Structure

Executive Council Structure

Chaired by: President

Composition: Elected Officers of the Association, plus a nonvoting advisor to the Future Professionals Committee. Other non-voting persons who may/should be included in Executive Council activities include:

• ASHA Legislative Advocacy representative
• Specialty Advisory Group or AdHoc Committee Chairpersons (at discretion of President)
• Association Manager
• Lobbyist
• Chairpersons of committees when necessary or at discretion of responsible officer
• Newly elected officers, who attend Council meetings without voting status from the time of their election until they assume office the following year.

Meetings:

• Meetings may be called by the President or by five Executive Council members in writing.
• The Executive Council meets no less than six times annually.
  Advance notices of meeting time and place should be announced to the membership.Announcements should appear in the Newsletter. Meetings should be scheduled in advance for the entire year.
• All regularly scheduled Executive Council meetings are open to the membership.

Annual Business Meeting:

• MSHA is a corporation; therefore, there must be an annual business meeting. The business meeting is held at the annual Spring Convention. The meeting is run by the President-Elect.
• Minutes of the annual business meeting must be taken. Minutes will be taken by the Vice President for Communications. Minutes of the previous business meeting must be distributed and approved by the Members attending the next business meeting.

Officers: The Officers of the Association are:

• President
• President-Elect
• Past-President
• Vice President for Communications
• Vice President for Professional Development
• Vice President for Education Issues
• Vice President for Health Care Issues
• Vice President for Audiology
• The President reports directly to the Executive Council. All other Officers report directly to the President.
• Executive Council members will serve no more than two consecutive terms in one particular office. (This does not limit their opportunity to run for another office on the Executive Council.)
• The resignation of an Officer is submitted to the Executive Council. The Executive Council may call for a special election or may appoint a replacement for any vacancy.
• An Officer may be removed from office by three-fourths vote of the Executive Council and three-fourths vote of the Members voting, providing the action was initiated by a signed petition of at least ten voting Members.
• In event of the President’s absence, the President’s responsibilities and duties shall be assumed by a designated Officer in the following line of progression:
  President-Elect–>Past-President–>Vice President for Communications–>Vice President for Health Care Issues–>Vice President for Education Issues–>Vice President for Finance–>Vice President for Professional Development–>Vice President for Audiology.

Assigned Committees

President
Assigned Committees: Legislative Steering Committee, Ethical Practices Committee

President-Elect
Assigned Committees: Membership Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Liaison to the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, Financial Advisory Committee

Past President
Assigned Committees: Membership Committee, Recognition and Honors Committee, Nominations and Elections Committee, Policy Council

VP Audiology
Assigned Committees: Audiology Affairs Committee

VP Communication
Assigned Committees: Newsletter Committee, Advertising Committee

VP Education Issues
Assigned Committees: School Issues Committee, Multicultural Affairs Committee, Early Childhood Issues Committee, ASHA SEAL

VP Health Care Issues
Assigned Committees: Peer Standards Review Committee, Health Care Issues Committee, ASHA StAMP, ASHA STAR

VP Professional Development
Assigned Committees: Spring Convention Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Future Professionals Committee
 

Implementation

• The function of the Officers is to individually manage activity areas for which they are responsible and to collectively act as the Executive Council to implement policies of the Association.
• Officers attend all Executive Council meetings from the time of their election until assuming office the following year. Officers do not have voting status until they officially assume office.
• Officers attend and participate in all Executive Council meetings.
• Officers are responsible for recommending for appointment chairpersons for committees in their area of responsibility as chairpersons terms expire, or they may choose to chair committees themselves.
• Each Officer is responsible for communicating with the membership via articles published in the Newsletter, and for encouraging committees to do so also.