Board Members (Multiple Seats: Mon Valley Resident Seats and At Large Seats)

VCAN is electing several new directors at our annual meeting in early 2027. VCAN’s Board governs; it does not run daily operations. Day-to-day work is led by our Executive Director and staff, and the Board and Executive Director work as partners. Board members set strategy, approve policy and the annual budget, oversee and support the Executive Director, safeguard VCAN’s finances and legal health, and serve as ambassadors who open doors to funding and partners.

We are recruiting for two kinds of seats:

• Mon Valley Resident Seats. For people who live in, or have deep roots in, a Mon Valley community and who know firsthand what living with industrial pollution means. No prior board experience is needed. We provide orientation and training.
• At-Large Seats. For people anywhere in the Pittsburgh region who bring a skill VCAN needs and a commitment to environmental justice.

Specific Board Member responsibilities include:

Governance and oversight

• Setting VCAN’s strategic direction and approving policies and bylaws
• Approving the annual budget and reviewing financial reports and audits
• Supporting, evaluating, and holding accountable the Executive Director
• Acting in VCAN’s best interest under Pennsylvania’s fiduciary standard of good faith, care, and diligence

Community leadership

• Bringing Mon Valley residents’ voices and priorities into every Board decision
• Representing VCAN at community events, public hearings, and with partners

Resources and relationships

• Serving as an ambassador for VCAN’s fundraising: making introductions, thanking donors, and joining funder visits
• Making a personal gift that is meaningful to you, at any amount, so VCAN can report 100 percent Board participation

Skills and Perspectives We Are Seeking

Above all, we are seeking Mon Valley residents with lived experience of pollution. We also welcome candidates who bring one or more of the following:

• Nonprofit finance, accounting, or audit (including a future Treasurer)
• Environmental or public health, medicine, or epidemiology
• Law (environmental, regulatory, or nonprofit)
• Fundraising and philanthropy
• Communications, media, or digital storytelling
• Community organizing, faith leadership, or labor (including steelworker and retiree perspectives)
• Real estate, community development, or economic development

Board Terms and Participation

• Term: Two years, beginning at election at the annual meeting (January or first quarter 2027).
• Meetings: Regular Board meetings, quarterly, with virtual participation permitted. Directors are expected to attend at least three-quarters of regularly scheduled meetings and to serve on one committee.
• Time: Plan for roughly 6 to 10 hours per month, including meeting preparation.
• Commitments: Directors sign an annual conflict of interest statement and a Board member agreement, and they complete a new member orientation.
• Eligibility: VCAN staff, including the Executive Director, cannot serve as voting directors.