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Member Documents: Secretary

Secretary

Bylaws

The Bylaws specify the duties of the Secretary as follows, specifically, Article V, Sections A and E; Article VI, Section F; Article II, Section G; and Article IX.

Article V, Section E:

The Secretary shall be a Member or Fellow of The Division, elected for a term of three (3) years.  During that term, the Secretary shall be a member and the secretary of the Board of Directors, with the right to vote; shall safeguard all records of The Division, shall keep the minutes of the meetings of The Division and of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee; shall maintain coordination with the Central Office of the American Psychological Association; shall issue calls and notices of meetings; shall issue an annual report; shall keep and maintain a book of the extant policies of The Division based upon actions of the Board of Directors, and shall perform all other usual and customary duties of a secretary.

Procedures

1. The Secretary is a Member or Fellow who is elected as an officer of the Society for a term of 3 years. The Secretary is a voting member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. (Article V Sections A and E)
   1. The Secretary (Article V Section E):

a.  safeguards all records of the Society;

b.  keeps the minutes of the meetings of the Society, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee (Also see Article VI Section F);

c.  maintain coordination with the Central Office;

d.  issues calls and notices of meetings;

e.  informs the membership of actions taken by the Board of Directors;

1. notifies applicants for membership of actions taken by the Board of Directors;

g.  notifies applicants for membership and fellowship about the status and outcome of their applications (Also see Article II Section G);

h.  issues an annual report;

1. keeps and maintains a book of the extant policies of the Division based upon actions of the Board of Directors;
2. performs all other usual and customary duties of a Secretary.
3. The Secretary is responsible for certifying referendum petitions and mailing ballots on referenda to the membership. (Article IX)

Policies

The Secretary collaborates with the newsletter and Internet editors to provide the membership with current information regarding the business of the Society and the APA.

The Secretary collaborates with the Internet editor to archive all records of the Society, including Bylaws, minutes of meetings, annual reports, and any other records of importance.

The Secretary prepares Bylaws revisions and works with the Bulletin and Internet editors to prepare ballots for distribution to the membership.  The Secretary is responsible for maintaining and updating the bylaws.

Timelines

1. Upon election, a Secretary Designate becomes a member of the Executive Committee ex officio without vote and attends any EC meetings that take place between his/her election and assumption of office on January 1 of the year following the election.  (Article V Section G and Article VI Section G)

1. The Secretary submits the annual report of the Society to the Committee on Division/APA Relations (CODAPAR) by February 1. Guidelines for the report are available at  http://www.apa.org/about/division/divofficers.html. The Secretary completes the annual report for the first full year and the last full year of his/her term.

Central Office

1.  At this time, the Central Office administrator records the minutes of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.  It is the Secretary’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the minutes, and so takes notes at all meetings.

2.  Central Office provides copies of EC and BOD minutes to the Secretary for review, changes, edits, and final approval

3.  After the minutes are approved by the Secretary, Central Office is responsible for archiving the minutes in the office files, providing the official minutes to requestors, and ensuring that they are included in appropriate Board Agenda books.

4.  Should the need arise for a referendum or bylaws vote, Central Office works with the Secretary to ensure that the ballot is properly prepared, that it is distributed to members qualified to vote, and that process timelines and deadlines are followed.