IS A HECMA LEADERSHIP TEAM ROLE RIGHT FOR YOU? Spring has arrived and we have four positions up for re-election. If you have served on a committee or want to get further involved in shaping our field, consider putting your name on the ballot. Here are are a few more reasons why you run for an office: Give Back to the Community. Have you benefited from the work of those that came before in HECMA. From the Roundtable offerings? From the work of others found in the library? From the shared response on the listserv? What better way to pay it forward than to bring your talents to HECMA. , Serving as a Leader on HECMA allows the opportunity to make decisions and develop initiatives that will have a positive impact on everyone. Learn or Expand Leadership Skills. Serving on an association leadership group can teach you more than what you imagine. It gives you a chance to hone leadership skills, take charge of issues and work with others to fix them. In your current position you may not be in charge of others; but by leading a committee and completing tasks and projects, you can demonstrate those skills for any next step in your career. Through sharing you vision for the field and the responsibility for the associations strategic initiatives with others, you will learn balance, patience, and collaborative teamwork. Plus enhance your sense of irony and humor. Meet your “Neighbors”. As a HECMA member we have the opportunity to build connection s across North America through our listserv or roundtables. As a Leadership Team member you are a point person for that community building. Through Leadership service, HECMA becomes an even greater place to meet your “neighbors” and to know more about them and the gifts and talents they bring to our field. Contribute to Best Practice Recommendations. And have some fun. By serving on as a Leadership Team member, you can broaden your awareness of trends in higher education; as well as relevant regulations and standards. Taking on some projects or tasks does not have to be a boring. It can be fun, especially when you get to socialize, work with your “neighbors” and come up with creative ideas on how to make our association run better. Applications for Leadership Candidates are now being accepted. Voting starts soon! JJ Larson President, HECMA Leadership@hecma.org