ATTENTION: There are several updates that take effect on July 1 for the 2025 - 2026 program year that the District will need to begin preparing now. Below we have outlined the important changes.

District Leader Qualifications:

As the District Leadership Committee prepares to evaluate candidates who will serve for the 2025 - 2026 program year, the qualifications for these positions have been updated in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII (d). For the roles of District Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Growth Director, the candidates must meet the qualifications in the District in which they shall serve. Below are the updated qualifications from the District Administrative Bylaws:

The District Director shall have served

i. at least six (6) consecutive months as a Club President and

ii. at least 12 consecutive months as a Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, Division Director, or a combination of the preceding in the District in which they shall serve.

The Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director shall have served

i. at least six (6) consecutive months as Club President and

ii. at least 12 consecutive months as a Program Quality Director, a Club Growth Director, a Division Director, an Area Director, or a combination of the preceding in the District in which they shall serve.

At the time of taking office, candidates for District Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Growth Director must have meet the qualifications of serving as a club president and in the respective roles as listed for 12 consecutive months in the District in which they are seeking to serve.

The qualification requirements are effective July 1, 2025. This means that the current District Leadership Committee evaluating candidates for the 2025 - 2026 program year will need to adhere to these updated qualification requirements and make sure the candidates meet these qualifications. Updates to the Nomination Form and Candidate Application will be published in the coming weeks.

For candidates who belong to a club that was newly assigned to a District, the individual's membership eligibility to serve as a District officer is valid in the new District.

Remote District Leader Expenses Reimbursement:

Policy 8.3 (1) has been updated to reflect changes for reimbursing remote District leaders. Remote District leaders will be responsible for funding any additional expenses not covered by World Headquarters or the District. Please review Policy 8.3 for the specific details of the reimbursement policy for remote leaders.

The effective date of this change is July 1, 2025. Any remote District leader candidate applying to the District Leadership Committee to serve the 2025 - 2026 program year will need to be made aware of updated reimbursement policy.

District Council Decision to Allow District Leaders to Serve:

The Glossary in the governing documents has been updated to define remote District leaders as either a Fully Remote District Leader or a Partially Remote District Leader.

Remote District Leader(s)

Applies to both Fully Remote District Leader(s) and Partially Remote District Leader(s)

i. Fully Remote District Leader: Any District Executive Committee member having a registered domicile outside the boundaries of the District in which they are serving and who will not attend onsite events as required by the District.

ii. Partially Remote District Leader: Any District Executive Committee member having a registered domicile outside the boundaries of the District in which they are serving but who will attend onsite events as required by the District.

The District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII (C)(1) has also been updated to require the District Council to decide if the District will allow remote District leaders to serve and which roles the remote leaders can serve in. The decision must be made by November 1 of the program year in which the elections will take place.

The effective date for this rule change is July 1, 2025. With this effective date, the District Council must decide if remote District leaders can serve by November 1, 2025, which affects the candidates who intend to serve for the 2026 - 2027 program year. If the District Council does not decide by November 1, 2025 to allow remote leadership, by default, remote leaders cannot serve in the District for any role beginning the 2026 - 2027 program year.

Please review Minutes of the 2023 - 2024 Board of Director Meeting August 10-12, 2024 (redlines).