Co-Director, U.S.A.

Friends of Mongolia is structured to have two Directors of equal authority: one based in the United States and one based in Mongolia.  The primary responsibilities of the Co-Directors as described in the FOM bylaws are as follows:

The Program Co-Coordinators shall serve jointly as Chief Executives of the organization, shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee, shall appoint persons to vacant officer positions, and shall act on and behalf of the organization in any manner that is not contrary to the Articles of Incorporation, the Bylaws, or the majority decisions of the Board of Directors.

The Co-Directors have an extremely important role to play in terms of providing leadership and a vision to the organization, as well as facilitating and encouraging communication among the other officers and board members. It is the responsibility of the Co-Directors to ensure that Friends of Mongolia functions properly and effectively as it pursues its mission.

Co-Directors can divide general operational tasks according to their individual strengths, preferences, and location, but there are some duties specific for the Co-Director U.S.A.:

• Coordinating and chairing monthly Officer and bi-monthly Officer and Board joint calls

• Representing FOM at D.C. area Mongolian community events

• Coordinating the annual community grants review and selection process

• Preparing annual Holiday appeal materials

• Reviewing final communications documents, including the semi-annual Newsletter

Both Co-Directors have the general responsibility and authority to lead the organization in its day-to-day operations.  The Co-Directors have a critical role to play in ensuring that decisions are made, tasks are properly delegated, and the organization does not become moribund.

Co-Directors have as resources other Officers, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee, from whom they can seek counsel and consensus when initiating new activities or managing particular details of established programs.  However, as Chief Executives, the Co-Directors should use their authority to ensure that the organization continues to operate even in the absence of consensus or direct feedback from other officers or the board of directors.

The Co-Directors serve not only as Chief Executives, but as the administrative head of Friends of Mongolia.  Co-Directors are responsible for providing direction to other officers, coordinating communication among the officers of the organization, and ensuring that officers have a clear understanding of their roles.

The Co-Directors also serve as liaisons between Friends of Mongolia and other NPCA-affiliate groups, the Embassy of Mongolia in Washington, D.C., and other groups with complementary or parallel education and development goals. This also includes providing members, officers and board members with information related to communications, agreements, joint event-planning, and/or other pertinent interactions with other groups. This has included working with representatives of the Mongolia Society, the National Peace Corps Association, and other affiliate groups to sponsor joint-events or joint-projects, and to foster the inherent information-sharing necessary to facilitate such projects and/or events.