Steering Committee Membership

Qualifications for Steering Committee Membership

All Steering Committee members and alternates must self-identify as being peers (people in recovery from a mental illness or co-occurring challenge.)
All Steering Committee members must be engaged in providing mental health peer support to others in either a paid or volunteer capacity. It is not necessary to be a Certified Peer Specialist to be a Steering Committee member.
All Steering Committee members must be residents of Pennsylvania. Additionally, all Steering Committee members must live or work in the region they represent. See Pennsylvania map of regions.
All Steering Committee members should be able to communicate and publicize messages within their regions, or work with point persons who will do this, and regularly attend Coalition Steering Committee meetings.
All Steering Committee members must have regular access to email and a telephone.

Responsibilities of a Committee Member

Steering Committee members are responsible for representing the voices of the people providing peer support in their region and for providing updates to the entire Steering Committee about their region's activities and needs. They are also responsible for disseminating information and at times collecting feedback within their region.

Regular representatives are asked to be prepared to attend all Steering Committee meetings. Alternate representatives are encouraged but not required to attend meetings, but may be asked to fill in at a meeting when a regular representative is unable to attend. All committee members are responsible for participating in email discussions between meetings.

All Steering Committee members are encouraged to work together outside of meetings to advance the goals of the Coalition, including meeting and collaborating with the other representatives in their region.

Number of Meetings

The Steering Committee meets once a month via teleconference. Teleconference meetings are held on the first Friday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Length of Term

The length of term for a Steering Committee member is three years. If a member becomes unable to serve the entire three years, an alternate representative for the region is asked to become a regular representative and fill the rest of the vacant term. If the alternate is unable to become a regular representative, other efforts are made to fill the vacant position.

Steering Committee members may serve a total of two consecutive terms of office. After serving two terms, the person must take one year off before being eligible to serve again.

Becoming a Steering Committee Member