Board of Management & Committees
Board of Management
A Board of Management governs the business and affairs of the Down Syndrome Society of South Australia, Inc (DSSSA) and is comprised of Executive and Ordinary members.
Executive members hold the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer and as dictated by the Constitution, at least two of these positions must be held by a parent/guardian of a person with Down syndrome. The Executive Director of the Society is also a member of the Executive.
The Constitution allows for 8 Ordinary Board members with at least 4 of these positions to be held by a parent/guardian of a person with Down syndrome.
Members are elected to the Board for a period of 2 years with elections conducted at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). For purposes of continuity, only half of the Board positions are declared vacant each year i.e. the positions of President, Treasurer + 4 Ordinary members are filled one year and the positions of Vice President, Secretary + 4 Ordinary members are filled at the AGM of the next year. Nominations for the vacant positions are sought prior to each AGM.
Board members are required to be members of the Society and only those persons holding full membership of the Society are entitled to a vote at the AGM.
In addition, the Board can, at its discretion, seek a further 4 nominations from representatives it believes have valuable experience or expertise in certain areas. Such representatives are appointed for a period of not more than 2 years but are eligible for reappointment.
Introducing the Board of Management for 2007.
 Judy Opolski President (Parent) |
Peter Siderius Treasurer (Parent) |
| Robyn Blundell Vice President (Parent) |
Secretary (position currently vacant) |
 Sharyn Boulton Ordinary Member (Parent) |
 Erica Byrne Ordinary Member (Parent) |
 Liz Coles Ordinary Member (Parent) |
 Martin Hoffensetz Ordinary Member (Parent) |
 Peter King Ordinary Member (Retired Principal) |
 Sonya Russ Ordinary Member (Parent) |
Ursula Firenze Ordinary Member (Parent) |
Chris Russell Ordinary Member (Parent) |
| Helen Kowalenko CSO Nominee |
Maureen Bailey DECS Nominee |
Committees
In addition to the Board there are a number of Committees charged with overseeing specific functions of the DSSSA. Committees are generally formed on an as needs basis although the Society does have a few long standing committees. Committee positions are open to Board and non Board members with nominations for positions sought at the time of formation; there is no time limit for serving. One representative from each Committee has the responsibility of preparing a report on the workings of the Committee for the Board.
Anyone possessing a skill in a particular area that they feel would be useful to a committee is encouraged to contact the Society to discuss vacancies.
Current sitting committees are:
Finance – chaired by the Treasurer with the majority of positions held by the Executive members of the Board and a few Ordinary members. Oversees the financial dealings of the Society.
Lobby – a mix of Board and non Board members, this committee is mobilised as needs arise. Current issues relate to funding, health care and accommodation.
Congress – a mix of Board and non Board members, this committee is charged with planning and fundraising for the group attending the next World Down syndrome Congress in Ireland in 2009.
Accommodation – this committee is in its infancy and will be calling for nominations in the near future as the Society looks at the ongoing issue of Independent living.
Marketing – the newest of all our committees, it will look at ways of raising the Society's profile as well as investigating new avenues for raising revenue.
Strategic Planning – this committee is comprised of mostly Board members and is preparing the next Strategic Plan.
