The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
National Advisory Board
Board Structure and Function
The National Advisory Board will gradually be enlarged with new members recruited on a rotating membership schedule of three-year terms with optional three-year renewal terms. No more than twenty (20) board members will serve at any given time. In order to stagger the new membership, founding board members will be offered two or three-year board opportunities. After two consecutive terms, a member will be required to be off of the board for one term, with an option to renew thereafter.
The board aims to be distinctively national in scope in keeping with the long-term mission and goals of the Angelou Center: a) To set national standards for excellence and innovation in research on minority health issues, b) To deliver programs and clinical services through collaboration with and outreach to communities, and c) Career development, enhancement and advancement of minority medical students, and faculty (both clinician-scientists and basic scientists). Names of potential new board members will be submitted to the Center director and advanced to the board’s Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will review all potential candidates and make recommendations to the body of the board for approval.
The National Advisory Board will meet annually in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to review the status and programmatic progress of the Center, receive updated information on topics relevant to the Center’s mission, and discuss endowment goals. The Center director and/or development staff may consult with board members on an as needed basis during the year regarding special projects or needs.
In summary, the responsibilities of the National Advisory Board members are to:
- As a respected professional and community leader, be a national/international ambassador for the Angelou Center in accordance with the mission and within the guidelines of the programs and projects approved by the board and Center leadership.
- Actively participate in achieving the philanthropic objectives of the Center.
- Serve in an advisory capacity to recruit board members, identify potential benefactors, and be involved in the cultivation and solicitation of contributions as appropriate.