Since the merger of the SGR and SUR, the SAR continues to experience tremendous growth in membership and its vision and ability to impact radiology and medicine. This includes both the expansion of products and educational offerings as well as other areas benefitting radiology (e.g., DFPs, ETCs, Hands-on courses) and its members (e.g., Early Career and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees). Sustaining this growth is placing additional time demands on executive board members, which hinders the ability to develop new programs to address the expanding talents and contributions of SAR members. A careful review of our organizational structure and function was undertaken by the Board and by past president Bernard King. Based on this it was decided by consensus in 2019 Board meetings to add six (6) portfolio directors to oversee committees and groups from an operational perspective and fresh, diverse input into the direction of our society.

The first positions will be announced in July 2021.

The PD term is 3 years. The term may be extended beyond 3 years based on tasks and responsibilities within the different portfolios.

A call for nominations will go out to all SAR members. We encourage self-nominations. To be considered, all individuals must submit a curriculum vitae and a maximum single page letter of intent expressing interest in the specific portfolio leadership role, along with a description of prior SAR and other service pertinent to the specific area of expertise.

No.

Not a problem at all. When applying, let us know which roles interest you, and share some information about your prior roles that will inform our selection decision.

Going forward, appointments will be announced at the SAR annual meeting, and terms will begin immediately thereafter.

Portfolio Directors will work in close collaboration with a Veritas staff person, and will report to and work with their partner Board member.

SAR Board members and Portfolio Directors will work together closely. Board members are responsible for larger portfolios and may oversee more than one Portfolio Director. Whereas board members serve in a strategic planning role, portfolio directors will work with several committees falling within the defined portfolio in a more operational capacity.

Not at all. Board members are assigned a group of different roles, task forces and committee oversight, in addition to the committees that the Portfolio Director will work with.

Committee members and chairs are appointed by the SAR president-elect with input from other committee chairs, Board members, Portfolio Directors and Veritas staff members.

No, while portfolio directors may participate in some parts of the SAR Board meetings, they are not considered Board members and do not have voting rights at SAR Board meetings.

It is highly likely that some future board members will be selected from the portfolio director group, yet this should not be assumed and Portfolio Directors will not automatically be elevated to the Board. It is important to note that future board members will not have to have served as a Portfolio Director in order to be nominated to the Board.

Portfolio Directors will not only work closely with partner board members but will also participate in some portions of the board meetings. PDs will also provide an annual report to the Board and have regular meetings with their Veritas and Board member counterparts, in addition to Committee Chairs that they help oversee.

At the outset, we plan on 6 initial portfolios. These 6 will be Meeting Education; Lifelong Learning; Clinical Practice; Science, Research and Innovation; International & External Relations; and Member Engagement.

For example, the Meeting Education Portfolio Director will work with the President-elect to help oversee the Program Education Committee and work closely with the Workshop Coordinators to help plan the annual meeting; they will work closely with Veritas partner Lisa Aguado to assist and oversee with all of the communications involved with SAR member presenters. They would work with members of the CME committee to ensure that their review of the program is comprehensive, and that the planned activities are CME compliant.

Each portfolio director will work with a designated Veritas staff person (Veritas are our official meeting management organization). Veritas will provide a staff member who is directly assigned to work closely with each operational Portfolio Director and the associated SAR Board officer.

The SAR Board of Directors will make the selections.

Ideal candidates will be SAR Fellows who are in good standing and who have served on SAR committees (ideally in leadership roles), and who have participated in the annual meeting and or other activities of our society. Leadership, commitment, passion, administrative (project management) skills, and communication experience will be highly valued. The successful candidate will be dependable, diligent, and get along well with others, and be willing to articulate timelines, deliverables, and expectations. Candidates do not need to be current SAR committee chairs, but active or prior committee leadership roles and contribution to the SAR will be taken into account during the selection process. Candidates must be willing to commit the time required for these positions and may speak with committee chairs and SAR Board members to gain an understanding of what is involved.

We do not require prior service as a committee chair.

No. We want to be inclusive of SAR members seeking leadership development roles and will not consider prior Board members.

We are creating a chat room on the SAR webpage where you can ask questions. If you’d like to discuss this live, please email Sue O’Sullivan who will connect you with a current Board member. Also, please feel free to reach out directly to any Board member – we would be delighted to answer any questions you might have.