Policy Statement on Making Nominations to the Board of the Washington ALJ Association

Link to At-Large Representative Nomination

POLICY STATEMENT

The Board of the Washington ALJ Association (WALJA) believes that the organization would be well-served by the adoption of procedures that would allow nominations for Board membership to be made prior to the annual meeting. The bylaws currently allow nominations to be made from the floor at the annual meeting, and without an amendment to those bylaws, that procedure would still be available.

However, the Board believes that a process that allowed interested persons to express interest in a Board position in advance of the meeting, and then have time to express his or her vision for WALJA to its members would serve the organization well. Members would be able to review the candidates at their leisure, consult with other members about the choices, and ultimately, be better informed when the time comes to vote at the annual meeting. The process would be more deliberative than when all the nominations come from the floor of the annual meeting, and would result in having the best in leadership that the membership and the organization has to offer.

Therefore, the Board has established these procedures for making nominations to Board positions in advance of the annual meeting.

Procedures for Making Nominations to the Board of the Washington ALJ Association

WALJA Board members are elected at an annual meeting of the WALJA membership. In 2004 and 2005, that meeting was held in June, and nominations were taken from the floor at the meeting for all the board positions. The following procedures are in addition to the opportunity to nominate a candidate from the floor at the meeting.

Persons who wish to nominate themselves or another person to a specific position on the WALJA board shall notify the Board Secretary of their nomination at least ten days prior to the date of the annual meeting. If the nomination is for a person other than him or herself, the secretary shall confirm with the nominee that he or she is willing to serve in the position. The secretary shall publish to the membership the name of the nominee, the Board position sought, and the nominee's employment that qualifies him or her for active WALJA membership. The nominee may provide to the Secretary a statement of his or her qualifications, and reasons for interest in the position. The Secretary shall publish the statement to the membership within seven calendar days of receipt. To be nominated and to serve, a person must be a dues-paying active member in good standing of WALJA for the period that the term will cover.

At the annual meeting, the Secretary shall provide to the members present a list of persons already nominated, and the information on each nominee already published to the membership. Each nominee shall have the opportunity to make a verbal statement to the membership prior to the vote for each position.

Adopted WALJA Bd Mtg 3/30/06

VICE PRESIDENT NOMINATION

NOMINATION OF DESIREE HOSANNAH FOR WALJA VICE PRESIDENT

I, Desiree S. Hosannah, am interested in serving as your WALJA Vice-President for the 2006 - 2007 term. Below is my statement of interest, profile and a summary of my qualifications.

Statement of Interest: I am interested in serving my colleagues as WALJA Vice President in order advance the quality and professionalism of the administrative judiciary. Most recently, I have served as a member of the 2006 NAALJ Annual Meeting and Educational Conference program committee and as a session presenter. I also currently serve as a member of the WALJA salary committee. I believe that an essential goal and function of WALJA should be to advocate on behalf of the membership for appropriate compensation for the essential work we perform. I wish to serve the membership as Vice President by working diligently to increase the ranks of our membership and to work to offer relevant and ongoing CLE offerings for improved professional growth.

Profile: Currently, I serve as an Administrative Law Judge for Office of Administrative Hearings. Since 2001, I have presided over a large number of hearings for a variety of State agencies including the Employment Security Department, the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Labor & Industries and the Liquor Control Board. I am a former legal services attorney with broad experience representing clients before federal, state and local courts, as well as quasi-judicial bodies. I am actively involved in my community through various professional associations to develop and manage community outreach and education programs on current legal issues. I teach law courses and have experience in planning and implementing training sessions for cultural competency within the workplace. Most recently, in June 2006, I obtained a Master of Public Administration degree that emphasizes human resource management, public policy development and the delivery of efficient services in the public sector.

Summary of Qualifications & Activities: Formally trained in the theoretical and practical aspects of public administration Volunteer Hearing Officer/Trainer - Housing Authority of Thurston County (2003 - Present) Presenter - Network of Adjudicatory Agencies (NAA) CLE Program (2003 & 2005) Presenter - Attorney General Office CLE - Civil Litigation Essentials (2005) Experienced in proposal writing, fund raising, budget planning and analysis Significant teaching experience in university and law school environments (1995 - present) Admitted to practice in New York State & Washington (Active Status) Member - Access to Justice Board - Impediments Committee (2003 - 2004) Member - Office of Administrative Hearings Salary Committee (2003 - 2006); (Co-Chair 2006)

TREASURER NOMINATION

NOMINATION OF ANN RENDAHL FOR WALJA TREASURER

I have served as Treasurer for WALJA since June 2005, and would like to continue to serve as Treasurer for the next year. I have enjoyed serving on the Board and look forward to pursuing activities to continue to strengthen the organization, such as membership development and organizing WALJA’s historical documents during the next year. Continuity in the Treasurer position would be beneficial to the organization.

I am qualified for the position, having served in the position for the last year. I am able to balance checkbooks and maintain financial accounts, including using Excel to develop spreadsheets. During the last year, I have updated and maintained the bank accounts for WALJA, as well as a new account for the 2006 NAALJ conference. I have learned about IRS and bank requirements for organizational accounts. I have developed spreadsheets for tracking revenues and expenses for WALJA.

At the Board’s request, I prepared and filed with the IRS an application for tax-exempt status for WALJA. This involved obtaining and reviewing past organizational and bank records for WALJA and establishing financial statements back to 2002. WALJA must file an informational return with the IRS by the end of October. In addition, the IRS will evaluate WALJA’s application over the next several months. It will be easier to prepare the return and address and questions the IRS may have if I were to continue as Treasurer.

Please consider my nomination to continue serving as WALJA’s Treasurer for the next year.

SECRETARY NOMINATION

NOMINATION OF LAURA KING FOR WALJA SECRETARY

I wish to nominate myself, Laura King, as your WALJA Secretary for 2006 - 2007.

This is my Statement of Qualifications and Interest.

I am an Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings, and have been since 1999.

Before that, I was a Tax Referee for the Board of Tax Appeals.

I am admitted to practice in Washington, Arizona, and the District of Columbia.

I am an invited speaker at bar and community forums on unemployment law.

I know how to work collaboratively to achieve a goal. As a member of the Kitsap County Planning Commission, I worked with other members to recommend land use decisions to the Kitsap County Commissioners. As a member of the board of directors of Kitsap Community Federal Credit Union, I worked with other directors, credit union committees, staff, and members to set policy for a $500 million asset financial cooperative. Currently, I am a Law Library Trustee for the Kitsap County Bar Association. I find working with other trustees to ensure people=s access to legal materials to be very rewarding work. Also, I have volunteered my legal services to obtain federal 501(c)(3) tax exempt status for an educational foundation. And I have helped raise funds for the Central Kitsap Food Bank.

I am comfortable with the mechanics of the work of Secretary. I am comfortable with computers and computer software. I will be able to maintain WALJA=s computerized records and databases.

I am interested in serving my peers as WALJA Secretary to further our shared goal of advancing our profession by enhancing the quality of justice in Washington.

AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE NOMINATION

NOMINATION OF CRAIG NELSON FOR AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE

I would like to nominate myself for the Board of Directors, Representative-at-Large position. I have been an attorney and member of the Washington State Bar Association since 1979. Originally in private practice in Wenatchee, I was active in local affairs including serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Wenatchee Valley College and Chairman of the City of Wenatchee Planning Commission. In 1991 I became the City Attorney for the City of Centralia, and later the City Manager. In 1999, I began working for the Department of Licensing Hearings & Interviews Unit as a Hearing Officer, than Hearing Officer Manager, and Administrator of the Unit beginning in April of 2002.

As the Department’s representative to the Network of Adjudicatory Agencies, I am excited about the possibilities of bringing even closer cooperation between these two groups in the area of training and CLE’s. Raising the profiles of hearing officers and ALJ’s with our Legislature and the Governor’s office is and should remain a high priority of WALJA.

I would be honored to serve on the WALJS Board of Directors. Thank you.