BSA trustees are elected for three years, and can serve for a maximum of six years.  Three trustees are elected every year, so there is a good overlap and experience can be passed on to new trustees. Usually, at least one of the elected trustees is a speech-language professional.  If a trained SLT/SLP is not elected as a trustee then the trustees should co-opt such expertise to assist and advise them. 

TISA trustees, with a few exceptions, will have similar responsibilities and functions as the BSA trustees.  The main and significant extension to the TISA trustees is the different size of the Indian population; numbers of the Indian PWS and different languages. This means there will be a significant likelihood of there being up to 22 branch offices with TISA  being the National Office. A second difference which should be taken into account, is the differences in the way of life in India and the UK.  India, like America, has enormous  rural areas.  India has a higher percentage of illiteracy than in the UK.  In all probability, this will mean a much greater emphasis on effective self-help groups everywhere in India.

Because of these exceptions, additional trustees will be needed to ensure reasonable oversight.

One or two trustees should take an active role in each of the working committees, maybe as chairperson and / or vice chairperson. Likely working committees are finance; fundraising; strategy; marketing and policy; general events; youth events; adult information; family information; research; new projects; expansion into and throughout all Indian states.

One trustee should be Treasurer.

At least one trustee should be responsible for the provision of self-help group information and expanding the number of effective self-help groups. 

At least one trustee should be the main liaison person between external organisations such as ISA, ELSA, AIISH etc.

Several trustees will be responsible for public, professional and media relations.

At least one trustee should take the lead role in the development of TISA.

At least one trustee should be responsible for the development of the new website.

Two or more trustees should take the lead role and/or be responsible for editing areas of the website, namely, online news; Stuttering/Stammering information; TISA events information; worldwide Stuttering/Stammering events information; the remaining part of the website.

One or more trustees should take the lead role and all be responsible for the dissemination of all information on any media in several Indian languages.  Circumstances would probably dictate which new language is necessary at any one time. 

Initially 14 trustees should be appointed.  At the end of the first year five trustees shall resign and as long as they are members of TISA can stand for reelection.  At the end of the second year, another five trustees shall resign and as long as they are members of TISA can stand for reelection at the end of the third year the last four trustees shall resign and as long as they are members of TISA and stand for reelection.

From the second year onwards, only members of TISA can stand for election to be a new trustee. 

With the exception of the first two years, every trustee must stand for reelection after serving for three years.  The maximum number of consecutive years a trustee can serve for will be six. A gap of at least one year is needed before a member can think of serving as a trustee again.

Two (up to a maximum of three) of the trustees should be speech-language professionals, and if two are not elected then two should be co-opted to the board.

The remaining trustees will be Indian PWS and should be drawn from the membership of TISA.

The chair of TISA will automatically be a member of the board of trustees during the tenure of office. 

The number of trustees should be a reviewed as the number of branch offices increase. 

Thanks are due to the BSA (www.stammering.org) for providing the basic information that has been used to produce part of this draft article.