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AMWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Constitution
and Bylaws Constitution Article I. Name The name of this organization shall be the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), hereafter referred to as the Chapter. Article II. Objectives The objectives of the Chapter shall be to provide educational programs in health communications and to promote standards of excellence in health communications. Article III. Territory The territory of the Chapter shall be Maryland, Virginia, the part of West Virginia that is east of US Highway 19, the part of Delaware that is south of Smyrna, and the District of Columbia. Article IV. Membership Any member of AMWA who resides in the territory of the Chapter automatically shall be a member of the Chapter. Categories of membership shall be as defined by AMWA. Article V. Officers The officers of the Chapter shall be a president, a president-elect, a secretary, and a treasurer. The officers must be voting members of the Chapter. Article VI. Board of directors The Chapter shall have a board of directors consisting of the officers, the immediate past president, and four directors. The directors must be voting members of the Chapter. Article VII. Amendments A. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in writing to the board of directors by any voting member of the Chapter. B. Proposed amendments shall be considered by the board of directors within 90 days of their submission. C. If a proposed amendment is approved by at least five members of the board of directors, the secretary shall, within 30 days, mail dated ballots on the proposed amendment to the voting members of the Chapter. D. A proposed amendment shall be adopted and take effect immediately if approved by a majority of the voting members who return ballots to the secretary within 30 days of the date on the ballots. Bylaws Article I. Officers and Directors A. Terms of Office The president-elect shall be elected for a term of one year and shall then ascend to the office of president and serve one year in that position. The secretary and treasurer shall be elected in alternate years for two-year terms of office. Each year, two of the four directors shall be elected for two-year terms of office. B. Nominations Each year, an announcement shall be made to all voting members of the chapter that nominations are being sought for board positions to be filled in the succeeding election. Voting members may nominate themselves or other voting members who are willing to serve by notifying the chair of the nominating committee within two weeks of the announcement. The nominating committee shall then name one or two candidates for each position. The nominations shall be posted on the Chapter Web site and announced to all voting members of the Chapter by electronic or postal mail. C. Election Voting members shall cast their ballots by notifying a designated Coordinator by postal or electronic mail during the two weeks following the announcement of nominations. For each position, the candidate receiving the most votes shall be elected. New officers and directors shall be installed at the first meeting of the Chapter following the election. D. Duties The president, secretary, and treasurer shall perform the usual duties associated with their offices as outlined in the "Manual of Procedures for AMWA Chapters." The president-elect shall assist the president and shall assume the duties of the president when the president is unable to perform them. E. Vacancies A vacancy that occurs between elections in the office of secretary, treasurer, or director shall be filled temporarily by appointment by the board of directors. At the next election, such vacancies shall be filled according to the procedures in Article I, Sections B and C of these Bylaws. If both the president and the president-elect become unable to perform their duties, the board of directors shall appoint a president to serve for the balance of the term; both a president and a president-elect shall be elected at the next election. Article II. board of directors A. Chair The president of the Chapter shall be the Chair of the board of directors. B. Responsibility The board of directors shall be responsible for establishing policies and programs that are designed to meet the Chapter's objectives. C. Meetings Meetings of the board of directors may be called by the president upon seven days' notice. Five members of the board of directors, including either the president or the president-elect, shall constitute a quorum for conducting business. Unless specified otherwise in the Chapter's constitution or bylaws, the board of directors may take official actions by approval of a majority of board members attending a meeting of the Board at which a quorum is present. Article III. Committees A. Appointment Committees shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the board of directors. Any member of the Chapter may be appointed to a committee. B. Standing Committees The following committees shall be appointed annually: 1. Program Committee — to advise the board of directors on programs that the Chapter might conduct to meet its objectives. 2. Membership Committee — to recruit new members into AMWA and to encourage members to continue their membership. 3. Audit Committee — consisting of at least two voting members, neither of whom shall be the treasurer, to audit the financial records of the Chapter and to report in writing to the board of directors on the status of those records. 4. Nominating Committee — to nominate candidates as specified in Article I, Section B of these Bylaws. 5. Other Committees — Additional committees may be appointed as necessary. Article IV. Chapter Meetings At least two general meetings of Chapter members shall be held each year. If voting is to be conducted, 15 voting members shall be necessary for a quorum. Members shall be given at least 10 days' notice of such meetings. The chapter will comply with the national AMWA policy regarding the scheduling of major meetings in the specified time period before or after the annual conference. Specifically, chapter conferences where workshops are offered or seminars lasting more than one-half day will not be held within 30 days of the annual conference. Article V. Chapter Delegates Chapter delegates, who represent the Chapter at semiannual meetings of the AMWA board of directors, shall be selected by the president or the Chapter board of directors. Article VI. Rules of Procedure Except as may be specified otherwise by the Chapter's constitution and bylaws, meetings of the board of directors and general meetings of the Chapter shall follow "Robert's Rules of Order" (latest edition). Article VII. Amendments 1. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed in writing to the board of directors by any voting member of the Chapter. 2. Proposed amendments shall be considered by the board of directors within 90 days of their submission. 3. If approved by the board of directors, a proposed amendment shall be posted to the Chapter Web site and announced to voting members by electronic or postal mail. Voting members shall cast their ballots for or against the amendment by notifying a designated Coordinator by electronic or postal mail during the ten days following the announcement. 4. If approved by a majority of those members who cast a vote, the proposed amendment shall be forwarded to the national board of directors. Any amendments to chapter bylaws require the approval of the national Board of Directors as indicated in the national bylaws. 5. A proposed amendment shall be adopted and take effect after it has been filed with AMWA HQ and approved by the national board of directors. Article VIII. Dissolution of the Chapter If the Chapter is dissolved, the board of directors shall donate the Chapter's net assets to AMWA or any organization approved by AMWA. |
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