Bylaws

Article I: Name

This organization shall be known as the: Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP)

Article II: Objectives

The objectives of this Association shall be:

" To bring together natural resource / environmental education extension professionals to discuss natural resource issues, needs and opportunities of mutual interest; to facilitate information sharing, and recognize innovative work.
" To promote cooperation on natural resource issues and educational and training efforts between the various states and regions, as well as between governmental agencies, private natural resources groups, related industries and other natural resource professionals.
" To discuss, develop, sponsor, and promote educational and training programs and activities that will advance the practice of natural resource management.
" To provide support and promote activities and programs at the national level that advance natural resource management, education, training, and diversity in the work force.
" To advance the professional status of natural resource extension professionals (NREPs) by encouraging professional self-improvement.
" To strengthen communication with Extension Administration at the county, state, and federal level.

Article III: Membership, Chapters, and Dues

Section 1. Membership.

The membership of this Association shall be comprised of dues-paying Extension professionals in each state, Washington, D.C./Extension Service USDA, and the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia , who conduct natural resources education programs. Extension professionals from other countries outside of the United States and its territories are also eligible for membership as affiliate members . There will be four classes of membership:
1) Active;. Active Members are currently employed by the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) or Sea Grant Extension Program (SGEP) with an appointment and/or responsibilities in natural resources extension (NRE). They may vote, hold elected or appointed positions, and must annually pay the full current dues amount.
2) Life: Life Members must have retired from the Cooperative Extension Service, (CES) or Sea Grant Extension Program (SGEP) having held an appointment and/or had responsibilities in natural resources. Dues for Life Membership are payable on a one-time basis and are set at an amount equal to four times the current annual rate of Active Members dues. Life Members have all the rights and privileges of Active Members. If a Life Member returns to active employment status, he/she will be required to pay dues as an active member until retirement status is resumed. Life Member status would be reinstated without additional payment when Extension employment returns to retirement status.
3) Student Members: An individual who is currently attending a college/university with full-time
student status will pay one-half current dues amount. Student may vote and participate in annual meeting activities but may not hold elected office.
4) Affiliate members: Includes adult professionals employed in natural resources education other than Extension; former ANREP dues paying members who were Active members but do not
currently qualify for Active or Life membership; ANREP donors and sponsors; and NREP's from countries other than the United States and its territories. Membership dues for Affiliate members will be the same as for Active members. They may not vote but may participate in annual meeting activities.

There shall be no limit to the maximum number of members within the Association or either of its membership classes. Any person meeting the membership requirements stated above may become a member by submitting an application for approval by the Executive Committee and payment of the annual dues. The Executive Committee will notify the applicant of approval. The Association shall conduct an annual enrollment of members. The membership year shall be from January 1 to December 31. However, persons may be admitted to membership at any time during the membership year, with approval and submission of full dues. Only Active, Life, or Student Members in good standing (current dues paid) of the Association shall be eligible to vote or hold elected or appointed positions in the association. Membership in the Association shall be available without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, public assistance status, or veteran status.

Section 2. Chapter Incorporation/Affiliation.

A basic operating unit shall be a chapter within a state, region, territory, or similar geographic area. To establish a chapter, a group of Extension professionals may petition the Executive Committee. If approved, a chapter name will be assigned and a charter granted. The Regional Representative will represent the chapter on the Executive Committee.
a) Chapter Termination: A chapter's charter may be terminated by the Executive Committee when the chapter does not support the purpose of the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals, as set forth in Article II.

Section 3. Dues.

Each member in the Association will maintain membership by payment of annual dues to the Association as established by the Executive Committee. Members who reach retirement status may be allowed Lifetime Membership in the Association upon payment of a one-time fee equal to four times the then current annual dues for Active Members. In addition to the national dues, chapters may assess dues at their discretion.

Article IV: Officers and Executive Committee

Section 1. Officers.

There will be nine elected officers of the Executive Committee. The officers of ANREP must be members in good standing and shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Past-President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and four Regional Representatives. Officers will serve a term of one year from January 1 through December 31, and be elected as set forth in Article IX Elections. With the exception of the President and President-Elect, officers may succeed themselves in office.

Section 2. Duties of the President.

The President shall serve as the Executive officer of the Association; preside at all Executive Committee and General Membership meetings; and appoint all standing and all select committees unless otherwise directed by the motion creating the committee. The President and the Secretary or any other officer of the Association authorized by the Executive Committee, shall sign any contract or other instrument which the Executive Committee has authorized to be executed, except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated to some other officer or agent of the Executive Committee. In general, the President is a voting member and shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties which shall from time to time be assigned by the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Duties of the President-Elect.

The President-Elect shall serve as President in the absence of that official and shall become President in the event that official cannot continue as President for any reason. The President-Elect shall not be authorized to sign documents unless the Executive Committee specifically gives written authorization to do so or it is recorded in the minutes of an Executive Committee meeting. The President-Elect shall assist the President in the performance of the President's duties and shall have such other duties and authority as is granted from time to time by resolution of the Executive Committee. The President-Elect will be responsible for scheduling the Membership Meeting, working with the Membership Meeting Committee to develop the Membership Meeting program, and notifying the membership of that meeting. The President Elect will serve a three-year term as President Elect, President and Past President.

Section 4: Duties of Past-President.

The Past-President shall serve as President in the event that the President or President-Elect are unable or unwilling to serve. The Past-President shall not be authorized to sign documents unless the Executive Committee specifically gives written authorization to do so or it is recorded in the minutes of an Executive Committee meeting. The Past-President shall assist the President in the performance of duties and authority as is granted from time to time by resolution of the Executive Committee. The Past President shall serve as the ANREP Elections Chair for the following year with a call for nominations beginning in July and elections taking place in August and announced in September of the year before duties begin.

Section 5. Duties of the Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall collect the annual dues, receive other funds accruing to the Association and shall disburse funds as directed by resolution or an order of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall prepare a statement for submission at the Membership Meeting showing receipts and disbursements for current year and a budget for the upcoming year. The Treasurer shall prepare for approval of the Executive Committee and distribution to the membership, guidelines for the reimbursement of expenses. All expense payments will be approved by the Treasurer in accordance with these guidelines. Anticipated expenses shall be pre-approved by the Treasurer to insure sufficient funds. The Treasurer shall have charge and custody for or appoint the President to have charge and custody for receipts for money due and payable to the Association from any source whatsoever and assure deposit of all moneys in the name of the Association, in such bank or other financial institution as shall be selected by the Executive Committee and in general perform all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him/her by the Executive Committee. The duties of the Treasurer will be completed upon the submission of all financial accounts, funds and records pertaining to the office to the newly elected Treasurer. The new Treasurer may request a formal audit by the Audit Committee of the financial records of the Association covering the calendar year ending 31 December.

Section 6. Duties of the Secretary.

The Secretary shall take, prepare, distribute and keep records of all Executive and general membership meetings of the Association, or shall be responsible for such actions. The Secretary shall maintain a list of current members. He/she shall be responsible for distributing meeting minutes to all Association members. The Secretary shall also see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws or as required by law; be custodian of the Association records and Handbook; keep a register of the name and address of each member; and tally election results. The duties of the Secretary will include completing the processing and distribution of the official business conducted at the Membership Meeting (i.e., resolutions, motions, directives, etc.), and will be completed before the incoming secretary assumes total responsibilities.

Section 7. Duties of the Regional Representatives.

Four regional representatives, one each from the Northeastern, North Central, Southern, and Western areas, shall be elected by the members in their respective regions. The states in each region are as follows:
Northeast - Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, (CSREES-USDA). Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia,
North Central - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
South - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the Virgin Islands.
West - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Regional Representatives shall serve as members of the nine-member ANREP Executive Committee. One duty of the Regional Representatives will be to serve on the Membership Meeting Planning Committee. The Membership Meeting Planning Committee typically meets 4-5 times by teleconference and once at the identified conference site location for purposes of planning the conference and reviewing and selecting conference abstract submissions. Other duties of ANREP Regional Representatives include:
-Represent and promote ANREP membership at Extension natural resources regional and
national conferences when possible and at other gatherings when appropriate.
-Contribute items of interest from the region for the ANREP Newsletter and take
leadership to solicit and develop articles for the newsletter when a Representatives'
region is featured.
-Provide leadership within the region to help identify and work with State
Representatives via teleconference, e-mail or other suitable means on selected
issues/concerns including program development and membership recruitment.

The ANREP Regional Representative may also serve on other ANREP committees at the
request of the Chair. A regional meeting may be called at the ANREP National
Biannual Conference to conduct regional business and/or to introduce regional
members to one another.

Section 8. Executive Secretary.

The Executive Secretary duties will include the following: manage the database of membership and the official ANREP website; send out ANREP dues notices in January (first announcement), March (second announcement) and July (third and final announcement); purging membership databases on an annual basis; send each ANREP member a dues receipt; circulate materials on the listserv as appropriate; assist with the election of officers via electronic vote; collect and enter information about new and returning ANREP members; forward ANREP dues to the ANREP bank account; provide a copy of the ANREP deposit information to the Treasurer
post administrative council minutes on the ANREP website in a timely fashion; direct interested members and others to the appropriate ANREP officers and regional/state chairs; and, act as a repository for official ANREP records and information (nonprofit status records,

Section 9. Executive Committee.

The nine officers, including the President, President Elect, Past-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and four regional representatives elected by the membership of the Association, and the Executive Secretary shall constitute the Executive Committee, which shall have the authority to act for the Association and to decide all matters requiring attention during and between regular meetings and to ensure that arrangements for annual meetings and special meetings are made.

Article V: Meetings and Attendance

Section 1. Membership Meetings.

Upon sixty days written or electronic notice to all members, Membership Meetings of the Association will be held during ANREP Conferences and at other times and places as determined by the Executive Committee. The President with agreement of the Executive Committee, or the Executive Committee, or the President on the written request of at least ten members may call a Membership Meeting. Conducting such meetings via telecommunications is acceptable when feasible and applicable.

Section 2. Membership Meeting Attendance.

Attendance at Membership Meetings shall be limited to the following: (1) Active, Life, Student, and Affiliate members of the Association. (2) Such persons engaged in natural resource work in the employment of land grant universities, governmental agencies, or other natural resources management organizations or professionals as the NREPs of each state may invite. (3) Such other persons as may be invited by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Business Meetings.

The Business Meeting is that part of the Membership Meeting held to conduct the Association's business. Voting at Business Meetings and Membership Meetings shall be limited to dues-paying members of the Association. The Executive Committee may invite others into the Business Meeting to discuss matters of importance with the Association.

Article VI: Quorum

One-fourth of the membership shall constitute a quorum at any Association Membership or Business Meeting. Two-thirds of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum at any Executive Committee meeting. Two-thirds of the members of any standing or select committee shall constitute a quorum at that meeting.

Article VII: Voting

Section 1. Members.

Voting shall be limited to members in good standing (paid-up dues) with one vote for each member.

Section 2. Decisions by Simple Majority.

Any question or issue other than an amendment to the Bylaws shall be determined by a simple majority vote of those present.

Section 3. Procedure for Simple Majority Votes.

The Executive Committee may submit any question by mail, Email, or FAX to the membership. Except for amendments to the Bylaws (Article XIII) or policy statements (Article VIII), such questions shall be returned within thirty days of the submission of the question to the entire membership.

Article VIII: Policy Statements

Section 1. Definition.

Policy statements are those motions or resolutions passed by the Association that express the attitude and wishes of the Association, legislation or other political activities. They shall supplement the Bylaws and shall serve as Directives to the officers in conducting the affairs and expressing the official stand or opinion of the Association.

Section 2. Procedures.

Policy statements may be proposed at any time and submitted to the President in writing. The President shall turn the statements over to the Committee on Policy and Bylaws. The Committee will submit the statement to the membership by mail or Email for adoption or rejection. Upon receipt of the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the membership, the Policy statement shall be declared adopted, and the membership so notified. For policy statements received within sixty days prior to the Membership Meeting, the Committee may elect to discuss the statements during the Membership Meeting, prior to mailing the ballot for adoption or rejection.

Section 3. Committee on Policy and Bylaws.

The Committee on Policy and Bylaws shall annually review existing policy statements and present any new policy statements for consideration at the Membership Meeting. New and/or proposed policy statements will normally be in the form of resolutions and will be documented in the minutes.

Section 4. Policy Statement Presenters.

Policy statements shall in no way bind an individual member when expressing the opinion of the Association.

Article IX: Elections

Section 1. Procedure.

Elections for members of the Executive Committee shall be held annually. The President-Elect shall be elected annually. The Secretary, North Central, and Northeast Regional representatives shall be elected in the same election on even-numbered years for a two-year term, offset every other year with an election on odd-numbered years for the Treasurer, Southern and Western Regional representatives, who will also have two year terms.

Elections shall be held by mail or Email vote of the membership conducted in the following manner: Past President, as Chairof the Nominations Committee shall call for nominations from the ANREP Board and solicit nominations by mail or Email Members may nominate persons from either within or outside their region to serve as officers. Members may nominate persons from their region to serve as regional representative on the Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted from a member in good standing (current dues-paying member) of the Association. Persons nominated for election must be members of the Association.

Following the close of nominations, the Committee shall certify that all nominations received are valid, and that all nominees are willing to accept the position if elected. A nominee may be placed on the ballot for only one position. If nominated for more than one position, the nominee will be allowed to select the position for which he/she will run for election. The Secretary shall develop an election ballot. Election ballots shall be mailed or Emailed by the Secretary to all voting members in accordance with each member's regional area. The closing date of elections shall be 30 days after ballots are mailed or Emailed. Ballots shall be tallied by the Secretary and two other members of the Association as appointed by the President. The candidate for each office receiving the largest number of affirmative votes from the ballots cast by the membership shall be elected. In the event of a tie, the elected officer shall be determined by a random draw held by the Secretary. Within thirty days following the close of elections, members shall be notified of election results.

Section 2. Office of President.

The President-Elect will succeed to the office of President.

Section 3. Secretary and Treasurer.

These officers will be elected by the entire membership.

Section 4. Regional Representatives.

Four regional representatives, one each from the Northeastern, North Central, Southern, and Western areas, shall be elected by the members in their respective regions.

Section 5. Assumption of Office.

The term of office for all members of the Executive Committee shall commence on January 1 and continue until December 31.

Section 6. Re-election.

While it is the general policy of the Association to effect a change of membership on the Executive Committee, a given officer--except for the Past-President--may be re-elected to succeed himself/herself. An individual may serve more than one term in the office of President President-Elect, and Past-President, but not successive terms.

Article X: Vacancies

In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President and the office of the President-Elect shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee. Both shall hold their respective offices until the installation of officers at the next election. Vacancies in any other position shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee. Such appointees shall hold office until the next election. If any officer or Executive Committee member is separated from CES, or voluntarily submits their resignation for an elected office, the Executive Committee, shall appoint a replacement for the remainder of that individual's term. The appointed replacement shall be eligible to run for a full term in that office a the time of the next regular election.

Article XI: Committees

Section 1. Types of Committees.

The following types of committees will be utilized by the Association in conducting its affairs. Standing Committees: Committees appointed to consider topics of a continuous or recurring nature. The services of these committees are needed year after year and the committee is deemed permanent as long as the topic needs consideration and the Executive Committee approves it. Standing committees will have subcommittees when the topic makes such delegation appropriate. Standing Committees shall include: Awards and Recognition Committee, Communications/Newsletter Committee, Emerging Issues Committee, Finance and Audit Committee, Membership Committee, Nomination Committee, Policy and Bylaws Committee, Professional Leadership Development Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and any other committees approved by the Executive Committee. Select Committees: These are committees appointed to consider topics on an ad hoc basis. The life of each committee shall continue until the specific assignments are completed. The topic area covered is usually not one covered by a standing committee. The objectives, activities and organization of committees shall be defined by their individual charters (described in Section 2, as follows).

Section 2. Committee Establishment.

Each Standing and Select Committee can be established or abolished by the Executive Committee. The membership can request new committees. Members requesting a new committee be created must submit a proposed charter and petition containing the signatures of at least ten members in good standing to the President. The Executive Committee must vote on the proposal at its next regular meeting following submission of the petition. No member may be restricted from participating on any committee.

Section 3. Committee Membership.

Using forms prepared and distributed by the Secretary, Association members will indicate each year the committees on which they have an interest in serving. The Secretary will supply a potential membership list for each committee, as compiled from this information, to the President. The President shall be responsible for appointments to all committees and for appointing the Chairs for each committee. All committee members are appointed from a one-year term, but can be re-appointed annually with no restrictions on number of terms served. The number of persons assigned to the committees shall be at the discretion of the President. Every attempt will be made to attain geographic distribution. Subcommittees and subcommittee chairs will be appointed by the committee chairs as needed.

Section 4. Charters.

Charters for Standing and Select Committees shall be developed by the Executive Committee. Each charter shall provide as a minimum: 1) the need for and mission of the committee; 2) the primary contacts and liaison; and 3) general goals. Committee chairs shall review charters annually to determine whether changes are needed. The President and/or Executive Committee should strive to provide specific charges to committees annually, consistent with committee charters.

Section 5. Annual Work Plans.

Committee chairs shall prepare an annual work plan for their committee based on current issues and interests within their purview. The annual work plans shall detail specific short-term objectives, planned activities to meet those objectives, and potential funds needed. Work plans are to be submitted to the President and approved by the Executive Committee.

Section 6. Committee Report.

Committee chairs shall present a written annual report on committee activities and accomplishments to the Executive Committee at the end of each calendar year. Interim reports may be requested by the Executive Committee.

Article XII: Chapter Visitation

Executive Committee members are available to visit chapters, to speak at annual meetings, to conduct chapter workshops and to assist in other ways. Chapters are encouraged to request one such visit each (5) years or sooner.

Article XIII: Amendments

The Bylaws of the Association may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members voting at the membership meeting where a quorum is present, or by mail, Email, or FAX through an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the responding members. The ballot shall include a copy of the proposed amendment and the portion of the Bylaws that are affected. Ballots must be mailed, Emailed, or FAXed to all members at least thirty days in advance of the close of balloting.