Board of Directors Committees

Learn more about the councils and committees that govern CLSI.

Consensus Council

Purpose

The Consensus Council is the authority over all CLSI standards development activities, including project approval, prioritization, status assessment, and consensus approval for document publication. The Consensus Council serves as the consensus body for CLSI, and ensures that CLSI’s standards development activities are in alignment with Board-directed organizational priorities, CLSI’s mission and vision, budget, and resource availability.

Scope of Responsibility

The Consensus Council is dedicated to effective standards development and fulfillment of CLSI’s mission by:

Tentatively approves project proposals, including the proposed chairholder (and vice-chairholder, if known), before the Call for Volunteers for the project
Approves, disapproves, and prioritizes all standards development projects and their rosters
Renders final approval for projects, including the project roster
Regularly reviews the status (progress, schedules, budgets, issues) of all projects in development; takes action to keep projects on schedule, (eg, reprioritize, cancel, postpone, provide guidance, coach, make changes to personnel, enforce deadlines) as needed
Renders the final consensus approval for publication based on review of the following activities in the process. NOTE: Expert panels should be contacted if questions arise during the approval process.
- Ensures that the CLSI Standards Development Policies and Processes were properly followed
- Ensures that the comment response process was properly followed (eg, reasonably stated explanations for non-acceptance of comments)
- Ensures all comments were appropriately resolved (with advice from expert panel chairholders, vice-chairholders, and staff project managers)
Hears process or technical appeals and renders an opinion
Upholds the CLSI consensus process
Uses CLSI resources wisely

Executive Committee

Purpose

The purpose of the Executive Committee is to coordinate CLSI’s governance and policy-making activities, and to oversee and evaluate implementation and management of CLSI programs. In fulfilling these roles, the Executive Committee functions on an ongoing basis on behalf of the Board of Directors, consistent with CLSI’s responsibilities as a not-for-profit educational organization and in accord with organizational goals and policies established by the Board.

Scope of Responsibility

The Executive Committee is responsible for:

Implementing the organization’s strategic direction determined by the Board of Directors
Serving as the “steering committee” to guide and coordinate the work of the Board’s committees
Coordinating the functions of the Board of Directors, as CLSI’s consensus body, in validating the output of the consensus process
Establishing an annual project management plan that assures timely development of standards and guidelines based on established project priorities
Overseeing management of CLSI and the CLSI offices
Exercising the power of the Board of Directors when the Board is not in session, and reporting to the Board at its succeeding meeting of any actions taken

Finance Committee

Purpose

The purpose of the Finance Committee is to provide oversight of the organization’s financial resources by reporting accurate and reliable information to the Board of Directors and to protect the assets of the organization from fraud, mismanagement, or negligence by providing an adequate system of financial controls.

Scope of Responsibility

The Finance Committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors for approval:

The annual budget
The investment policies and guidelines
External auditor selection and the annual audit
Actions that satisfactorily address audit recommendations

In addition, the Finance Committee reviews any other items which have a significant impact on the financial operations of the organization, and prepares recommendations to the Board of Directors designed to assure the long-term financial viability of the organization.

Nominating Committee

Purpose

The purpose of the Nominating Committee is to identify and recommend candidates for open CLSI Board officer and director positions with the specific constituency and skills mix essential for the Board’s optimal governance of CLSI.

Scope of Responsibility

The Nominating Committee is responsible for:

Considering candidates for open officer and director positions recommended by active member organizations and other CLSI entities
Through its own initiatives, identifying additional candidates with specific skills and organizational linkages that are needed on the Board
Recommending for election a slate of candidates that represents the best match of qualifications and expertise with the skills identified by the Board as critical to its future operation
Assuring that appropriate balance is maintained on the Board among representatives of government, industry, and the professions, and by at-large members not representing CLSI’s three traditional constituencies