The working Executive Council is composed of the elected officers (President, Past President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer), two CSI Leadership Interns, and the Chief Executive Officer. Editors of the Society's publications and Leadership Fellows may be invited to attend. All have a voice in the meetings but only the elected officers may vote. Officers are elected by the membership in an open nomination and democratic election process. As provided in the CSI International Bylaws, the EC carries out the work of the Society.

Each year, CSI hosts the Annual Delegate Business Meeting of delegates as part of CSI Days events. Any active member of CSI and the chapter may be a delegate for a chapter. Chapters must have a delegate record attendance at the meeting at least once every three years to remain an active chapter.

Officers, Leadership Interns, and Editors receive reimbursement for travel when required to be at Executive Council meetings. Officers receive expenses for lodging and meals for the EC meeting prior to the conference and all expenses for the EC spring/summer planning meeting. There is no other compensation for volunteer members of the EC.

Officers (past and present) and committee chairs accept speaking invitations to chapters and other professional occasions as representatives for CSI without compensation. They are reimbursed actual expenses by CSI and/or its chapters. 

CSI's volunteer leadership structure includes editors for CSI's publications (notably the Exemplar, the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Development, the Counselors' Bookshelf), standing or permanent committees and temporary task forces, as well as periodic review panels for awards, conference programs, and chapter grants. Descriptions of these activities are provided below.

Editors

CSI currently has three main publications, the Exemplar, the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy (JCLA), and the Counselors' Bookshelf. The Editors of each publication oversee volunteer editorial boards.

1. The Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy (JCLA)

   The Journal of Counselor Leadership & Advocacy (JCLA) provides professional counselors, counselor educators, and counseling students with research and evidence-based recommendations in topics that promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, advocacy, and excellence in counseling.The JCLA editorial staff and board review articles for publication.

2. The Exemplar

   The Exemplar is the flagship publication of Chi Sigma Iota. It includes feature articles on topics such as leadership, research, and clinical practice in counseling, and highlights the activities of CSI chapters and members. The Exemplar staff include an Editor and Associate Editors who solicit and review articles for publication.

3. The Counselors' Bookshelf

The Counselors' Bookshelf provides reviewed resources (for books, movies, tv shows, and music) for counselors to use in their personal development, in practice with clients, and in counselor education and supervision. The Counselors' Bookshelf editorial staff includes senior co-editors and section editors who work with a team of reviewers to review resoures and publish the reviews on the website.

Additionally, the Society's website (www.csi-net.org) is Chi Sigma Iota’s internet presence. CSI Headquarters staff maintain the website to provide current, relevant, easy to access, and useful information for our members through our regular web features. Each CSI chapter has a groupsite and can designates a Group Administrator to edit content and maintain the updated chapter groupsite in compliance with the CSI Chapter Internet Presence Policy.    

Editorial reviewers are periodically solicited to serve as members of CSI Editorial Review Boards. Visit the CSI Volunteer Opportunities page for details.

Committees

CSI has a number of Committees, Task Forces, and Review Panels that function from year to year to implement our strategic plan and provide programs and support for members, chapters and leaders, including Chapter Faculty Advisors. Committee chairs and members are selected from among volunteers who express an interest in various CSI initiatives to the president, any officer or committee chair. Every effort is made to include all such volunteers in the work of the Society. Typically, committee chairs serve as members of a committee prior to being appointed chair by the President to serve for a three year term. Committee members serve terms as needed to complete goals and special projects of the committee.

CSI members wishing to serve on a committee should review the CSI Volunteer Opportunities page for details and submit the online Volunteer Interest form.

The charges to committees are issued annually by the Executive Council. The President with Executive Council approval, however, may modify and augment the general charges to committees each year.

Committee Chairs are responsible for semi-annual reports and are expected to attend CSI's Annual Delegate Business Meeting without reimbursement.

Descriptions of each committee and its central mission are provided below. Annual goals and activities of each committee will vary. To obtain information about current committee activities, please contact the Committee Chair.

1. Awards Committee
   

   The Awards Committee oversees all aspects of CSI International awards, including developing nomination and selection criteria and procedures, reviewing nominations, and selecting annual recipients. The Committee may recommend new awards and nomination and selection procedures. The Committee is responsible for the annual Awards Ceremony and presentations of awards to recipients, and for providing support to chapters in the development and implementation of chapter awards programs.

2. Chapter Development Committee
   

   The Chapter Development Committee is charged with helping to develop, promote, and enhance CSI chapters. The Committee communicates with chapters and provides training for chapter leaders in various formats, including online resources and in-person leadership trainings. Each year the committee targets specific areas of chapter activities for training and support.

3. Chapter Faculty Advisors Committee
   

   The Chapter Faculty Advisors (CFA) Committee was created to help faculty advisors implement their multiple roles successfully. The Committee provides assistance, support, and training as needed to CSI Chapter Faculty Advisors and serves as the contact point for information for new CFAs. This committee also coordinates the meetings and training of CSI Chapter Faculty Advisors by facilitating in-person trainings at conferences, hosting webinars, and developing online tutorials and resources.

4. Counselor Community Engagement Committee
   

   The Counselor Community Engagement Committee's mission is to emphasize and promote visibility for professional counselors as volunteers, advocates, educators, and responders in service to others. Community projects embody the servant leader philosophy as described in CSI's Position Paper on Leadership and CSI's mission statement in order to guide chapters in determining projects that fit the servant leadership goal.

5. Excellence in Counseling Research Grants Committee
   

   The Excellence in Counseling Research Grants Committee is responsible for establishing criteria for CSI's research grants, soliciting grant applications, and selecting annual grant recipients. The Committee provides recognition for grant recipients at the annual awards ceremony and recommends policies and funding priorities to the CSI Executive Council, which establishes funding priorities on an annual basis consistent with the CSI Strategic Plan and mission.

6. Leadership and Professional Advocacy Committee
   

   The Leadership & Professional Advocacy Committee promotes advocacy and leadership development among CSI chapter leaders and members using the CSI Principles and Practices of Leadership Excellence (PPLEs), Greenleaf’s (2008) servant leader philosophy, and the CSI leader-endorsed Advocacy Themes. Primarily, we (a) facilitate the joint CSI and CACREP Leadership Essay Contest, (b) conduct Professional Advocacy Heroes and Heroines interviews and Professional Advocacy Agent Interviews, (c) develop structured leadership development activities (grounded in the PPLEs) for CSI chapters, (d) support CACREP's Advocacy Week, and (e) develop new knowledge regarding leadership development through intentional research.

7. The Leadership Fellow and Intern (LFI) Selection and Mentoring Committee
   

   The Leadership Fellow and Intern (LFI) Selection and Mentoring Committee solicits nominations for the CSI Leadership Fellowships, selects the annual recipients, and identifies two Leadership Fellows from among the Leadership Interns. This committee is responsible for initial orientation and training of selected LFIs and pairing of LFIs with mentors.

8. Nominations and Elections Committee
   

   The Nominations and Elections Committee solicits nominations for elective offices (CSI Executive Council), reviews nominations, and prepares a slate of nominees for the annual elections.

9. Professional Member Committee
   

   The Professional Member Committee was developed to identify and address the needs of professional members in a proactive manner. The Committee has developed the online Professional Counselor’s Corner to provide a source of information and networking for professional members, including alumni and life members.

10. Strategic Planning Committee
    

    The purpose of the Strategic Planning Committee is to help the leadership of Chi Sigma Iota determine the current and future relevance of its mission, identity, fundamental purposes, and goals. This committee is implemented on a scheduled basis. It functions for three years to develop a new strategic plan. After 5 years, a new committee is formed.

11. Wellness Counseling Practice and Research Committee
    

    In keeping with CSI’s mission to “… promote a strong professional identity through members who contribute to the realization of a healthy society by fostering wellness and human dignity,” this committee has embarked on work to continue support for this position. We are doing so by compiling wellness research, developing standards and competency initiatives, and encouraging wellness practice and leadership activities through, for example, CSI’s chapter and research grants, chapter and annual conference programs, website and special webinars. Our call is to increase the utilization of the knowledge and materials that have been paramount in shaping our identity as Professional Counselors, and to develop mechanisms that foster intentional collaboration to advance knowledge in this area.

12. Publications Committee
    The Publications Committee recognizes and fosters excellence in research and scholarship, Professional Counselor Identity, Professional Counselor Advocacy, Professional Counseling Practice, leadership, and academics through the official CSI publications. Membership on this committee is composed of Editors and select Executive Council members.
    

Task Forces

CSI periodically establishes task forces to address issues identified through the strategic planning process and Executive Council discussions. These special committees typically serve for one year, or until their charge has been met.

Chapter Faculty Advisors (Primary and Co-/Back-Up CFAs) are selected by their respective counselor education department to serve in this critically important mentoring role. Perhaps no responsibility is more important than that of a CFA. They serve a multitude of functions including reviewing and endorsing virtually every nominee from their chapter, helping to identify talent among the membership who aspire to make a difference through leadership, service, and advocacy, and guiding them in wise decision making associated with their leadership roles. According to the CSI International Bylaws, they are the key person through which all CSI correspondence and initiatives are sent.

The CSI Bylaws provide for chapter accountability that rests in large measure with the CFAs to comply. Most will attend conferences where CSI conducts special CFA Trainings. Many serve without recognition or credit from their administrators or colleagues. A strategic planning Membership Survey which included CFAs indicated that serving in this capacity was principally the most satisfying part of their various responsibilities as a faculty member. Apparently intrinsic satisfaction and not external rewards or recognition is their chief motivation for being a CFA.

CSI has three paid employees, the Chief Executive Officer, the Member Services Coordinator, and the Missions Coordinator. CSI outsources many functions related to business including shipping, mailing, merchandise, publications, database, web services, and accounting. The Headquarters Staff is involved daily with these services, however, and provides oversight in all matters of substance in keeping with the Executive Council's expectations. The goal is to ensure effective service to members and chapters.

The chief functions of the Headquarters Staff relate to supporting chapters, CFAs, officers, committees, and members. The CSI website, email, telephone, and digital correspondence (e.g., CSI E-News and newsletters) are their major tools. The Society's Editors work, for example, closely with Headquarters as members of a working team. While the academic year provides seasonal changes, the CSI Headquarters Office is open throughout the year and serves the 450+ chartered chapters in the U.S. and abroad, CSI's task-forces and committees, and 170,000+ initiated members. The Headquarters Office staff also processes more than 7,000 new member application per year and facilitates conference planning. 

Presidents, 1985-Present