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ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

Section 1. Officers**
The officers of the section are the president, senior vice president, two vice presidents, secretary, treasurer, and section representative(s) as designated in the bylaws of the Society.

Section 2. Eligibility and Term of Office**
  1. The president, senior vice president, vice presidents, and section representative(s) must be voting members of the Society. All other section officers must be voting members of the section.

  2. Section officers shall serve for a term of one fiscal year, to coincide with the Society’s fiscal year.

  3. Officers may hold more than one office provided that there is a minimum of five elected officers of the section. No one may hold the office of president and treasurer at the same time.

Section 3. Duties**
  1. The president shall:
    1. Represent the section before the public and preside at meetings of the section and its executive council;
    2. Appoint the chairs of all committees, with the approval of the executive council, except the chair of the nominating committee;
    3. Approve the appointment of all committee members, except the members of the nominating committee;
    4. Authorize the disbursement of section funds within the budget approved by the executive council;
    5. Be an authorized signatory on all section accounts;
    6. Coordinate activities and execute the business and policies of the section between meetings;
    7. Review and approve the year-end section financial report;
    8. Provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs as assigned; and
    9. Perform such other duties normally associated with the office of president or as may be assigned by the executive council or the governance documents.

  2. The senior vice president shall:
    1. Assume the duties of the president if the president is temporarily unable to serve;
    2. Provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs as assigned; and
    3. Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.

  3. The vice presidents shall:
    1. Provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs as assigned; and
    2. Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.

  4. The secretary shall:
    1. Maintain the records of the section;
    2. Provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs as assigned; and
    3. Perform other duties normally associated with the office of secretary or as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.

  5. The treasurer shall:
    1. Be responsible for the collection, distribution, and safekeeping of section funds;
    2. Prepare, maintain, and report as directed on the financial position of the section in relation to the approved budget;
    3. Submit a financial report to the Society in accordance with established procedures;
    4. Provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs as assigned; and
    5. Perform other duties normally associated with the office of treasurer or as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.

  6. The section representative(s) shall
    1. Perform those duties expected of them as described in the Society bylaws, the council of representatives’ procedures, and the region governance documents; and
    2. Perform other duties normally associated with the office of section representative or as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.
Section 4. Nomination and Election
  1. The executive council shall elect at least three members to serve on the nominating committee. The nominating committee shall select its own chair, who must be a member with the right to vote in the national organization of the Society but does not need to have been elected to the committee by the executive council.

  2. Members of the nominating committee may not become candidates during their tenure of service on the nominating committee.

  3. The nominating committee shall propose at least one qualified candidate for each of the officer positions. The slate shall be presented to the members of the section by mail, electronic mail, or posting on the section web site by April 15 of each year.

  4. Additional candidates may be nominated by petition, provided that:
    1. The member is eligible for the position;
    2. The member has given written consent to being placed on the ballot;
    3. A minimum of two percent or five of the voting members of the section, whichever is greater, have signed a petition or endorsed an email to place the candidate’s name on the ballot; and
    4. The petition, together with the written consent, is submitted to the chair of the nominating committee by April 30 or fifteen days after the slate is announced to the members of the section, whichever is later.

  5. The chair of the nominating committee shall arrange for the distribution of ballots to occur at least twenty-one days prior to the required return date for the vote. Voting may be by mail, electronic mail or web-based provided that mail ballots are sent to those without electronic access. The chair of the nominating committee shall select a tellers committee to receive and count the votes, and to report the results to the president.

  6. The voting members of the section shall elect the section officers.

  7. A plurality shall elect for each office. Write-in votes for eligible candidates shall be allowed. In the event of a tie, the election for that position shall be determined by lot, conducted by the chair of the nominating committee.
Section 5. Alternate Section Representative(s)**
  1. Alternate section representatives may be elected during the officer election process.

  2. The executive council may elect alternate(s) for the purpose of attending a council of representatives or region council meeting if the section representative(s) or alternate(s) cannot attend.

  3. All alternates shall be designated in the order in which they will be called to serve, with alternates elected by the membership serving before those selected in any other manner.

  4. Alternate section representatives must meet the same eligibility requirements as section representatives.
Section 6. Vacancies
  1. The senior vice president shall assume the office of president for the remainder of the term in the event of a vacancy.

  2. A vacancy in the position of senior vice president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer shall be filled by election by the executive council.

  3. A vacancy in the office of section representative shall be filled by the next available alternate section representative. If there is no available alternate section representative, the executive council may elect an alternate to fill the vacancy.


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