Board of Directors
Responsible for ASF’s strategic direction, financial oversight, and permanent compliance. The Board cannot make individual accreditation decisions — those rest exclusively with the ADC.
Permanent constraint: The Board cannot alter any of the Seven Permanent Safeguards through a standard majority vote. Six of the seven require a two-thirds supermajority plus an additional approval process (ADC concurrence, public consultation, or both). The seventh — the non-distribution constraint — effectively requires dissolution and re-registration to change.
Responsibilities
| Function | Detail |
|---|---|
| Strategic direction | Sets multi-year strategic priorities. Reviews and approves the Strategic Direction document published every 3–5 years. |
| Financial oversight | Approves annual budget. Reviews quarterly financial reports. Approves any fee changes (subject to the 6-month notice permanent requirement). |
| Permanent compliance | Monitors compliance with all seven permanent safeguards. Reports any proposed change to the ADC and publishes for public comment as required. |
| Annual accountability report | Approves and publishes the annual accountability report. Cannot discontinue this — it is a permanent obligation. |
| External review commissioning | Commissions the mandatory five-year independent external review. Cannot delay or cancel it — permanent obligation. |
| What the Board cannot do | Make or influence individual accreditation decisions. Override an ADC decision. Weaken the ADC’s external majority. Charge for standards access. Abolish the non-profit fee tier. |
Composition
The Board composition reflects the permanent commitment to independence and geographic diversity. Members are named individuals with public profiles — accountability requires identifiability.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Size | 5–9 members |
| Independence | Majority must have no financial relationship with ASF-accredited facilities |
| ADC separation | No sitting ADC member may serve on the Board |
| Terms | 3 years, maximum 2 consecutive terms |
| Chair | Elected by Board members — not self-appointed by the founder |
Current Board Members
Board members are named individuals with public profiles. Each member publishes an ORCID identifier and a declaration of interests, updated annually. The Board is chaired on an interim basis by the Founder until a Chair is elected by the members.
| Member | Affiliation | ORCID | Declaration of interests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD Founder & President; Board Chair (interim) |
David Tvildiani Medical University · Public Health Institute of Georgia, Tbilisi | 0000-0001-7609-4515 | Founder of ASF; declared and published |
| Sulkhan Inaishvili, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Board member — academic medicine |
Avitsena University, Batumi, Georgia | 0009-0004-6639-6068 | Nothing to declare |
| Irine Pkhakadze, MD, PhD, Professor Board member — medical education |
Akaki Tsereteli State University, Kutaisi, Georgia | 0009-0003-8699-2919 | Nothing to declare |
| Tamar Talakvadze, MD, PhD, Professor Board member — medical education |
David Tvildiani Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia | 0009-0002-3007-6738 | Nothing to declare |
| Tamar Kraveishvili, MD Board member — epidemiology, methodology & quality of care |
Alte University, Tbilisi, Georgia | 0009-0009-2473-2568 | Nothing to declare |
| Irakli Apshinashvili Board member — public health operations |
Public Health Institute of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia | 0009-0002-8116-704X | Nothing to declare |
| Sofio Kutateladze, MD Board member — healthcare quality, accreditation & clinical trials |
Public Health Institute of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia | 0009-0005-2121-1012 | Nothing to declare |
| Ani Bolkvadze, MD, MPH, PhD Candidate Board member — statistics & evaluation |
Alte University, Tbilisi, Georgia | 0009-0008-6764-339X | Nothing to declare |
Board expansion to meet the geographic-diversity rule is in progress. If you are a healthcare quality professional, health ministry official, clinical academic, or patient advocate interested in the ASF Board, please write to info@accreditation.ge. Board members are remunerated at published rates and must be able to attend two meetings per year (one in-person, one online).