Board Elections 2020
By Emily Ramos
MVHA Treasurer & Nomination Committee Chair
It ’ s election season ! And this year , the MVHA is engaging in our own biennial democratic process . Many of you are probably unfamiliar with the organization ’ s bylaws and election procedures , so we thought we ’ d share them here .
According to our bylaws , the duties of the MVHA ’ s Officers are as follows :
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association , the Board of Directors , and the Executive Committee . He / she shall appoint Standing and Special committees ’ chairs subject to the ratification of the Board of Directors . The president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees , except the Nominating Committee .
The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in his / her absence . In case of the death or resignation of the President , the Vice-President shall become President for the remainder of the term .
The Secretary shall keep a correct and permanent record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors ; shall keep copies of current Articles and Bylaws ; shall keep a list of the names and address of all members ; shall , in case of the death or resignation of both the President and Vice-President , become the President until a President and Vice-President can be elected .
The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the Association ; keep an itemized account , in a permanent file , of all receipts and disbursements ; present a written income and expense report at meetings of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors , and for the quarterly newsletter ; turn over to his / her successor , within ten days of vacating office , all books , records , papers , and equipment including all data that is recorded on any electronic / digital medium accompanied by a hard copy of the same .
For election procedures , our bylaws state the following :
ARTICLE IX – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS Section 1 . Officers shall be elected biennially in November . They shall assume their duties immediately following the adjournment of the Annual Meeting at which they are elected . Election shall be by majority vote .*
Section 2 . At the August meeting in an election year , the President shall recommend a nominating committee for members ’ approval , which shall present to the annual meeting the nominees for each office . Nominations may also be made from the floor at the annual meeting .
* We need at least 30 members to constitute a quorum , so please be sure to join us at our Zoom meeting on November 1 . Elections will take place at the start of the meeting through a live poll .
The elected officers , along with the most recent Past President , comprise the MVHA ’ s Executive Committee . At the December board meeting , the Executive Committee appoints our organization ’ s four standing committee chairs to the Board of Directors : the Historical Data Committee , Membership Committee , Newsletter Committee , and Ways & Means Committee . After the Executive Committee ratifies the special committee chairs , the Board then appoints two Directors-at-Large to the Board .
As your Nomination Committee Chair , I ’ m very pleased to share the current slate of nominees for election :
President : Pamela Baird Vice-President : Robert Cox Treasurer : Emily Ramos Secretary : Jamil Shaikh
Nominations can also be made during the November meeting , so it ’ s not too late for any interested members to toss their hat in the ring for any Board position ! Please contact me at emily00 @ gmail . com with any questions .
4