Handbook - Constitution and Bylaws N.C. Cooperative Extension Secretaries Association

Section 1:

• This Association shall be known as the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Secretaries Association.

Section 1:

• The primary purpose of the Association is to establish and maintain a structure through which members may be united in a professional development and improvement effort for the benefit of themselves and North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Section 2:

The objectives of this Association shall be as follows:

• First, and most important, we shall strive to always perform our duties with conscientious dignity to help make North Carolina Cooperative Extension  the best Extension Organization in the nation.
  
• To be recognized in our profession as professionals.
  
• To request State Administration to provide opportunities for professional improvement.
  
• To exert much effort to have County Extension Secretaries classified under one unified system.
  
• To invite district and state personnel to meet with us with suggestions, information, answers to pertinent questions, etc., so that we will always stay abreast of the latest in Extension.
  
• To continue our aim to avail the general public with the many services offered by North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
  
• To improve working relationships and communications between secretaries and their co-workers in regard to planning time and work.

Section 1:

• This Association shall be organized into districts, the same as the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, and shall change according to any changes in the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Districts.

Section 2:

• In the event a district is eliminated or added by virtue of a NC Cooperative Extension administrative decision, NCCESA will proceed to align their membership districts with the administrative districts. This will be accomplished through the following steps in applicable situations within 60-days of effective date of redistricting:
1. When a district is dissolved and/or added, a completely new one formed from the combination of at least two existing districts, and the officers for said districts have already been elected, the presiding association executive board will coordinate election of new officers. Such election will be by vote of members.
   
2. When a district is dissolved and/or added, surrounding districts absorb members; new members will be added to committees if district elections have already taken place. If elections have not been carried out, then new district members will be eligible for nomination for a district office.
   
3. When a district is dissolved or added, any funds remaining following the payment of district expenses will be divided equally based upon district membership and forwarded to members’ designated districts.

Section 1:

• The membership of the Association shall be composed of:
  
  1. All office support staff working in county offices; and
     
  2. Those on NC State campus, NCSU research station field locations, and NCA&TSU that support Cooperative Extension programs, regardless of the employee's source of salary funding.

Section 2:

• Membership in this Association shall be three classifications: Active, Associate and Honorary.

Section 3:

• Active members shall be secretaries currently employed in any North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office who have paid annual dues into the District and State Associations. Active members shall be entitled to vote, hold office, and participate in discussions and activities of the Association.

Section 4:

• Associate members shall be former active members who have retired and who have paid annual dues into the District and State Associations. Associate members shall have all privileges of active members.

Section 5:

• Honorary membership may be bestowed upon a member/nonmember in recognition of outstanding service to the Association. Recommendation in writing shall be made to the Chair of the Membership Committee.  The Chair of the membership Committee will present recommendation to the Board of Directors who, after two-thirds vote, shall recommend the candidate to the Association at an annual meeting. A majority vote of the members assembled shall be required to confer the honor. An Honorary Member shall pay no dues except where he/she is an Active or Associate Member.

• Guidelines: Recommendation for members and nonmembers shall be made in writing to the Board of Directors using the following guidelines:
  1. Cooperation
  2. Participation
  3. Contributions
  4. Leadership
  5. Approval by district members

Section 1:

• The elected officers of this Association shall be President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2:

• The President shall:
  
  1. preside at all meetings of the Association and Board of Directors;
  2. call special meetings of the Board of Directors at her/his discretion or upon the request of a majority of the Directors;
  3. appoint annually chair-persons of standing and special committees;
  4. serve as an official representative of the Association at meetings of groups working for the advancement of Extension and this Association;
  5. be a member ex-officio of all committees except the Nominating Committee; and
  6. recommend to the Board of Directors, for their appointment, persons to fill vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors between elections, except that of President and District President.

Section 3:

• The 1st Vice President shall perform the duties assigned by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors and preside in the absence of the President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the 1st Vice President shall become President and assume the duties of the office for the unexpired term.

Section 4:

• The 2nd Vice President shall perform the duties assigned by the President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, and preside in the absence of the 1st Vice President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of 1st Vice President, the 2nd Vice President shall become 1st Vice President and assume the duties of that office for the unexpired term.

Section 5:

• The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the Association and the Board of Directors. In addition to these minutes, she/he shall file in the Official Minute Book:
  
  1. a copy of all amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws;
     
  2. all resolutions which are adopted by the Association; and
     
  3. a list of honorary and retired members. The secretary shall search the records for information requested by officers or members; shall mail copies of the minutes of all meetings to the Board of Directors within six weeks after the conclusion of the meeting; shall conduct the correspondence of the Association as directed by the President and/or the Board of Directors.

Section 6:

• The Treasurer shall be responsible for receiving the funds of the Association and shall disburse them in accordance with the adopted budget. In cases of emergency and funds need to be transferred between accounts, the Treasurer is authorized to do so upon approval of the President. The Treasurer shall serve as Finance Committee Chair and Advisor to said committee the following year. The accounts of the Treasurer shall be audited at the close of the association year by an Audit Committee, to be appointed by the President.

Section 1:

• State officers shall serve a term of one (1) year. Elections shall be held at the annual state Association meeting, and elected officers will be installed at this meeting. Their terms of duty will begin October 1 and continue to September 30. No two positions within the President, 1st Vice President, and 2nd Vice President may be filled by the same district in any given year. Election of President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents shall rotate from district to district until all districts have had an opportunity to have a representative serve in the capacity of President if they so desire. Any district failing to provide a nominee for 2nd Vice President during a scheduled rotation will forfeit the opportunity until next scheduled turn on rotation. In this event, nominations will be taken from eligible members in other districts excluding districts who are currently represented in 1st and 2nd Vice President positions. If person elected is from either of the next two districts in the rotation schedule, that district will forfeit rotation for next scheduled rotation year.

Section 2:

• The 1st Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency upon recommendation of Nominating Committee.

Section 3:

• The 2nd Vice President shall succeed to the office of 1st Vice President upon recommendation of Nominating Committee.

Section 4:

• The state officers shall be elected by the active members of the Association at the regular annual meeting from the slate of officers presented by the Nominating committee or from additional nominations made from the floor.

Section 5:

• All candidates for office must give consent to serve, if elected, before being nominated. If nominations are made from the floor, the candidates' qualifications and consent to serve must be presented to the committee by the person making the nomination, prior to voting session.

Section 6:

• No person shall be nominated for State Officer before she/he has served as District Officer.

Section 7:

• No officer may hold two positions concurrently in NCCESA at the state level.

Section 8:

• Nomination for officers shall be made through a Nominating Committee composed of one person from each of the Extension Districts and the Campus Chapter. This committee member is to be appointed by the Executive Board of her/his district.

Section 1:

• The Executive Board of this Association shall consist of the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2:

• This Board shall meet as necessary to transact the business of this Association. Three members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3:

• The Executive Board shall be included in the composition of the Board of Directors.

Section 4:

• The retiring President shall serve as advisory member of the Executive Board without vote for the succeeding year.

Section 5:

• The elected Federation Officer shall be part of the Executive Board with the same privileges and stipulations as the Advisor.

Section 1:

• The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers, immediate past president, elected district officers and state committee chairs.

Section 2:

• The Chair of the Board of Directors shall be the State President.

Section 3:

• The Board of Directors shall:
  
  1. direct the program and formulate policies concerning the Association and the general nature and scope of its activities;
     
  2. approve the proposed budget;
     
  3. fill by appointment all vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors between elections, except the offices of the President and District Presidents;
     
  4. meet prior to and during the annual State meeting;
     
  5. be empowered to conduct business via mail, on-line or e-meeting. Parameters of on-line or e-meeting to be determined by the President;
     
  6. meet at the call of the State President or upon written request of a majority of the Board;
     
  7. set time and place of annual meetings only if no invitation is extended.

Section 1:

• NCCESA representatives on the Board of Directors of the NCFCEA, hereinafter known as Federation, shall be the NCCESA President and First Vice President.

Section 2:

• The NCCESA delegation to the Federation Forum shall consist of the NCCESA Executive Board members, Federation Officer, and District Presidents from districts not represented otherwise in this delegation.

Section 3:

• The NCCESA shall provide a Federation Officer according to rotation schedule outlined in Federation Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 4:

• The NCCESA Federation Officer shall be nominated from a list of eligible members and selected by vote of the Board of Directors of NCCESA. NCCESA membership shall approve its Federation Officer by majority vote at the annual meeting. Eligible members must meet the following qualifications:
  
  1. Has served as an NCCESA Officer (state or district)
     
  2. Has attended at least one Federation Forum (these qualifications will enable the Federation Officer to have an understanding of the purpose and objectives of the Federation).

Section 5:

• The Federation Officer shall be installed at the Federation Forum and take office January 1.

Section 6:

• The Federation Officer shall be considered part of the NCCESA Executive Board with the same privileges and stipulations as the Advisor.

Section 7:

• The NCCESA shall pay the Federation Officer's travel and subsistence expenses for Federation meetings.

Section 8:

• The NCCESA shall pay dues as outlined by the Federation Constitution and By-laws.

Section 1:

• The Association shall hold an annual meeting in or around September. Districts will host the state meeting on the following rotational basis: West, West Central, North Central, South Central, Northeast, Southeast, Campus. Following this rotation, the district that is next in line, shall contact and work with the President when scheduling the dates of the upcoming state meeting. The invitation shall be extended to the entire membership at the state meeting by the upcoming year's host district. The host district will provide a planned educational activity to promote professional improvement during the days provided by Administration for the state meeting.

Section 2:

• The Association may hold special meetings at such time and place as may be determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 3:

• Members should be notified in writing at least two weeks prior to the date of each meeting.

Section 4:

• At least one meeting shall be held annually in each district at a time and place to be determined by each District and the County hosting the meeting. The host county will provide a planned educational activity to promote professional improvement during this day provided by Administration for the district meetings.

Section 5:

• In the event that an annual meeting of the Association cannot be held as stated in Article X, Section 1, the business of the Association shall be conducted by the Board of Directors operating on behalf of the general membership. A meeting of said Board shall take place during the same timeframe of the normally scheduled annual Association meeting in a format chosen by the Executive Board. Proposed meeting agenda shall be mailed to the general membership at least two weeks prior to the Board meeting in order to allow individual input. Members wishing to include business items on the agenda should have those submitted to the State President no later than one month prior to the scheduled meeting.

Section 6:

• In the event that any biannual meeting cannot be held on the district or chapter level, the business of the District or Chapter shall be conducted by the District or Chapter Board of Directors, which shall consist of the District or Chapter Officers and District or Chapter Committee Chairs. Meeting of said Board shall take place in a format chosen by the District or Chapter President. Proposed meeting agenda shall be mailed to the general district or chapter membership at least one month prior to the Board meeting in order to allow individual input. Members wishing to include business items on the agenda should have those submitted to the District or Chapter President no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Section 1:

• The annual State Association dues shall support a balanced budget.

Section 2:

• Dues shall be paid by District Treasurers by or before November 1 of each calendar year, extracted from district dues paid by members by or before October 1 of each calendar year.

Section 3:

• Membership shall be available for those whose effective date of employment occurs after October 1, upon payment of dues.

Section 1:

• The Standing Committees of this Association shall be (1) Membership; (2) Public Relations; (3) Nominating; (4) Rules and Bylaws; (5) Finance; (6) Reflections and (7) Professional Improvement.

Section 2:

• An Auditing Committee shall be appointed to audit the accounts of the Treasurer and a report thereof given at the annual meeting, a copy of which shall be included in the Annual Report to the Association.

Section 3:

• The Chairs of each committee shall submit a written report to the Board of Directors and, if requested, to the annual meeting.

Section 4:

• Any committee shall have the privilege of functioning by mail.

Section 5:

• A majority of the members of any committee shall constitute a quorum.

Section 1:

• Members present at the annual meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors and of any appointed committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 1:

• The Districts shall follow the same Constitution and By-laws as outlined for the State. They may make standing rules which are pertinent to local or district affairs and which are not in contradiction to the State Constitution and By-laws.

Section 1:

• The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the Association in all instances in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution.

Section 2:

• The Parliamentarian shall assist in conducting business meetings of the association following Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, and shall be appointed by the President.

Section 1:

• Amendments to these Bylaws may be made at any meeting of the general membership by a two-thirds majority vote of those present, after notification in writing to each member at least two weeks before the meeting at which the voting is to take place; or, if the emergency of the measure so dictates, by a two-thirds vote of written ballots returned.

NCCESA Webmaster (nccesa_webmaster@ces.ncsu.edu). Last revised on 2/17/2011.