations with the college.

This category includes graduates of the college’s programs, meaning individuals who have in the past successfully completed their training and received a degree or a completion certificate from one or more of the Academy’s accredited programs.

This category includes individuals who are currently enrolled in one or more of the college’s accredited training programs.

This category includes individuals who are currently employed as instructors or instructional support staff in one or more of the college’s programs, including classroom teachers, clinic supervisors, and teaching assistants.

This category includes any individuals who are currently working in non-faculty employee roles at the college, including administrators, coordinators and support staff.

More detailed information about eligibility and selection processes is available on the Eligibility Criteria page. Note that most candidates on the board are identified by stakeholder groups. If more candidates are interested in serving on the board than seats are available, then candidates may be required to participate in election processes in order to determine who will serve.

Generally yes. You must be able and willing to attend regular board meetings if you would like to serve on the Community Board. Under the current bylaws, meetings always occur on set dates and times. You should consult Article 2.3 of the bylaws to find out the current meeting schedule.

No. Because all board meetings take place online, via Zoom, Community Board members can live anywhere! In fact, some current board members live on the West Coast. Check Article 2.3 of the bylaws for current meeting schedule. Note that the time indicated in the meeting schedule will refer to Eastern Standard (Florida) Time, so you may need to make appropriate adjustments, if you live in other time zones.

Yes. All regular board meetings happen online, via Zoom. To participate, you must have a Zoom account and a computer or smartphone that will allow for Zoom access. Committee meetings, retreats and other longer meetings are also all done online. It is not possible to participate in the Community Board if this is not something you are comfortable with. This approach allows board members to participate easily no matter where they live. Currently, alumni and public members of the board live in several US states, including the West Coast, so this approach to participation is essential.

The board also maintains this website as an online resource. Important resources and information are kept on this site, and you must be able to access it.

Yes. Email is used routinely for board work, and it is not possible to participate in board work without using email. An active email account is therefore essential. Note that the Academy does not set up a college email account specifically for board members. So your regular email account can be used. Some stakeholder members (e.g., staff or students) may already have a preexisting college email account at the time they join the board. These accounts may be used for board related work.

No. Other than a Zoom account and an active email account, participation on the Community Board does not require participation in any specific type of social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X). The college may occasionally rely on social media such as Facebook in other contexts (e.g., marketing) but board members are not required to participate. Board members may occasionally be asked to view specific online resources (e.g., YouTube videos) or complete specific online questionnaires (e.g., Google Forms) that may require the use of proprietary software.

Generally your board membership will be public information. For example, if you join the board your name and biographical information will be published on the college website(s) including the main website and this Community Board website. Your name will also be included occasionally in other public documents. This may include the list of board members reported on annual tax returns submitted to the IRS, annual corporate filings submitted to the State of Florida, and in periodic accreditation reports.

Not necessarily. Candidates for public interest seats are all identified, recruited and appointed directly by a majority vote of the existing board members, not by stakeholder elections. So if this is the category of seat on the board that you are interested in then election processes are not required.

For stakeholder-reserved seats on the board, on the other hand, competitive elections may be necessary to identify candidates for board service. This would be true if there were more interested candidates than vacant seats available. This means you may need to be prepared to be a candidate in an election if you are not the only person who wants to serve.

Once candidates for board membership have been identified by stakeholder groups, note that under Florida nonprofit law the board is required to confirm the appointment of board candidates via a vote of existing members.

If an election is required, the stakeholder group you are a member of – including yourself – would be the voters (the “electorate”) who determine the outcome. Easy-to-use online election methods are used. Currently, the Opavote online elections management software is used to administer any required elections. Elections are scheduled and coordinated, if required, by the Board Development Committee. Notifications are sent out via email, and secure voting and result tabulation is accomplished online. If you are interested in serving on the board and submit an application for board membership, you will be notified if multiple candidates have come forward and an election is required.

• General Introduction for Potential Board Members
• Eligibility Criteria and Selection Processes for Joining the Board
• How Much Time Will Be Involved?
• Compensation Questions
• Useful Skills for Board Members to Have
• Challenges of Being a Board Member
• Interested in Serving? - Submit a Statement of Interest

• Community Board Handbook -- Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members

• Return to Main Page