Marin CAMFT Board Elections: The President-Elect Position

The information below was shared by then-President Elect Lauren Ogren on the Marin CAMFT Listserv in Fall 2023, in seeking candidates to go up for election. We thought it might be useful for those of you considering running for this important office this year. Our 2024 President-Elect, Elizabeth Clark, is available to answer questions about the role - please email her at president.elect@marincamft.org 

As your current President-Elect I wanted to share my experience and offer to answer any questions for anyone who may be thinking about running for this important position. 

The position of President-Elect is a 3-year term, and while that may sound daunting, it consists of a one-year term of learning the office of president, then a one-year term of president, followed by a one-year term of the board position of past president. In my experience so far the first year has flown by, and I am excited and prepared to step into the role of president. The length of the term allows for one to get comfortable and familiar with the bylaws and needs of the organization, and having the past president still involved makes the position of president feel very supported.

The time ask (generally the biggest question) is not overwhelming, and it has been easy to balance the needs of my private practice, school-based employment, family, and free time in this position. There is a monthly meeting (10 times per year) on the second Friday of the month, and the outside tasks have not been extreme. I generally spend an hour to two a week on other tasks, as needed. The board works together on so many things, that each members' time is not over extended. 

The best part of being on the board of MCAMFT is the community. The amount of time that is put in does not equal the positive benefits of being a board member of MCAMFT. It is wonderful to get to know our therapist community at large and be a part of something bigger here in Marin County, and the larger CAMFT community. The discussions and relationships formed on the board are invaluable, and I have been honored to be a part of such a kind, caring, and intelligent cohort. We laugh, too. And get delicious pastries when we meet in person a few times a year. 

I want to encourage anyone who has a question to back-channel me - or ask on here if I missed an important question. The more involvement we have in MCAMFT creates a stronger community. I encourage new and/or underrepresented voices to join the board, as we need new insight and experiences to make this chapter thrive. 

If interested, please email: info@marincamft.org


Warmly,

Lauren Ogren, LMFT, PsyD
MCAMFT 2023 President-Elect