Board Development

Board Secretary Job Description

Purpose: The State of Alaska requires a board chair/president and a board secretary, and they cannot be the same person. The purpose of the secretary is to maintain all board records and ensure their accuracy and safety. The function of document retention depends on whether the organization has staff and a physical office location.

Duties and Responsibilities (at a minimum):

Organization without staff	Organization with staff (that can serve in this way)
Prepare the board packet with the chair before the meeting	Assist staff (if necessary and requested) to prepare the board packet before the meeting
Send the board packet to the board (post in places as necessary and required)	Review (if necessary and requested) the board packet before sending it to the board (post in places as necessary and required)
Notify board members of the time and date of all meetings	Ensure that board members are notified of the times and dates of all meetings
Attend all board meetings	Attend all board meetings
Capture the decisions and major discussions of the meeting, i.e. taking minutes at each meeting	Ensure a staff member captures the decisions and major discussions of the meeting, i.e. taking minutes at each meeting so the board secretary caN participate in the meeting
Maintain records of the board to ensure their safety	Ensure that the staff are maintaining the records of the board to ensure their safety
Review board meeting minutes for accuracy before sending them out to the board	Depending on the needs of the staff, review board meeting minutes for accuracy in the board packet or before sending them to the full board
Sign approved board minutes. Minutes are subject to audit by the IRS and should be stored according to the organization’s document retention policy.	Sign approved board minutes. Minutes are subject to audit by the IRS and should be stored according to the organization’s document retention policy.
Keep an updated list of board members’ contact information including addresses, phone numbers, and email	Ensure that staff have an updated list of board members’ contact information including addresses, phone numbers, and email
Assume the duties of the president in the absence of the board president, president-elect, or vice president	Assume the duties of the president in the absence of the board president, president-elect, or vice president