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WSI Officer and Committee Chair Position Responsibilities

FOR BUSINESS CONVENTIONS IN ODD YEARS (CLICK HERE FOR EVEN YEARS)

In preparation for the FA World Service Business Convention (WSBC) in odd years, applications are accepted for the following WSI Officers and Committee Chair positions: Secretary, Treasurer, Literature, Public Information, Service Group Support, and 12^th Step.

Job descriptions and qualifications for all positions are listed below. If you are interested in serving on the World Service Board (WSB) and have questions about the descriptions and qualifications, please contact the appropriate Board member, whose contact information is available through the FA World Service Office and on the FA website (https://www.foodaddicts.org/contact).

Service at the World Service level requires a very large commitment of time and energy. The Executive Committee (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer) meets one or two times a month between the WSB meetings. Executive Committee members often take responsibility for major projects in addition to the usual duties defined by their roles. The Board itself meets once per month via conference call, and Board members also chair their own committee meetings. Members of the Board maintain email contact throughout the month and spend additional time preparing for each Board meeting. Two in-person Board meetings also take place during the Business Convention each year, and the Board usually meets in-person at another time during the year in place of that month's conference call. The ability to attend these meetings is required of anyone wishing to serve at the World Service level.

Required Qualifications:

Officer and Committee Chairs of FA WSI shall have a minimum of seven years of continuous abstinence as defined by FA and must demonstrate recovery.
The Officers and Committee Chairs shall have completed two in-depth studies of the Twelve Steps in sequence, using a method focused on food addiction and requiring abstinence throughout each Step, within the current term of abstinence, uninterrupted by a break in abstinence, and must continue to be actively involved in the same type of Twelve-Step study during their term of office.

General Responsibilities for all Committee Chairs:

All WSI officers and committee chairs should familiarize themselves with the FA WSI Bylaws, the Continuing Effect Motions Manual, WSB Board Manual, WSI Standing Committees Manual for their specific committee, and the Twelve Concepts of FA (accessible via the FA website).
All committee chairs appoint a core committee. Committee chairs may determine term limits and abstinence requirements for committee members. Rotation of positions is always a key consideration when appointing committee members.
WSI officers and committee chairs are encouraged to be mindful of selecting a committee or subcommittee with as much diversity as possible.
Each committee chair is responsible for their committee’s budget and spending.

Executive Board Job Descriptions:

WSI Secretary

The Secretary prepares minutes at board meetings and executive committee meetings and at annual business conventions, maintains final electronic versions of WSB and other FA documents on Google Workspace, prepares annual calendar of important dates for WSB (drafted each year in March), maintains current record of WSB member contact information. The Secretary controls access to WSB shared folders in the cloud, and serves as the “gatekeeper” of parking lot issues (i.e. issues set aside for later). The WSI Secretary collates and edits the mid-term and Business Convention reports, reviews final proofs of documents, for content and grammar, which are going to be disseminated to the FA fellowship from the WSB, and determines standard nomenclature for titles of electronic files of WSB and WSI documents in consultation with WSI office chair and WSO staff.

WSI Treasurer

The Treasurer serves as the chief financial officer of FA and guides its financial activities, working with the board and its members. The treasurer has general charge and custody of the funds and financial transactions of FA, ensuring accurate records, financial reports to the Board, budget plans, and tax reports. The treasurer consults with the WSO to ensure accurate financial transactions and records as it pertains to the WSO and website. The treasurer does not have power to borrow money or issue funds or checks except as authorized to do so by the board, the WSC, or the bylaws. The Treasurer serves as a member of the Finance Committee. The Treasurer works with the WSO to determine pricing for items that are sold by FA (literature, audio recordings, etc.). The treasurer works as point person for the biannual review of the meeting guidelines, and oversees and supports paid WSO staff (or designates an alternate) in the event that the office committee chair is unable to function in that capacity.

WSI Standing Committees Job Descriptions:

Literature Committee (LC)

The literature committee oversees the ideation, creation, development, and maintenance of pamphlets, books, audio recordings, and other literature used within the FA fellowship (except connection magazine, the PI Kit, and any newsletter produced by a WSI committee). Ideas for literature come from the fellowship and World Service Board recommendations. The literature committee also reviews existing literature periodically and oversees the translation of conference-approved literature into languages other than English as directed.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Oversees all projects and functions of the literature committee which includes four sub committees. Writing and editing, translation, audio-recording and operations.
Sets the agenda for committee meetings, establishes meeting dates and times, facilitates meetings, acts as an information resource, prepares reports, and serves as a member of the WSI board.
Provides a bi-annual and annual written report of literature committee activities.
Coordinates and processes all motions related to new or revised literature according to the May 2009 Continuing Effect Motion.
Collaborates with the design committee regarding the written production of any literature (most specifically, pamphlets and books.

Public Information (PI)

The PI committee serves as a resource for the fellowship to carry the message of recovery from food addiction through the Twelve Step program of FA to those who still suffer. The committee also provides support to local FA intergroups, chapters, meetings, and individuals in their PI work. This includes assistance and guidance with the most effective and appropriate means of communication to use for the general public and professional community through various media, abiding by the Twelve Traditions.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Overseeing the PI sub-committees;
Setting the agenda and facilitating PI committee meetings;
Preparing WSI-PI reports for the WSB six month fellowship updates;
Engendering a culture of respectful invitation, practicing cultural responsiveness and accountability in outreach efforts;
Overseeing the development of materials, information, best practices, and resources to assist the fellowship in outreach to the community; and
Ensuring that outreach efforts and all PI materials adhere to FA’s Twelve Traditions.

Service Group Support Committee (SGSC)

The SGSC provides a monthly forum for dialogue related to developing and maintaining intergroups, chapters, and local service groups throughout the world. The goal of these discussions is to support these groups as they assist their meetings in reaching food addicts who are still suffering. Persons doing service in these areas or wishing to form a service group are encouraged to participate in bi-monthly conference calls. This committee also provides a venue for cooperative work and instructive dialogue with other World Service committees and the WSB.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Evaluates the effectiveness of the committee regarding the support of both new and existing LSGs, chapters, and intergroups;
Sets the agenda and facilitates the core committee meeting;
Coordinates the agenda and schedule for global meetings;
Assists in the education of the function of local service groups, chapters, and intergroups while encouraging fellows to combine resources to do service;
Coordinates the application process to appoint interim chapter and intergroup officers for new chapters and intergroups; and
Facilitates monthly meetings with the SGSC chair and intergroup chairs.

Twelfth Step Committee (12th Step)

The mission of the twelfth step committee is to help members of the fellowship grow in recovery through service at meetings, intergroups, chapters, and World Service; to develop written and audio resources for members via phone and internet; and to offer support to those members isolated due to distance, language barriers, and physical limitations.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Engendering a culture throughout the fellowship of diversity, equity, and inclusion for all members;
Encouraging members to actively serve the fellowship through meetings, WSI, the intergroups, and chapters;
Developing and organizing new committees according to the evolving needs of the fellowship;
Supporting the activities of the TOR and MESA subcommittees at all levels of the fellowship;
Coordinating and promoting the thank-a-thon event held annually during the American holiday of Thanksgiving; and
Facilitating communication regarding the activities of the 12th step subcommittee chairs and the 12th step chairs from EAI, WAI, and the Maine Chapter through a monthly 12th step core call.

FOR BUSINESS CONVENTIONS IN EVEN YEARS

WSI Office and Committee Chair Responsibilities

In preparation for the FA World Service Business Convention (WSBC) in even years, applications are accepted for the following WSI Officers and Committee Chair positions: Chair, Vice-Chair, Bylaws, connection, Convention Planning, Office, and Traditions Review.

Required Qualifications:

Officer and Committee Chairs of FA WSI shall have a minimum of seven years of continuous abstinence as defined by FA and must maintain recovery.
The Officers and Committee Chairs shall have completed two in-depth studies of the Twelve Steps in sequence, using a method focused on food addiction and requiring abstinence throughout each Step, within the current term of abstinence, uninterrupted by a break in abstinence, and must continue to be actively involved in the same type of Twelve-Step study during their term of office.

General Responsibilities for all Committee Chairs:

All WSI officers and committee chairs should familiarize themselves with the FA WSI Bylaws, the Continuing Effect Motions Manual, WSB Board Manual, WSI Standing Committees Manual for their specific committee, and the Twelve Concepts of FA (accessible via the FA website).
All committee chairs appoint a core committee. Committee chairs may determine term limits and abstinence requirements for committee members. Rotation of positions is always a key consideration when appointing committee members.
WSI officers and committee chairs are encouraged to be mindful of selecting a committee or subcommittee with as much diversity as possible.
Each committee chair is responsible for their committee’s budget and spending.

Executive Board Job Descriptions:

WSI Chair acts as chief administrative officer and legal representative of WSI. The Chair is responsible for big picture planning and direction setting, and working with the board and its members. The Chair supports, encourages, and helps guide the work of individual board members, establishes (with input from the executive board) WSB standing committees and special committees as needed, and appoints chairs to those committees, signs letters or documents as needed, sets agendas (with the executive board) and leads board meetings, sets agendas and leads executive committee meetings, presides over the WSBC, and represents and speaks for the organization to non-FA members, as needed,and serves as the board contact for the design committee.

WSI Vice-Chair facilitates the monthly board meetings and/or sets the agenda if the WSB chair is not able to be present, supports the WSB chair whenever the chair asks for help, supports committee chairs when approached for help, sits on the executive committee, aids in trouble-shooting and problem-solving, serves as chair of the personnel committee, serves as an ex-officio member of the finance committee, serves as an ex-officio member and board contact for the inquiry response committee, serves on or chairs other committees or working groups as needed (e.g.,serves as it pertains to the WSO and website).

WSI Standing Committees Job Descriptions:

Bylaws Committee (BC)

The bylaws committee reviews the bylaws, suggesting amendments and assists with any additional amendment to the bylaws and any motion being presented at the WSBC.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

The maintenance and accuracy of the World Service governing documents which include the WSI Bylaws and Continuing Effect Motions Manual, the WSI Organizational Chart, the WSC Manual, and the WSB Manual;
Acting as the primary liaison with the attorney and parliamentarian for WSB;
Serving as liaison to the BMRC/RC; and
Supporting the convention chair regarding emails and processes related to the motions.

connection Committee (cC)

The connection committee is responsible for the content and production of the fellowship’s magazine, connection. Responsibility for all member writing, editing, illustration, and production planning resides with the committee and its various subcommittees. The committee is also responsible for production of the yearly magazine compilation, connection Collection.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Working closely with core committee members in each area of production;
Writing the agenda for and facilitating conference calls;
Pulling and compiling articles to be included in the upcoming connection issue;
Sending monthly drafts to the proofreader;
Communicating with the designer and approves the monthly invoice from the design committee chair;
Proofreading hard copy draft of monthly issue; and
Working with the office committee and printer to coordinate subscription data and resolve subscription issues.

Convention Planning Committee (CPC)

The convention planning committee is responsible for planning and overseeing all aspects of the annual World Service Business Convention (WSBC), typically held in late spring, and the FA Fellowship Convention, held periodically as determined by the WSB. This includes all matters related to publicity, registration, hotel logistics, food and entertainment, contract negotiation, hospitality, and anything else required to ensure a smooth-running convention.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Reviewing and maintaining contracts with the venue (whether in person or virtual);
Acting as main contact person for the convention venue;
Coordinating publicity, registration, schedule, and convention logistics (whether in person or virtual);
Planning activities to supplement the non-business portion of convention;
Sending drafts of all emails pertaining to motions for review by the bylaws chair;
Creating and sending all convention notifications to the fellowship and WSC members; and
Coordinating and facilitating convention planning meetings with the parliamentarian, chair, bylaws chair, and event planner, if virtual.

Office Committee (OC)

The office committee maintains the website and the physical World Service Office (WSO), which keeps records of all financial transactions, and assists with the production and distribution of all FA conference-approved and produced literature.

The website,foodaddicts.org, houses all meeting information, informative material for the general public, and materials related to each service body of FA. It also offers interactive transactions pertaining to online ordering, convention registration, and intergroup/chapter event registration.

The WSO serves as the central hub for communication with the fellowship as well as the general public. The World Service Office (WSO) interfaces with the WSI treasurer to determine pricing for items that are sold by WSI (literature, MP3s, etc.).

WSI employees and the office committee send emails to the fellowship on behalf of the WSB and its committees and ensure that postings on the FA website are accurate and up-to-date.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Oversees the FA office and office committee (OC) and its subcommittees that serve as a resource to the fellowship, World Service Board (WSB), and World Service committees, intergroups, and chapters as outlined above;
Manages the office director;
Is responsible for processing the payroll for paid office employees
At the end of the year, the OC chair is responsible for sending a non-taxable gift to each office staff member (amount of which is determined by the budget at the discretion of the personnel committee [PC] and the executive board with input from the office committee chair).
Sits on the project review committee (PRC) and reviews and makes recommendations with regard to service-related expenses submitted by the WSB.

Traditions Review Committee (TRC):

The TRC has been charged by the WSI to review and discuss how the Twelve Traditions might guide the consideration of specific issues and concerns raised by individuals, meetings, intergroups, chapters, local service groups, or the WSB. The TRC will share its thoughts with those who have sent inquiries and with the general fellowship when appropriate.

Responsibilities of the chair include:

Reviewing each email that comes in from a member;
Keeping a log of each item;
Referring each item to another committee or place it on the agenda for the following committee meeting; and
Facilitating and chairing committee meetings as needed (usually every other month).

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