National TSA Officer Candidate Information

Applications will be available each January for students interested in running for a National TSA Office. Those interested should contact Mary Jo Patterson, Leadership Services Manager at mjpatterson@tsaweb.org. Below are the national TSA officer candidate qualifications, the application procedure, and candidate information.

National TSA Officer Candidate Overview

National TSA Officer Candidate Qualifications

1. The candidate must be a TSA Member and a U.S. Citizen.
2. No more than three TSA members in good standing from the same state delegation may compete for a national office in the same year.
3. Only current TSA members (active) in good standing are eligible to run for or hold a national office.
4. Candidates must be holding, or have held, an elected chartered state delegation office for at least one year.
5. A student cannot be elected to a national office during his or her senior year. He or she must have at least one year of school remaining at the time he or she runs for national office.
6. A TSA member must have completed the eighth grade to be qualified for a national TSA office.
7. A candidate may seek only one national office per year.
8. A candidate should have a thorough knowledge of parliamentary procedure and the TSA bylaws.
9. A candidate must be a member of TSA for at least one year before seeking a national office.
10. All candidates should have the ability to express opinions, make decisions, and be neat and business-like in appearance.
11. All candidates should read carefully the section in the TSA bylaws about national officer's qualifications and duties, and, specifically, the responsibilities of the office they seek.
12. No individual may serve more than one term in the same national office.
13. Candidates must attend all national officer candidate meetings at the national TSA conference. Failure to attend all candidate meetings may result in removal.
14. Any candidate elected as a national officer at the national conference may not hold a state or local TSA office concurrently with his or her term as a national officer.
15. If elected, a national TSA officer will miss approximately five school days during the school year to fulfill his or her duties and must be able to travel alone and independently to all required events.
16. The elected TSA president will be required to attend the TSA, Inc. Board of Directors meetings in September 2008, March 2009, and June 2009. No exceptions.
17. If a school district, or the officer's parents, requires an adult travel companion, it will be at their own expense. The companion will not participate in the officer program.

National TSA Officer Candidate Application Procedure

1. Those students interested in running for national office can contact Mary Jo Patterson, Leadership Services Manager for an application at mjpatterson@tsaweb.org beginning January 6, 2009. In your e-mail request, please include your name, mailing address, and telephone number.
2. Candidates must complete the "National TSA Officer Candidate Agreement Form" and the "National TSA Officer Candidate Application" and should submit these, along with their photo (preferably their school picture), and a one-page resume to their state advisor by April 7, 2009 (postmarked). The information provided along with the photo becomes property of National TSA and may be published in print or electronic format.
3. State advisors are responsible for selecting a screening committee to check each candidate's qualifications and to interview the candidate for the purpose of determining his or her capabilities to serve as a national TSA officer in his or her desired office. After screening and approving the application, state advisors need to send the forms to National TSA by May 12, 2009 (postmarked). If there is no state advisor from a candidate's state, the candidate should send the forms directly to National TSA by May 12, 2009 (postmarked).
4. National TSA will notify officer candidates of eligibility by June 10, 2009 (postmarked).
5. Candidates must attend the national officer candidate orientation meeting held at the National TSA Conference on June 28, 2009 from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm in Denver, Colorado. Candidates may bring one adult guest to this meeting or they may attend alone. No other persons may attend this meeting. (Please do not wear official TSA attire to this meeting).
6. Newly elected officers are required to attend a two-hour orientation meeting immediately following the awards ceremony at the national TSA conference on July 2, 2009. Candidate's travel plans need to accommodate this request.

National TSA Officer Candidate Information

National TSA officers are to be elected by majority vote of the voting delegates at the national conference and consist of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, reporter, and sergeant-at-arms. Individuals elected as national officers hold office until the close of the next national conference. Upon being elected, all travel/lodging expenses of the National TSA officers are paid for by National TSA.

See the National TSA Officer Candidate Overview section found in this document for the steps to take in order to run for national office. Once your application is received in the national office, you will be required to provide the national TSA office with a digital photo of yourself in official TSA attire. The photo should be a jpg, 300 dpi, 4" x 6" size from the chest up with a white or gray colored background. This photo will be used in the National TSA Conference program. Please email this digital photo to Mary Jo Patterson at mjpatterson@tsaweb.org by May 12th.

Campaign Booth - Each candidate will be given one half of a 3 x 6 foot table at the Education Fair from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 1:30pm – 6:00pm on Monday, June 30. This tabletop will serve as your campaign booth. The candidate may place a tabletop display and hand out campaign materials from this table. No electricity will be provided. Please bring your campaign tabletop display to the conference with you. Only one person, you or a representative, will be allowed to "staff" your campaign booth at any time. You will have a lunch break from 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm and a box lunch will be provided.

Campaigning - Prior to the conference and at the conference, no campaigning may occur before attending the national officer candidate's orientation meeting at the conference on June 28. Please bring a sample of campaign materials to this meeting. This includes any campaigning or announcing your candidacy on the Internet. Failure to observe this policy could result in the candidate's removal.

Throughout the conference, candidates will be able to greet attendees entering the general sessions and will also be available following the general sessions to greet attendees. However, campaign materials may not be distributed at these times. Candidates are not allowed to attend state delegation meetings except their own.

Campaign Materials - All materials must be approved by National TSA before purchase. Contact Mary Jo Patterson for approval. Following the national officer candidate meeting on Sunday, June 28, you may begin handing out campaign materials. Campaign materials (buttons, pins, pencils, pamphlets, etc.) are allowed pending approval by National TSA; however, candidates are responsible for ensuring that handout materials do not cause litter or safety problems. No posters, banners, etc., may be adhered to the walls of the conference site/hotel(s) or be free standing. Also, campaign materials may not be handed out in general sessions, delegation meetings, or in competitions. No candy, mints, gum, water, or edible items will be allowed.

Campaign Speeches - Candidates are allowed a specific amount of time (2 1/2 minutes) for campaign speeches at the Second General Session at the national conference on Monday, June 29 and must follow specific campaign regulations. No one, other than you, may participate in your campaign speech in any way. All campaign speeches must be pre-approved. June 20, 2008 is the final day speeches will be reviewed. They must be emailed by June 20 to Mary Jo Patterson at mjpatterson@tsaweb.org.

Any questions about running for National TSA office can be directed to Mary Jo Patterson, Leadership Services Manager at mjpatterson@tsaweb.org

For information about the 2009 Technology Student Association National Conference, please visit the TSA homepage at www.tsaweb.org