Lost the election for the Vermont Law Alumni Board

So, I lost an election by 3 votes. I ran for a posititon that I created. Last winter, I worked with my graduate institution to engage our master's students. With the blessing of the development ofc, I created a committee of 12 other committed alumni. For the past 7 months, I have hosted meetings, composed a position paper, and spoke to the Board about creating the very position for which I ran. Essentially, I was the acting chair of this committee. We agreed that, pending the outcome of the election, we would determine whether or not I would remain the chair or if the elected rep would take over those duties. To date, I have not yet had this convo with the winner but will do so before the week's end.

I had some other competition, one of whom is from a recent class, 2007. She had the backing of her classmates who are still a very organized, cohesive unit. She lives close to the school, and she can make meetings much easier than me. Granted, it does make my life easier: I was going to travel to the east coast for five weeks if I had won (meeting is scheduled for 11 Oct). I am on the Board at my undergrad aluma mater, and that mtg is scheduled for 6 Nov.

I am disappointed, for sure. I worked tirelessly and thought I had made my case in the running. But, the majority made their selection; and being a staunch democrat, I have to respect those wishes.

The silver lining is that I am still engaged, elections run each year, and I may still be able to chair the committee I created. We'll see.

Off to book my rewards travel.