BYLAWS

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS 

Section 1. The Officers of the Chapter shall be President, Past President, President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer, and other officers as needed. All officers shall be members in good standing of the AAMFT, the Texas Division and the Austin Chapter.  Any office may be shared by the request of two persons who agree to serve in co-officer status.

Section 2. President shall be Clinical Member and serve a term of one (1) year. President shall be the Chief Officer of the Chapter and of the Board and shall perform such duties as are customary for presiding officers, including making all required appointments with the approval of the Board. President also shall serve as a member ex officio with right to vote on all committees except the Elections Committee. The President shall preside over all meetings of the chapter. S/he shall write a President’s letter pertaining to Marriage and Family Therapy and/or Association issues at least twice a year. These letters may be included in the Austin AMFT newsletters. S/he shall submit in writing a report of the activities of the chapter to the TAMFT Executive Director and to the TAMFT President at the year’s end annually. President shall succeed to office Past President.

Section 3. President-elect shall be Clinical Member or Associate with a reasonable expectation of completing Clinical Member status before completion of the 1 year term. President-elect shall serve a term of one (1) year and shall succeed to the office of President. In order to succeed to the President’s position, the President-elect must be Clinical Member. In the absence of President, President-elect performs the duty of President including running the board meeting and chapter meeting.

Section 4. Secretary shall serve a term of two (2) years. Secretary shall keep the records of all business meetings of the Chapter and meetings of the Board, shall direct the distribution of minutes and reports as authorized by these bylaws and by the Board, and shall be responsible for all official correspondence of the Chapter. Secretary shall provide sign-up sheets, name tags, Certificates of Attendance, and Speaker Evaluations at chapter meetings. S/he shall keep a list of members as coordinated with the Treasurer and Newsletter Editor.

Section 5. Treasurer shall serve a term of two (2) years. Treasurer shall oversee the management of funds for duly authorized purposes of the Chapter, shall prepare the annual budget, and shall present periodic financial reports to the membership and to Division Treasurer in conformity with the policy outlined by the AAMFT Board of Directors for divisional financial statements and other financial documents required by law. The fiscal year of the Chapter shall begin on the first of January. S/he shall be responsible for updating Austin AMFT’s Continuing Education (CE) Sponsor status and for paying required CE Sponsor fees as specified in the licensing rules of each state licensing board of the mental health professionals in Texas. The Treasurer shall submit an annual financial report to the TAMFT Executive Director at the year’s end annually.

Section 6. Past President shall be Clinical Member and serves as Election Committee Chair. Term is one (1) year. Past President coordinates the function of the committee chairs and serves as a consultant to the officers and board.

Section 7. Chapter Officers shall be assumed to have resigned from office at such time as they move outside the Chapter geographic boundaries. If any Officer ceases to be in good standing by reason of nonpayment of dues, the Chapter Board shall declare his/her office to be vacant.

Section 8. If any office, other than President or President-elect becomes vacant, the Chapter Board may appoint a successor to fill the office. In the event that the President is unable to complete the current term of office, the President-elect shall assume the presidential duties and office, and a special election shall be called to elect a new President-elect through a mail or email ballot by the voting membership using preferred address of member whether standard mail or email. In the event that the President-elect is unable to complete the current term of office, a special election shall be called to elect a successor through a mail ballot by the voting membership. In any event, the term of the presidency shall not be for less than two (2) years nor more than three (3) years.

ARTICLE V. Board of Directors

Section 1. The Chapter Board of Directors shall consist of the five Officers, three (3) Directors, one Member-at-large, and one Student Representative. All Board of Directors shall be members of the AAMFT in good standing. The directors shall serve a two (2) year term. One of the four shall be the Public Relations Director, another shall be the Program Director and a third an Outreach Director. The Student Representative and Member-at-Large shall each serve a one (1) year. Student Representative shall continue in their position on the board after graduation until the completion of their term as long as s/he is in good standing within the appropriate membership category.

Section 2. The Program Director shall serve a term of 2 years and along with his/her committee members, shall be responsible for running each chapter meeting including the coordination of the speakers. The Clinical Education Director and along with his/her committee will select speakers and coordinate events for the following year, obtain a CV and meeting objectives for each event to be submitted to the Public Relations Director or PR committee for publication and the Secretary for documentation, and coordinate all communication with each speaker including technology requirements prior to each event and any appreciation after. S/he shall be responsible for scheduling the place, meals, and speakers for the chapter meetings. S/he shall write a thank you note to each speaker, request a vita for each speaker for the local chapter Secretary to keep on file, as well as share pertinent information regarding chapter meetings, topics, and speakers with the Austin AMFT officers and Board.

Section 3. The Public Relations Director shall serve a term of 2 years and along with his/her committee members, shall be responsible for writing, editing, assembling, and disseminating the Chapter electronic newsletter or announcements prior to each chapter meeting, maintaining the chapter’s website and generally overseeing communications that reach the public’s eye. The Public Relations Director shall be responsible for keeping an updated mailing list and a chronological file of all the newsletters for the Chapter online. The PR Director will coordinate activities as appropriate with the Outreach Director.

Section 4. The Outreach Director shall serve a term of 2 years and along with his/her committee members, shall be responsible for cultivating new members through programming that may include welcoming people at chapter meetings or mentorship programs as well as community outreach to educate the non-profit sector on the value of hiring LMFTs. The Outreach Director will coordinate activities as appropriate with the PR Director.

Section 5. Elections and Engagement Committee. Board Members on the Elections and Engagement Committee will serve the organization by engaging new and continued members at meetings and events and will execute the election process in the fall of each year. Specific ways of engaging members includes and is not limited to: welcoming meeting attendees, informing attendees about upcoming events, opportunities and elections, and encouraging membership. 

Section 6. The Board shall exercise all powers of the Chapter, except as specifically prohibited by these bylaws and the AAMFT Bylaws. The Board shall be authorized to adopt and publish such policies, procedures, and rules as may be necessary and consistent with these bylaws and AAMFT bylaws, and to exercise authority over all Chapter business and funds.

Section 7. The Board shall meet at the call of the President and at least once each year, or at the written request of at least three (3) members of the Board directed to the Secretary. A quorum shall consist of no less than one-half of the membership of the Board at any given time. Each member shall be entitled to one (1) vote and may take part and vote in person only. The meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts’ Rules of Order, revised.

Section 8. If a position becomes vacant, the position may remain vacant or the Board may appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term, except that vacancies in the offices of the President and President-elect shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 8.

Section 9. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for educating the membership and the public regarding the AAMFT Code of Ethics. The committee shall not conduct investigations or consider allegations of violations of ethical principles made against members, nor shall it issue or render advisory opinions on ethical matters but shall refer such matters to the AAMFT Ethics Committee. The committee shall function in accordance with the Procedures for Handling Ethical Matters.

ARTICLE VI. Committees