Call for Nominations: AO NA Education Advisory Board Chair

Posted on behalf of Michelle Clarke, MD, Chair of the EAB Nominating Committee

IMPORTANT and TIME-SENSITIVE

On Wednesday, the AO North America (AO NA) Education Advisory Board’s (EAB) Nominating Committee (Nom Com) met to review the EAB Chair position description, the election process, and the associated timeline. We agreed to initiate the process through this notice.

We are seeking nominations for Chair of the EAB. Ideal candidates are qualified surgeons who are passionate about education and leadership. You may may nominate yourself or a colleague by submitting the nominee’s name along with a brief rationale for the nomination to eab@aona.org by 12:00 PM ET on Friday, 6 June 2025. AO NA staff will confirm receipt of your submission via email. If you do not receive a confirmation, please send an email to eab@aona.org or call Sheila Watts at 484.531.3187.

Below is a summary of the EAB, the chair’s responsibilities, requirements, and time commitments.

The EAB defines and oversees the implementation of the learning strategy for AO NA. It supports and guides education committees across divisions and initiatives, ensures implementation of learning goals, integrates innovations in education, and maintains a transparent, peer-reviewed decision-making process. The EAB also reviews partnerships, monitors progress and conducts annual evaluations to ensure continuous professional development.

Chair’s Responsibilities

The EAB Chair will serve a four-year term beginning 1 July 2025 and concluding on 30 June 2029. The individual will report to the AO NA President.

Leads the development and implementation of the learning strategy.
Collaborates and works with clinical divisions, initiatives, and units to align with the overall implementation and approach.
Works with education committee chairs, the Executive Council, and the staff to disseminate the learning strategy.
Represents AO NA at AO Education Platform meetings and advocates for AO NA learning needs.
Leads strategic meetings along with the AO NA’s Chief Learning and Strategy Officer to promote and advocate for the successful implementation of the learning strategy.
Promotes collaborations across different organizations that can help promote the AO strategic initiatives and achieve defined goals.
Partners in the development and chairs AO NA’s semi-annual Education Summit.
Analyzes results of the AO NA learning portfolio and CME/CPD program evaluation and facilitate implementation of necessary improvements.
Oversees the work of the AO NA Education Transformation Steering Committee and participates in its meetings.
Oversees the Ethics and Content Validation Subcommittee (ECVSC) concerning education conflicts of interest.
Ensures that AO NA is compliant with the requirements of AMA, RACE, ACCME, and other accrediting and regulatory bodies.
Provides insight and oversight into the reaccreditation process.
Leads the collaboration on educational research initiatives with AO NA clinical division research committees and ensures their successful implementation and dissemination of results.
Serves on the AO NA Executive Council as a non-voting member.

Eligibility Criteria

AO member in North America in good standing.
Current or past member of an AO NA education committee within any clinical division.
Active AO NA faculty who completed the faculty development programs: Faculty Education Program (FEP), Chair Education Program (CEP), and Leadership Education Program (LEP).
A thorough understanding of the AO teaching principles and the way learning is organized and delivered.
Experience in organizational leadership, building consensus across teams, and volunteer committees.
Demonstrated leadership skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrated diplomacy.
Team and consensus builder.
Demonstrated enthusiasm for education in North America.

Annual Time Commitment

Attend approximately two in-person and two video conference EAB meetings.
Attend Executive Council meetings as scheduled.
Attend Education Summit(s) and CME Workgroup meetings.
Attend the OneAO meeting.

General

Proven leadership experience in leading learning strategies and its implementation across the organization.
Ability to provide leadership and guidance on learning, learning processes, teaching, and associated compliance issues at a multi-specialty committee level.
Committed to investing time and effort as needed to implement and realize the approved strategy.
Innovative and results-driven advocate for learning, focusing on what is needed to make AO NA learning more effective, relevant, and meaningful to the learner.
A passion for innovation in learning and its continuous improvement.
Appreciate lifelong learning and continuous professional development of surgeons.
An understanding of compliance and regulatory issues of AO NA, as well as that of commercial supporters.
A commitment to a learner-centered approach to instruction and the establishment of infrastructure, processes, and resources that support the success of the learner and faculty.

Election Process

The EAB Nom Com is dedicated to ensuring an inclusive and transparent selection process. Once staff verifies AO membership, staff will ask the nominated individuals to submit a summary of their AO contributions, a one-page letter of intent, and a CV. After receiving staff’s request, nominated individuals will have seven (7) days to provide this information. The EAB Nom Com will then verify the information, vet the nominees, and create an electronic ballot. The EAB and the Ethics and Content Validation Subcommittee will vote. The elected candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes cast. If no candidate achieves this threshold, the EAB Nom Com will conduct runoff elections until a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes.

For questions, please contact Sheila Watts at eab@aona.org or 484.531.3187.

We encourage you to participate in this important process and help shape AO NA’s future within the AO community.

EAB Nominating Committee,

Michelle Clarke, MD, Chair, AO EAB Nominating Committee – AO Spine NA

Kenneth Bruecker, DVM, MS, DACVS, DACVSMR – AO VET NA

Young-Min Kwon, MD, PhD – AO Recon NA

Jeffrey Lawton, MD – AO Trauma Hand NA

Mark Lee, MD – AO NA President

Rafael Neiman, MD – AO Trauma NA

Brent Ponce, MD – AO Sports NA

Travis Tollefson, MD, MPH, FACS – AO CMF NA