Commission for National and Community Service (ServeDC)

Total public members:               25           

Method of Appointment:           Direct Appointment    

Length of Appointment:            3 years

Residency:                                  Strong preference for DC residents from all 8 wards

Paid board:                                 No (all roles are voluntary)

Description: 

The purpose of the Commission is to encourage community service and volunteer participation as a means of community and state problem-solving; to promote and support voluntary citizen involvement in government and private programs throughout the District of Columbia; to develop a comprehensive vision and strategic plan for community service initiatives in the District of Columbia; and to serve as the District's liaison between national and other state organizations in concert with the District of Columbia strategic plan.

Commission membership

The Commission shall consist of twenty-five (25) voting members appointed by the Mayor on a nonpartisan basis. Not more than 50 percent of the Commission plus one member may be from the same political party. To the extent possible, it shall be balanced according to race, ethnicity, age, disability, and gender characteristics.

Qualifications:

A member may represent none, one, or more than one of the following categories, but each of the following categories shall be represented by a voting member on the Commission:

1. An individual with expertise in the educational, training, and developmental needs of youth, particularly disadvantaged youth;

2. An individual with expertise in promoting the involvement of older adults (age 55 and older) in service and volunteerism;

3. A representative of a community-based agency or community-based organization within the District;

4. The State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee;

5. Representatives of local labor organizations in the District of Columbia;

6. Representatives of business entities;

7. An individual between the ages of 16 and 25 who is a participant or a supervisor of a service program for school-age youth, or of a campus-based or national service program;

8. A representative of a national service program; and

9. A representative of the volunteer sector.

The Commission's voting members may include, but are not limited to:

1. Members selected from among local educators;

2. Members selected from among experts in the delivery of human, educational, environmental, or public safety services to communities and persons;

3. Representatives of culturally and ethnically diverse communities in the District of Columbia;

4. Members selected from among out-of-school youth or other at-risk youth;

5. A representative from an institution of higher education in the District of Columbia; and

6. Representatives of entities that receive assistance under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.).

Not more than 25 percent of the Commission's voting members may be employees of the District government, though additional District agency representatives may sit on the Commission as non-voting, ex officio members.

The Mayor shall appoint, as a non-voting member of the Board, a representative designated by the federal Corporation for National Service. Additionally, the Mayor may, at his or her discretion, appoint non-voting members who shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.