About GEO’s Academic and Government Council

The Council's Role

The Council's role will primarily consist of the following:

• Consultative - To be a conduit for fresh ideas, and a forum for meaningful discussion with the academic and government world, resulting in increased eminence by, and participation in GEO.
• Relationship building - To provide a forum for GEO to build and strengthen relationships with our academic and governmental partners.
• Counsel - To bring in-depth topical knowledge to external groups interacting with and educating lawmakers and regulators.
• Content provision - To manage a repository of scholarly and regulatory documentation, which may serve as a resource for the development of future education offerings.
• Contribution - To provide a way for participation in, and contributions to GEO without the higher commitment level of a GEO board position.
• Global representation - To be geographically diverse, and comprising academic and government stakeholders.
• Visionary - To provide a broad vision, acting as the key link for GEO to interact with stakeholders and to define priorities for GEO programs.
• Add value - To support GEO's educational programs via educational and regulatory biased documentation and direct access to the academic and government community.
• Stewardship - To increase awareness of GEO among their own constituencies, representing the GEO brand at all times.
• Collaboration - To communicate with and learn from other Council members, both on- and off-line.
• Increase participation - To identify and develop prospective board members.

Council Structure

• Number of members -The Council consists of approximately 15 to 20 members.
• Geographical representation - Council membership should ideally replicate the approximate geographical mix of the current GEO membership.
• Member affiliations - Members represent one of the following constituencies:
  • Academic: individuals who are affiliated with any non-profit educational or research institutions.
  • Government: individuals who are affiliated with a national or international government agency / regulatory body.

Council Governance and Leadership

Council Chairs – The Council Chairs are elected by the GEO Board of Directors and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Council, including:

• Managing operations of the Council in line with the GEO strategy and mission. Scheduling meetings and identifying meeting locations;
• Reporting interactions back to GEO;
• Ensure that accurate records of Council meetings are maintained and shared with GEO;
• Posting materials on GEOconnect.

Don-Tobias Jol of Baker & McKenzie Amsterdam N.V. is the current Council Chair of the Government Academic Council. The Council Chair, together with GEO's Executive Director, Danyle Anderson, will serve as your primary points of contact when interfacing with GEO.

About the Council Members

Benefits of Council Membership

There are many benefits of joining GEO's Academic and Government Council, including:

• Direct access to a network of academic and government peers around the world.
• Involvement with, and influence on, the provision of education to GEO members.
• An opportunity to increase the publication of personal thought leading insight via GEOconnect, GEO's knowledge repository.
• Increased personal visibility and recognition, both in GEO materials and on GEO's website.
• Council member status of a leading global equity-based remuneration organization.
• Direct input into the GEO Board of Directors and an opportunity to influence the organization's content and future strategy.
• A firm foothold in the organization for prospective GEO board members.
• The chance to be involved with GEO without the higher commitment level of a board position.
• Preferential attendance in other GEO activities or committees.

Key Responsibilities of the Council Members

Council members have the following responsibilities:

• To represent their own stakeholder group in order to advise GEO on matters such as:
  • Reporting on new developments in the academic or government field;
  • Providing guidance and opinions on these developments;
  • Presenting ideas and initiatives around educational programs to the GEO Board of Directors;
  • Providing material for thought leadership and blog issuances;
  • Reviewing conference topics for depth of scholarly and regulatory content;
  • Offer opportunities for relationship building with academic and government bodies;
  • Periodically review and report on effectiveness of the Council.
• To serve as a communications link between the stakeholders represented and the GEO Board of Directors.
• To attend and actively participate in Council meetings.
• To maintain active GEO registration throughout their term on the Council.
  NOTE: GEO membership is completely FREE for Academic and Government representatives. Please refer to our membership pages for further details.

Council Member Time Commitments

• Meeting attendance - Council meetings take place 3 to 4 times per calendar year. They will be a combination of in-person meetings and conference calls, facilitated by GEO's Executive Director and Council Chair. Each Council member is expected to attend a minimum of 75% of the Council's meetings and a minimum of one in-person meeting each year.
  • In-person meetings will typically be scheduled in conjunction with GEO conferences.
  • Conference call scheduling - Separate conference calls will be arranged on an ad-hoc basis to accommodate US versus non-US participants; academic versus government participants, et cetera.
• Length of service - Members are requested to commit to a minimum of one to two years' service on the Council: this can be renewed based on the level of contribution each member makes to the Council.

Further Information

For additional information on GEO's Academic and Government Council, please contact:

Dr. Bill Castellano, Rutgers University, Council Chair at castellano@smlr.rutgers.edu, or

Don-Tobias Jol, Baker & McKenzie Amsterdam N.V., Council Chair at don-tobias.jol@bakermckenzie.com, or

Danyle Anderson, GEO Executive Director at danyle.anderson@globalequity.org.