Thank you for your interest in joining the CMC! If you're on this page, you're probably wondering what being a CMC representative entails. 

The CMC represents the interests of all CIRES members in CIRES governance, organizational direction, and the day-to-day workplace environment. We bring concerns to the attention of CIRES administration and work to improve communication between all CIRES units. Being a CMC representative is an opportunity for service and provides career enhancement. It's also fun! 

Your first few months on the CMC, you'll attend the monthly meetings to see how the group works. After that, you can expect to participate in specific CMC programs. The CMC runs several programs designed to improve the work environment at CIRES:

• CIRES Rendezvous – an annual scientific meeting and luncheon for all CIRES employees, held in May
• The Outstanding Performance Awards (OPAs) – awards designed to recognize outstanding work by CIRES employees, with winners announced at Rendezvous
• The CIRES Mentoring Program – a program that pairs experienced employees with ones looking for career guidance

There are also other leadership roles you can take on. You can serve as CMC Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, or Membership Chair. The CMC has a representative on the CIRES Fellows Committee and the CIRES Executive Committee. Becoming one of these committee representatives is a great way to learn about the top-level governance of CIRES. While volunteering for a specific project, committee, or CMC role is not required, most representatives do it. The CMC could not function otherwise, many representatives find this work meaningful. 

The basic tasks of being a CMC representative only takes about two or three hours a month. They include the following:

• Introduce yourself to new employees in your cluster and explain what the CMC does.
• Attend monthly CMC meetings (1.5 hours, online via Zoom link)
• Email your cluster the minutes from the monthly CMC meetings to keep people informed.
• Let your coworkers know they can come to you with CIRES-related concerns, and you will relay these to the rest of the CMC. Coworkers may request that these concerns remain anonymous. The CMC can then decide the best way to address the issues.

If you are looking to get to know others across CIRES and help the organization be a great workplace, please consider joining the CMC. The group's Membership Chair can answer any questions you might have.