|
WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION FOR BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS BYLAWS
Article I NameThe name of this organization shall be Washington Association for Behavior Analysis (WABA). It is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization (referred to herein as “Organization”).. .
Article II Membership Section 1. Classes. (a) Qualifications and Classifications: Membership in this organization is open to all persons interested in or actively engaged in teaching, research, or application of the principles of behavior analysis, and shall be in one of six classes: i. Full member – hold a BCBA, BCaBA or equivalent certification by a behavior-analytic certifying board as deemed appropriate by the EC, or LBA, LABA or equivalent licensure as deemed appropriate by the EC. Full members have voting rights. ii. Have them provide their license or BACB cert number with application online iii. Affiliate - Any individual with an interest in behavior analysis who does not qualify for Full or Student Membership. Affiliate Members do not have voting privileges, but do benefit from access to information afforded to Full Members. iv. Student - Any individual who is currently enrolled in a college level course of study related to the field of behavior analysis. Student Members do not have voting privileges, but do benefit from access to information afforded to Full Members. v. Sustaining – non-voting members, who wish to support the organization with a voluntary contribution. The annual membership cost for an Affiliate Member is to be re-evaluated on an annual basis by the executive committee to determine if rates need to be adjusted. Each Affiliate Member’s year of membership begins on the date of their first dues payment and will renew annually thereafter. Affiliate Members are responsible for adhering to the organization’s mission statement and purpose and participating in the highest level of meetings and committee work as their schedules allow. (b) Application for Membership: Application for membership shall be in accordance with procedures established by the Executive Committee. (c) Dues: Dues shall be established by the Executive Committee, and shall be due with the Application for Membership. Renewal of Membership and Dues are due on each Member’s anniversary date; the Secretary of the Organization manages Membership and Dues reminders. (d) Termination of Membership: (1) Members failing to pay dues to this organization for sixty (60) days from their anniversary date shall automatically forfeit their membership in this organization as of the sixty-first (61st) day[IC1] . Individuals who have forfeited membership because of non-payment of dues may be reinstated in accord with policies established by the Executive Committee. (2) The Executive Committee may, by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire Executive Committee, suspend or expel any member of this organization for violation of these Bylaws, and/or any rules, procedures and policies established by this organization. Before such action is taken by the Executive Committee, written notice shall be sent to the member not less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting of the Executive Committee at which the matter is to be considered. Said member shall be entitled to a hearing before the Executive Committee before any decision is rendered. (3) Any member who has his or certification revoked by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. shall be expelled and prohibited from re-joining the Organization in any membership category. (4) Resignation, suspension, or expulsion from membership shall not relieve the member from liability for any unpaid dues or other duly assessed fees or charges.
Article III Purposes This organization is a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation organized under the Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law. The purpose of this organization is to engage in any lawful act or activity, other than credit union business, for which an organization may be organized under such law. The specific purposes of this organization are: to advance the profession and practice of behavior analysis by advocating for behavior analysis services and the profession, promoting quality assurance in behavior analysis service provision and training, providing resources and information related to behavior analysis, and promoting and providing professional development activities for behavior analysts, advocating for and promoting basic research in the field, and promoting the conceptual components of the science of behavior analysis in Washington State. WABA is an affiliated chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Article IV MissionThe mission of WABA is to build a cohesive group of individuals dedicated to promoting the ethical research, education, and practice of behavior analysis in Washington state.
Article V Executive Committee Section 1. Composition. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President, President-Elect, Past-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Section 2. Duties. (a) President - The President is elected by WABA’s members and serves a 2-year term. The President may be re-elected for one additional consecutive or non-consecutive term (for a maximum of 2 terms The President shall serve as a voting member and member of the Executive Committee. The President shall preside at all meetings of WABA and the Executive Committee The President shall have all duties usually vested in the offices of President and shall be ex‑officio a member of all standing Committees, including the Executive Committee. On completion of the 2-year term, the President shall succeed to the office of Past President for 1 year. (b) President-Elect: The President-Elect is elected by WABA’s members and serves a 1-year term, transitioning to the President role. The President-Elect shall serve as a voting member and member of the Executive Committee. In the absence or disability of the President, the President-Elect shall perform all the duties of the President and shall, when so acting, have all of the powers of, and be subject to all of the restrictions upon the President. The President-Elect shall have such other duties as may be prescribed by the President, Executive Committee, or the Membership (c) Past-President: The Past-President serves a 1-year term immediately following the end of the 2-year President’s term. The Past-President shall serve as a voting member and member of the Executive Committee. The Past-President shall provide expert advice on subjects under discussion. The Past President may offer assistance to any Executive Committee member, Committee Chair, or Member with any task required for furthering the mission statement and purpose of the organization. In the absence of a President-Elect during the President-Elect year, the Past-President will continue to hold Executive Committee voting privileges until a President-Elect is elected by WABA members. (d) Secretary - The Secretary is elected by WABA’s members and serves a 2-year term. The Secretary shall serve as a voting member and member of the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of WABA and the Executive Committee, shall have all the duties usually vested in the office of Secretary, shall keep such other records, shall oversee the intake of new Executive Committee members and Committee Chairs, and shall have such other duties as may be described by the President, Executive Committee or the Membership. The Secretary shall be responsible for the administrative processing of Membership applications, status, and lists. (e) Treasurer – The Treasurer is appointed by the Executive Committee and serves a 2-year term. The Treasurer may be appointed to additional 2-year terms by the Executive Committee. For the protection of the financial interest of WABA, the Treasurer is a non-voting member of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall keep and maintain all of the financial resources of WABA and all financial records of the transactions of WABA. The Treasurer shall report the financial condition of WABA at the annual meeting and as often as the Membership may require and shall have such other power and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the President, Executive Committee or the Membership. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial processing of fees and reimbursement. Section 3. Removal and Replacement. Any member of the Executive Committee may be removed with cause from the Executive Committee if such removal is approved by a majority of the Executive Committee members then in office and the cause of such removal is related to that individual’s role in the chapter. In addition, if an Executive Committee member fails to attend at least three (3) Executive Committee meetings in any twelve (12) month period, the Executive Committee shall vote on whether to remove said Executive Committee member from office. That Executive Committee member must be provided the opportunity to explain his/her absence before removal. This explanation may be provided in writing or in person at the Executive Committee meeting following the 3rd absence. A tie-vote shall be construed as affirmation of removal. An individual who is removed from the Executive Committee shall not be eligible to serve as an Executive Committee member of this organization for a period of no less than 5 years. Positions vacated for any reason shall be replaced by a majority vote of the remaining members, such successors to serve until elections occur at the annual meeting of the chapter.
Article VI Nominations and Elections. Section 1. Nominations The President or his/her designee shall email all voting members each year a nomination ballot for president-elect and for the number of at-large members of the Executive Committee necessary to complete the voting membership of the Executive Committee. For each office that appears on the nominating ballot, each full member may propose up to three names and may nominate the same person for more than one office. The President and/or person designated by the President shall count the ballots, shall ask those nominees receiving the largest number of ballots for each office if they are willing to stand for election, and shall proceed through the list in the order of ballot count until at least two candidates for each office have been obtained. No one person may hold two offices at the same time, so if a voting member receives enough nominations for two offices, the President shall request that the individual choose the office for which he or she wishes to be a candidate. After the list of candidates has been determined, the President or his/her designee shall send to all full members whose membership dues are paid a ballot for all matters to be voted upon, together with a statement on which the names of the candidates for each office are listed in alphabetical order with brief biographical descriptions. Section 2. Elections. The election of the Executive Committee shall be accomplished by written and/or electronic ballot with the ballot of every voting member being solicited. All solicitations of ballots shall indicate the time, date and place where the ballot must be returned to be counted. The Executive Committee candidates who receive the highest number of affirmative votes up to the number of Executive Committee positions to be filled shall be elected. Section 3. Terms. All Executive Committee members shall serve terms as outlined in Article IV Section 2. The terms of the Secretary and Treasurer shall not run simultaneously. All Executive Committee members shall assume office on July 1 of the respective year. Officers shall hold office until their elected successors assume office in their stead. Officers can succeed themselves for one additional term; at the conclusion of their second consecutive term they must sit out of the office for at least one new term before running for re-election. Officers cannot hold more than one office concurrently. At the end of their first or second term an officer is eligible for nomination for another Executive Committee office. Section 4. Vacancies (a) Vacancies on the Executive Committee may be filled by approval of the Executive Committee or, if the number of Committee members then in office is less than a quorum, by: (1) The unanimous written consent of the Executive Committee members then in office, (2) The affirmative vote of a majority of the Executive Committee members then in office at a meeting held pursuant to notice and waivers of notice, or (3) A sole remaining Executive Committee member. (b) Each Committee member so elected shall hold office until the expiration of the term of office of the replaced Executive Committee member and until a successor has been elected and qualified. A vacancy or vacancies on the Executive Committee shall be deemed to exist in case of the death, resignation or removal of any Executive Committee member. (c) The Executive Committee may declare vacant the office of any Executive Committee member who has been declared of unsound mind by a final order of any court, or convicted of a felony, or been found by a final order or judgment of any court to have breached any duty under Washington Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law. That individual shall not be eligible to serve as an executive Committee member or on a Committee of this organization at any point in the future. (d) No reduction of the authorized number of voting Executive Committee members shall have the effect of removing any director prior to the expiration of the Executive Committee member's term of office.
Article VII Meetings. Section 1. Annual Business Meeting. There shall be at least one annual business meeting of the chapter. The annual meeting of the members may be held during the annual ABAI convention of each calendar year and shall be called by the Executive Committee and noticed in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws. The annual meeting shall include, but not be limited to, presenting reports by the Executive Committee and its members. Notice of the annual business meeting of the chapter shall be given to all members in good standing not less than three months prior to the scheduled date. Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the members may be called at any time by order of the President of this organization or the Executive Committee. Section 3. Executive Committee Meetings The Executive Committee shall meet at least once quarterly at a time and location deemed appropriate by the President. A meeting of the Executive Committee may also be called by action of three members of the Executive Committee who shall notify the remaining members at least two weeks in advance of the proposed meeting. Section 4. Executive Committee Meetings Quorum For purposes of transacting the business of the chapter, a quorum shall consist of three members of the Executive Committee. Section 5. WABA Business Meetings. Written notice of meetings of members shall be given via email to each member, at his or her last known email address. Notice of said meeting will be sent at least ten (10) days before the time fixed for holding said meeting. Notice will include an agenda consisting of, but not limited to, items requiring a membership vote. Section 6. WABA Business Meetings Quorum and Decision Making. Ten percent (10%) of the voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of members. If, however, the attendance at any meeting is less than one-third (1/3) of the voting members, those members in attendance may vote only on matters as to which proper notice of their general nature was given pursuant to these Bylaws. Decisions made at business, committee, and subcommittee meetings shall be made by a plurality of votes cast. Section 7. Place of Meetings. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Bylaws, any meeting of the members of this organization may be held at any place within or without the State of Washington that has been designated therefore by the Executive Committee. Section 8. Teleconferencing. When technologically feasible, all efforts should be made to allow for teleconferencing at any WABA related business, committee, or sub-committee meetings to facilitate meeting participation.
Article VIII Committees. The Committees of the chapter shall consist of such standing Committees as may be provided by these Bylaws and such special Committees as may be established by vote of the Executive Committee, and may include but are not limited to: Public Policy, Continuing Education, Adult Services, Student Outreach, Member Engagement, ABA in Schools, Technology . Section 1. Committee Length of Terms. Participation in committees is at will and there is no required minimum or maximum length of term for members. Section 2. Committee Chair. Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the Executive Committee by a majority vote. The Committee Chair shall hold at least one committee meeting per year. The Committee Chair shall be responsible for submitting a committee update report to the Executive Committee quarterly for each quarter that committee business is conducted. The Committee Chair may be asked to meet with the Executive Committee to review the report. The Committee Chair or an appointed proxy shall provide a brief update about committee business during each Quarterly Membership Meeting.
Article X Parliamentary Authority. The parliamentary authority for the rules of conduct of all meetings and the settlement of all disputes or questions of procedure shall be Robert's Rules of Order, http://www.robertsrules.org/.
Article XI Amendments. These Bylaws may be amended by the Executive Committee but adopted only after the changes are reviewed at a business meeting and approved by a majority vote by voting members in attendance.
|