STAR Technical Advisory Committees (TACS) are currently forming around eight critical issue areas and will be charged with working under the direction of the Steering Committee and ICLEI staff to develop the indicators and metrics that this benchmarking tool will use. The Technical Advisory Committees will:

• Collaborate with a team of peer experts, the Steering Committee, and staff to develop the structure, indicators and metrics that will comprise the STAR Community Index.
• Ensure technical rigor, scientific validity, and cost-effective methodologies for evaluating STAR performance metrics.

• Participate in two to three conference calls per month and carry out any prep or research as necessary to meet the goals of the TAC. 

• Attend the mandatory kick-off TAC Retreat, a two-day event that will be held during the week of February 1, 2009 or February 8, 2009.
• Understand that this is a voluntary position; however travel, food, and lodging expenses will be covered for the initial TAC retreat.

Eight Committees Within Three Categories

Environment

• Natural Systems Technical Advisory Committee
  (ecosystems, habitat, water and stormwater, air quality, waste, and resource conservation)
• Planning & Design Technical Advisory Committee
  (land use, transportation and mobility, and parks, open space and recreation)
• Energy & Climate Technical Advisory Committee
  (energy, emissions, renewable energy, and green building)
  

Economy

• Economic Development Technical Advisory Committee
  (clean technologies and green jobs, local commerce, tourism, and local food system)
• Employment & Workforce Training Technical Advisory Committee
  (green job training, employment and workforce wages, and youth skills)
  

Society

• Education, Arts & Community Technical Advisory Committee
  (education excellence, arts and culture, and civic engagement and vitality)
• Children, Health & Safety Technical Advisory Committee
  (community health and wellness, access to health care, and public safety)
• Affordability & Social Equity Technical Advisory Committee
  (affordable and workforce housing, poverty, human services, and race and social equity)
  
  

Technical Advisory Committee Membership

Appointments to each of the eight TACs will be made by the Steering Committee through a qualification-based selection process. Content experts will be drawn from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and are not required to be ICLEI members. Committee members will be selected based on their expertise in the specific issue area of the TAC to which they apply and their ability to contribute. 

Qualifications:

• Strong expertise in content areas addressed by Technical Advisory Committee.
• Ability to attend meetings and contribute sufficient time, effort, and enthusiasm to committee tasks.
• Familiarity with sustainability indicators.
• Effective communicator and collaborator, and works well on a team