Governance Board Member

Organization:
All Brains Belong VT
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Organization Description
All Brains Belong VT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community health organization supporting neurodivergent people – that is, the 1 in 5 people who think, learn, and/or communicate differently than the majority of brains. Neurodivergent people are more likely to have their needs unmet by the many “defaults” in our society: in healthcare, education, employment, and day to day social interactions. Neurodivergent people have worse health outcomes, higher rates of unemployment and underemployment, and higher rates of social isolation. All Brains Belong provides flexible, individualized ways to get healthcare and connect with community. We also provide community education about neurodiversity and neuroinclusivity.
Organization's Approach to Diversity, Equity, Belonging, & Inclusion

All Brains Belong is committed to being accessible to and inclusive of all people. We recognize that, in addition to neurodiversity, there are many factors that shape people’s experiences and identities. These include, but are not limited to race, age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, and all other LGBTQIA+ identity aspects, religion, socioeconomic status, and trauma. We affirm all aspects and intersections of identity.

We believe that inclusion begins with safety. We are committed to supporting all people to discover and express their true selves, communicate their access needs, and make connections with others.
We collaborate with affinity groups in the community. We welcome all people into our inclusive space where people with all types of brains and bodies belong.

We strongly believe that representation matters, and it is important to us that our leadership circles represent the communities that we serve. Our leadership team consists of predominantly neurodivergent people, including neurodivergent people who are marginalized in multiple ways. As we grow both our Governance Board and our Community Advisory Board, we prioritize representation by those belonging to historically marginalized groups.

Recent efforts to improve equity, belonging and inclusion:
- Intentional recruitment of multiply marginalized community members to our leadership circles
- Raised funds to begin compensating community panelists and Community Advisory Board members (who inform all programs / priorities)
- Incorporating intersectional anti-oppression and social justice themes into "Brain Club" community education program
- Governance Board is in the planning phase of an organizational equity audit

Board Terms and Term Limits
Initial term is one year, after which Board members can be re-elected to subsequent 3-year terms.
Frequency & Duration of Board Meetings
Time commitment is one 90 minute Board meeting per month. Between meetings, approximately one hour per month (either synchronously or asynchronously) is spent reading, thinking, or meeting about topics. All meetings are virtual.
Stipends for Board Membership
While ABB does provide a stipend for Community Advisory Board members, we do not presently provide a stipend to members of the Governance Board.
If Interested, Send Letter of Interest to the Following Point of Contact:
Dr. Mel Houser, Executive Director
Point of Contact Email
melissa.houser@allbrainsbelong.org