THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN LAW ENFORCEMENT
EXECUTIVES, INC.
BYLAWS (Rev. 10)
ARTICLE I
Purpose
The general purpose and mission of the National Association of Women Law
Enforcement Executives, Inc. shall be to promote the ideals and principles of
women executives in law enforcement; to conduct training seminars to train and
educate women executives in enforcement including but not limited to the areas
of leadership, management and administration; to provide a forum for the
exchange of information concerning law enforcement and generally fostering
effective law enforcement. These
activities are neither all inclusive nor mandatory, however, the Association
shall not engage in a business of a kind ordinarily carried on for profit.
ARTICLE II
Membership and Dues
Section 1. Classes of Membership
There
shall be three classes of NAWLEE membership: Executive, Associate and
Supporting.
a.
Executive Membership:
To be qualified as an Executive Member, a person
must hold the rank of Lieutenant or above, or its equivalent in a Federal,
State, county, municipal, campus or railroad law enforcement agency in the
b. Associate Membership:
To be qualified as an Associate Member, a person
must be a supervisory staff employee of a Federal, State, county, municipal,
campus, or railroad law enforcement agency below the rank of lieutenant or its equivalent
in the
c.
Supporting Membership:
1.
To be qualified as a Supporting Member, a person
must, be a citizen of the
2.
Any corporation, business, group, organization, or
association of good standing formed and operating in the
3.
Supporting Members in good standing may retain the
privileges of supporting membership by continuing payment of annual dues
provided the Supporting Member continues to share and support the concerns and
objectives of NAWLEE.
4.
NAWLEE reserves the right to deny Supporting
Membership status to any person, corporation, business, group, organization, or
association whose purpose, mission, goals, or actions conflict or oppose in any
way the purpose, mission, or goals of NAWLEE. The Executive Board of NAWLEE shall make these decisions on behalf of
the association, and decisions of the Board to grant, deny, or terminate
Supporting membership is final.
Section 2. Annual Dues:
a. The annual dues for each class of membership shall be established by the
Board of Directors and ratified by majority vote. Any change request to this
amount must be approved by the Board and ratified by a majority of the voting
members present at a business meeting.
b.
The annual dues of all members shall be due and
payable on October 30th of each year.
c.
The Treasurer, or designee, shall immediately notify
any member who is ninety (90) days delinquent in the payment of his/her dues
that his/her active membership will be canceled and all membership entitlements
shall terminate.
Section 3. International Membership:
a.
Citizens in good standing of a country other than
the
b.
International Members of NAWLEE are subject to the
provisions of Section 1 and 2 of this Article and to all rules, regulations,
duties, conditions, and requirements of membership applicable to NAWLEE members
who reside or operate in the
c.
Any person who is a citizen in good standing of a
country other than the
d.
Any business, corporation, organization, group, or
association of good standing formed and operating in a country other than the
e.
When an international applicant requests membership
as a law enforcement officer or executive, the Executive Board of NAWLEE shall
determine the applicant’s membership classification based on Section 1 of this
Article and by comparing the rank classifications of the international
applicant’s police agency to those of the
f.
International Members shall pay the same dues as
g.
NAWLEE reserves the right to decline any
International Membership if said membership violates or is inconsistent with
the laws of the
h.
NAWLEE reserves the right to decline any
International Membership if said membership violates or is inconsistent with
the stated purposes and mission of NAWLEE. The Executive Board of NAWLEE shall act on behalf of the association,
and the decisions of the Board are final.
Section 4. Denial/Termination of Membership:
Membership may be terminated, or suspended, for just cause by a majority
vote of the Board of Directors. An applicant may be denied membership by a
two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE III
Directors/Officers
Section 1. Board of
Directors:
The affairs of the Association shall be managed by a Board of Directors
which shall consist of eight (8) directors/officers: a President, a First Vice
President, a Second Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary, Ex Officio, Immediate Past President and Member-at-Large. The Ex Officio, Immediate Past President and Member-at-Large
positions are non-voting members of the Board and serve in an advisory
capacity.
Section 2. Succession Plan and Terms of Office:
a.
Succession Plan: The
Association has implemented a succession plan
for its Board of Directors. Under the
succession plan, each year there will be an
election of a Second Vice President, who will serve for 1 year and ascend to
First Vice President for 1 year and then to President for 1 year. The Second Vice President, First
Vice President and President shall serve one (1) year terms. The Second Vice
President will continue to be filled by election from the Executive membership
at the annual business meeting.
b.
The Treasurer and Secretary shall serve two (2) year
staggered terms.
c.
The Member-at-Large shall serve a two-year term.
Section 3. Nominations:
a. Eligibility for Board of Directors (other
than Member-at-Large):
·
Active Executive member for two
(2) years; and
·
Membership is current, active,
and dues-paid; and
·
Has attended a minimum of two (2)
annual conferences; and
·
Has demonstrated knowledge of the
duties and responsibilities of the Executive Board.
·
The position of President is not
open to active Executive members who have retired.
b. Eligibility of Member-at-Large position:
·
Active Associate member; and
·
Membership is current, active,
and dues-paid; and
·
Has attended a minimum of two (2)
annual conferences.
c. Nomination Process:
Nominations for directors/officers may be made at
any time prior to the day of the election at the annual business meeting by
submitting the names(s) of the nominee and the positions nominated for, in
writing, to the Nominating/Search Committee Chairperson. Nominations may also
be made on the day of the election from the floor. For the Member-at-Large
position, all active members may make nominations and may nominate themselves
if they meet the criteria for eligibility. For all other elected Board
positions, only active Executive members may make nominations and may nominate
themselves.
Section 4. Elections:
All elections shall be by secret ballot held during
the annual business meeting.
It shall be the responsibility of the Organizational Structure Committee
Chairperson to organize and manage the election so long as this Chairperson is
not running for any elected offices that year. In the event this conflict
occurs, the Chairperson of the Membership Committee or designee shall have the
responsibility.
Section 5. Powers, Duties and Vacancies in Office:
PRESIDENT
The
President shall preside at all meetings of the members, assist in developing
Association policy, set the goals and objectives of the Association, approve
the standing committees and appoint Chairs for each, act as a spokesperson for
the Association, and in general, shall perform all duties incident to the
Office of the President authorized by Association policy, Charter and Bylaws.
The
President shall provide general oversight to all standing and appointed
committees, assigning board members as Committee liaisons as appropriate.
The
President may call an executive session whereby only directors/officers and
Executive members shall be present and any person that the President deems
necessary.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
The First Vice President will be assigned to be the liaison of organizational
committees as designated by the President and/or Board of Directors. In the
absence of the President, the First Vice President shall perform the duties of
the President.
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
The Second Vice President will be assigned to be the liaison of
organizational committees as designated by the President and/or Board of
Directors. In the absence of the First Vice President, the Second Vice
President shall perform the duties of the First Vice President.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE The Member-at-Large shall serve in an advisory
capacity as a non-voting member of the Board and representative of the
Associate and Supporting membership and may be assigned duties at the
discretion of the Board.
TREASURER
The Treasurer, or designee, shall have charge and custody of and be
responsible for all funds and sureties of the Association; receive and give
receipts for money due and payable to the association from any source
whatsoever, the deposit of all money in the name of the Association in such
banks, trust companies, or other depositories as shall be selected in
accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws; and in general perform all the
duties incident to the Office of Treasurer authorized by corporate policy,
Charter, Bylaws and administrative directives.
The Treasurer, or designee, will insure that all finances are processed
in accordance with the following:
1.
A budget will be prepared by the Board of Directors for approval by the membership at the annual general business meeting and all expenditures will be in
accordance with this approved budget.
2.
All funds of the Association shall be deposited from
time to time to the credit
of the Association in such banks, trust companies,
or other depositories as the
Directors of the Association may elect.
3.
The Association may accept contributions, gifts or
bequests for any general
purpose or for any special purpose of the
Association.
SECRETARY
The Secretary will record meeting minutes and distribute the minutes to
the membership. The Secretary shall mail the agenda for meetings if the agenda
is established in advance by the President or designee.
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
The Immediate Past President shall act as a non-voting advisor to provide
knowledge and expertise to the Board of Directors and any assigned standing or
appointed committees.
Section 6. Designees:
Any designee
must be approved by the Board of Directors.
Section 7. Vacancy in
Elected Office:
President: If the office of President is vacated
during the term of office, the First Vice President shall automatically ascend
to President and the Second Vice President to First Vice President, and the Board
shall make an appointment of an executive member to Second Vice President position.
First Vice President: If the position of First Vice
President becomes vacant for any reason, the Second Vice President will assume
the position of First Vice President for the remainder of the term.
Second Vice President: If the position of Second
Vice President becomes vacant for any reason, the President may appoint an
Executive member to the position with the advice and consent of the remaining
Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.
Treasurer: If the Treasurer is unable to fulfill their duties for any
reason, the Second Vice President shall perform the duties of the Treasurer
until an executive member can be appointed with the advice and consent of the
remaining Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.
Secretary: If the position of Secretary becomes
vacant for any reason, the President may appoint an Executive member to the
position with the advice and consent of the remaining Board of Directors for
the remainder of the term.
Member-at-Large: If the position of Member-at-Large
becomes vacant for any reason, the President may appoint an Associate member to
the position with the advice and consent of the remaining Board of Directors
for the remainder of the term.
All appointments will be in effect until the next
annual election where it will be filled by vote of the Executive membership. Appointment
to fill a vacancy under these bylaws will not prevent the person from
fulfilling a full term of office as would have been achieved in the succession
plan.
Section 8. Holding More Than One Office of the
Association:
An Executive member of the Association shall not hold more than
one (1) elected office at the same time, unless as otherwise provided for in
these Bylaws.
Section 9. Ex Officio Member:
The Ex Officio Member
shall serve in an advisory capacity as a non-voting member of the Board and
representative of the Supporting Members. The Ex Officio Member shall be appointed on an annual basis by the Board
of Directors.
Section 10. Removal from Office:
The Board of Directors shall have the power to exclude, suspend or expel any
officer by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, including the vote of the
Immediate Past President, for any conduct deemed to be subversive to the best
interest of the Association, neglecting the duties of his or her office as
prescribed by these Bylaws or for any other violation of these Bylaws and such
position will be considered a vacancy in office and shall be filled in
accordance with these Bylaws.
ARTICLE
IV
Meetings
The Association shall hold at least one annual business meeting at a location
selected by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.
The agenda of the annual business meeting shall be
determined by the President or designee.
The annual business meeting should coincide with the Association’s annual
conference. All active members of the
Association shall be duly noticed of the date and location of the annual
business meeting and conference. The Board of Directors may call additional
meetings, as it deems appropriate, and shall duly notice all active members of
the Association of such additional meetings.
ARTICLE V
Voting
Section 1. General
Meetings:
A quorum must be present to conduct all general business. A quorum
consists of a majority of the Executive members who are present at a General
Meeting and eligible to vote.
Voting by the Executive membership shall be by simple majority, unless
otherwise provided for in the Bylaws.
Executive members shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote on any matter
coming before the Association. Only
Executive members of the Association shall be eligible to vote on Association
matters and election of Executive Members to the Board of Directors.
All active members may vote to fill the Member-at-Large position on the
Board. Election to the Member At-Large
position will be by simple majority.
Section 2. Board of
Directors:
Action taken by the Board shall be by simple majority of Board unless
otherwise provided in the Bylaws.
Section 3. Facsimile and Mail Voting:
The
President may conduct a facsimile, electronic mail or USPS mail vote on a
matter determined by the President to be urgent and that time will not permit a
duly noticed meeting. Any action taken by facsimile, electronic mail or USPS
mail vote shall be immediately reported to all the active Executive members of
the Association.
ARTICLE VI
Standing Committees
Section 1. Organizational
Structure Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for Bylaws and
the managing and directing of elections.
The chairperson will act as the Association’s Parliamentarian.
Section 2. Membership Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for developing the categories of
membership as well as solicitation of new members, membership services and the
development of necessary forms.
Section 3. Professional Development Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for developing
training for the membership.
Section 4. Mentoring Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for developing and maintaining the
association’s mentoring program.
Section 5. Publications Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for developing and maintaining
documents, brochures, newsletters, (possible future websites), etc. for the
Association.
Section 6. Marketing/Public
Relations Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for increased visibility and name
recognition through effective promotional strategies, which includes, but not
limited to, advertising, news releases, and
developing corporate sponsors. The committee shall develop and implement a
marketing plan and promote the association through key partnerships.
All levels of membership will be represented on this committee.
Section 7. Nominating/Search Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for seeking out qualified Executive
members to serve on the Board of Directors of this Association.
The Chairperson will be a past board member in good standing appointed by
the President. The Chairperson will
select two additional members to serve on the committee.
Section 8. Awards
Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for establishing award criteria,
soliciting nominations for award recipients where appropriate, and selecting
award recipients. The Association’s award program will be administered through
this committee.
One previous Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year award winner
will serve on the committee.
Section 9. Audit
Committee:
This committee shall be responsible for an audit of the organizations
financial records at least each time a new Treasurer takes office and such
other times as the President deems appropriate. The members shall be appointed by the President and shall report to the
President.
Section 10. Duration
of Committees:
Each
member of the committee including the chairperson shall continue as such until
a successor is appointed, unless the member is removed from the committee or
the business of the committee is concluded.
Section 11.
Responsibilities of Chairperson:
An executive member shall serve as chairperson and shall be responsible
for recruiting members for service on a committee, calling committee meetings,
reporting committee recommendations to the designated Board member on all
committee issues, and participating in formal and informal meetings as called
by the President or Board.
Voting shall be conducted by simple majority vote of committee members
present and each committee member shall have one (1) vote.
ARTICLE VII
Books and Records
The Association, or designee, shall keep correct and complete books and
records of account and shall keep minutes of the proceedings of all meetings in
written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form
within a reasonable time.
ARTICLE VIII
Parliamentary Procedure
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order –
Newly Revised – shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are
applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws and any
special rules or order the Association may adopt.
ARTICLE IX
Association Staff
The Board of Directors may select and appoint an Executive Director, and
any additional staff, if required, who shall serve at the pleasure of the
Board, and may or may not be compensated.
Section 1. Executive
Director
The duties and qualifications of the Executive Director and any
additional staff shall be provided for in a job description approved by the
Board of Directors.
Section 2.
Compensation
The Board of Directors shall periodically approve the compensation of the
Executive Director, other approved staff, and their operating expenses
necessary to maintain approved functions falling within the scope of authority
of the Executive Director.
Section 3. Mail
The Executive Director shall be responsible for collecting the
Associations mail and responding or forwarding it to the appropriate officer.
Section 4. Other
Duties
The Treasurer may designate the Executive Director to be responsible for
all or some of the Treasurer’s duties provided in these bylaws.
ARTICLE X
Amendment to Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Association shall be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of the Executive members of the Association present at an annual business
meeting or by alternative voting procedures as provided for in these Bylaws.
Notice of all proposed amendments shall be provided to the Executive
membership at a minimum of thirty (30) days in advance of the scheduled vote.
Issued: March 1996
Revised by vote: October 1996 Rev.1
Revised by vote: September 1998 Rev.
2
Revised by vote: November 1999 Rev.
3
Revised by vote: August
2002 Rev. 4
Revised by vote: August 2003 Rev.
5
Revised by vote: August 2004 Rev. 6
Revised by vote: August 2006 Rev. 7
Revised by
vote: July 2007 Rev. 8
Revised by
vote: August 2008 Rev. 9
Revised by
vote: August 2009 Rev. 10
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