Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 YALSA Governance candidates.
Today we’ll hear from the candidates for YALSA Fiscal Officer. The Fiscal Officer serves a three-year term, and is a member of YALSA’s Executive Committee, along with the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, and Councilor. The primary responsibility of the Fiscal Officer is to work with the Board, Financial Advancement Committee and Executive Director to ensure the fiscal health of the association through proper financial oversight so that there are adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission. The Fiscal Officer also has all the normal duties of a Board member.’ A full description of the Fiscal Officer’s duties and responsibilities can be found here.
Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.
Today we have an interview with Joy Kim.
Name and current position:‘ Joy Kim Branch Manager, Pierce County Library System.
Why did you decide to run for a YALSA office? What excites you about serving on YALSA Board?
Board service lets me give back to YALSA. Excited to work with Board, members, & staff during a time of challenge and opportunity.
What areas of YALSA’s Strategic Plan do you think you can best contribute to? Why?
As Fiscal Officer, Capacity Building is a priority. We can’t do everything, must make choices. Effective communication & strategic thinking are key.
What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?
Advocacy. Showing the value of teen services. How do we make our vision into reality when we’re still losing teen & school librarian positions?
What priority activities should YALSA take on to address the “paradigm shift” as described in The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report?
Develop CE & resources that equip members to respond to this shift. Build partnerships with educators. Share success stories & examples.
What attributes have helped you succeed professionally?
Big-picture thinking, effective communication, ability to get things done, dependability, passion for serving youth & building teams.
What do you see as the primary role of the Board?
To make mission-driven decisions for YALSA: aligning activities, managing resources, asking and answering hard questions about what we do.
If elected, how will you help YALSA members (in their daily work, in their careers, other)?
Advocate for their jobs; connect them with opportunities to gain the skills & experience they need to be successful in serving teens.
What else would you like voters to know about you?
You can find me on twitter as @joykim, but I apologize in advance for all the pictures of my cats.
