The Standing Committees are organized in support of the governance responsibilities of the Board of Trustees. These committees offer a forum for the expertise and creativity of the trustees and alumni, as well as facilitate alumni relations, communications, development and other related activities. The Association currently includes nine standing committees as listed below, though the BLSA Bylaws permit the formation of other committees as the Board of Trustees "determines to be in the best interest of the organization."

Standing committees include:

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is comprised of the chair, vice chair, treasurer and the president/ CEO of the Association, along with the head master of the school. Others may attend the quarterly meetings by invitation of the committee. The Executive Committee makes recommendations to the Board, oversees the performance of the Association relative to its goals and takes action on behalf of the Association when it is impractical to call a meeting of the full Board.

Alumni Relations Committee
The Alumni Relations Committee serves as a critical resource for the BLSA staff as it seeks to meet the goals and objectives laid out in the strategic plan. Specifically, the committee will: provide perspective based on their alumni experience; review and evaluate new and existing programs and activities; identifies potential volunteers and programmatic opportunities; and assist staff in setting future programmatic goals. Subcommittee: Graduate Awards Committee The Graduate Awards Committee nominates persons to receive the Association's annual alumni awards.

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee will oversee the public accounting firm and require them to report directly to this committee. They will evaluate internal controls and management systems of the Association and establish procedures to review complaints about financial matters, including those from anonymous sources.

Committee on Trustees
The Committee on Trustees serves as the nominating committee and works to identify persons for various committees and leadership positions in the Association. In the discharge of its responsibilities, the committee shall have in mind the importance of age, race and ethnic diversity.

Communications Committee
The Communications Committee reviews, provides input, contributes to and supports the development of new and existing BLSA publications; website material; and all other communications and public relations efforts. Committee members represent a variety of relevant professional arenas, including editorial/publications, web, media and marketing. Subcommittee: Internet Services Committee The Internet Services recommends best practices and enhancements to the website, which includes the online community component.

Development Committee
The Development Committee works with the Vice President of Development and the Director of Annual Giving to foster participation in the Annual Fund as well as a major gifts program. The committee's role is to serve as liaison between the Board and the development professionals; to advise and assist the development professionals in the creation of their programs; and to provide the volunteer effort required in raising funds to meet the needs of the school and its students as well as Association activities.

Finance Committee
The Finance Committee oversees all budget appropriations, which include grants to Boston Latin School and BLSA's administrative expenses. The committee reviews and evaluates these expenditures. The committee meets as needed to plan the budget to have it approved by the annual meeting and again to verify the budget and evaluate the previous year's grants to BLS.

Investment Committee
The Investment Committee monitors the performance of the BLSA investment strategy and rebalances the portfolio as necessary to stay within policy guidelines. The committee meets on a quarterly basis to review results and evaluate existing and prospective funds for inclusion in the BLSA portfolio. Periodically the committee evaluates the success of the current policy mix and, if market conditions have made it necessary, to change the policy guidelines.

Program Committee
The Program Committee is charged with reviewing the Association's commitment to programmatic offerings at the school; assisting the Association with determining the prioritization of programmatic funding; working with the BLS head master on defining programmatic needs for public dissemination; increasing communication between the school and the Association for the benefit of all program efforts; and appropriating faculty grants when funding is available.

If you are interested in serving on any of the Board's committees, please contact the BLSA office at 617.450.0004 or e-mail blsa@blsa.org.