Trustees are elected at the annual World Service Business Conference for a period of three years and serve no more than eight consecutive years. Qualifications for trustees (OA Bylaws, Subpart B, Article VII, Sections 3 and 4):

  • seven years in the Fellowship
  • five years of service beyond the meeting level
  • attendance as a delegate to at least two World Service Business Conferences
  • participation at the region level (the extent of participation to be determined by each region)
  • five years of continuous recovery in Overeaters Anonymous as evidenced by five years of current continuous abstinence, current maintenance of a healthy body weight for at least two years, emotional and spiritual growth as a result of incorporating the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions into their lives as a new way of living

Trustee nominees must also have worked through all Twelve Steps; declared themselves as practicing the Twelve Steps to the best of their ability; declared themselves as committed to the Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous; and affirmed these additional qualifications on their trustee application forms. Download and complete the trustee application available on the World Service Business Conference web page and return by the deadline to apply.