Northern New England
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
(NNETESOL)
Bylaws
(Revised and approved September 26, 2017)

Table of Contents

A. Responsibilities of Officers

1. President
2. President-Elect
3. Past President
4. Secretary
5. Treasurer
6. Publishers’ Liaison
7. Webmaster
8. Social Media Coordinator
9. Veteran Member-at-Large
10. State Representatives

 

B. Executive Board

C. Quorums

D. Standing Committees

1. Nominating Committee
2. Call for Proposal Vetting Committee
3. Ad Hoc Committees

E. Disbursement of Funds

F. Relation to TESOL International Association

G. Netiquette Guidelines

 

Bylaws

A. Responsibilities of Officers:

1. President – The President shall preside at all Executive Board and business meetings.  In their absence, the President-Elect and Past President shall assume duties of the President successively.  The responsibilities of the President include the following: notify the Executive Board members of meetings; provide leadership in assessing and meeting the needs of the association; assume leadership of the annual tri-state conference (e.g., planning, preparation, promotion, implementation, evaluation) relying on the support of all board members; and announce the results of all votes cast by the Executive Board and NNETESOL members.  The President shall appoint such committees as the Executive Board deems necessary.  
2. President-Elect – As successor to the President, the President-Elect shall provide leadership in assessing and meeting the needs of the association.  The responsibilities of the President-Elect include the following; assist the President on the annual tri-state conference; and coordinate NNETESOL grant applications (e.g. collect, compile, distribute, notify recipients). The President-Elect, with the Past President, shall preside over meetings in the absence of the President.  
3. Past President – The Past President shall serve as the TESOL International Association affiliate representative and liaison who will inform TESOL annually through a written report of news, activities, conferences and projects of NNETESOL.  The responsibilities of the Past President include the following: assist and advise the President; attend the TESOL International Convention and affiliate sessions; serve as the chairperson on the Nominating Committee; and oversee the mentoring of new board members.   
4. Secretary – The Secretary shall record, retain, and disseminate the minutes of all Executive Board and business meetings. The  responsibilities of the Secretary include the following: keep records (e.g., official documents, correspondence) of the association, record all votes casted by the Executive Board and NNETESOL members, and handle official correspondence as delegated by the President.  
5. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall conduct (e.g., record, maintain, monitor) the financial business of the association. The responsibilities of the Treasurer include the following: project annual tri-state conference expenses and revenue; maintain online registration for conferences, collect and deposit conference registration fees; assist the Webmaster to pay for the domain and web hosting; present financial reports at each Executive Board and business meetings; coordinate travel and stipend for keynotes and TESOL International Association affiliate representative; and submit written budget reports as requested by the President, Executive Board, and/or TESOL International Association.  
6. Publishers’ Liaison – The Publishers’ Liaison shall solicit and invite representatives of regional and national publishing companies and higher education institutions to our annual tri-state conference to display teaching and learning resources for English language learners. The responsibilities of the Publisher’s Liaison include the following: contact publishers and higher education representatives by e-mail and/or phone; answer exhibitor’s conference questions; assist the exhibitors with set-up; collect materials for the raffle; thank exhibitors for their participation; notify exhibitors of future conferences; and act as their liaison with the President. 
7. Webmaster – The Webmaster shall maintain the association’s website and email server and work collaboratively with Social Media Coordinator. The responsibilities of Webmaster include the following: preserve an accurate and updated web presence; regularly check and distribute or respond to email sent to the association’s mailbox; update and share current membership lists to the Executive Board; communicate with the Treasurer to ensure the domain and web hosting are paid; periodically assess the website and discuss any possible changes with the Executive Board; and update Executive Board member profiles to make sure they represent currently held positions. 
8. Social Media Coordinator – The Social Media Coordinator shall maintain the association’s social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and the blog) and work collaboratively with the Webmaster. The responsibilities of the Social Media Coordinator include the following: create and post resources and news across platforms; solicit from board members blog posts, resources, news and event opportunities (e.g. via volunteer calendar, email reminders, etc.); coordinate the  logistics, outreach, and organization of the blog to ensure consistency; and assist board members in navigating the association’s social platforms. 
9. Veteran Member-at-Large – The Veteran Member-at-Large shall enhance community amongst Executive Board members and association members. This individual will be recruited and nominated by the Past President from individuals who have previously served on the NNETESOL Executive Board. The responsibilities of the Veteran Member-at-Large include the following: welcome attendees at the annual tri-state conference; maintain and update yearly a list of professional sources for gathering information for the state reports; assist with non-conference related professional development opportunities; and complete other duties as assigned to them by the President.  
10. State Representatives – The State Representatives, two from each state, shall serve as liaison between respective state members and the association.  The responsibilities of State Representatives include the following: compile and present a collaboratively written report of statewide events, news, and resources relevant to the membership at least twice a year; help scout annual tri-state conference locations when the conference is to be hosted in their state; assist with the annual tri-state conference (e.g. vet proposals, create signs, distribute signs, man registration desk); and organize a spring gathering to connect local members in their respective state, with the help of other respective state board members.

 

B. Executive Board:

The Executive Board shall be responsible for conducting the business of NNETESOL under policy and procedures contained in the constitution and bylaws.  The membership of the Executive Board is defined and outlined in the constitution as the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Publisher Liaison, Webmaster, Social Media Coordinator, Veteran Member-at-Large and six State Representatives.  The responsibilities of Executive Board include the following: attend and participate in quarterly Executive Board meetings; promote membership; assess member needs; and assist with the annual tri-state conference.

C. Quorums:

Eight (8) members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.  For electronic ballots, eight (8) votes positive or negative shall be required for binding action on a motion.  Minutes of the Executive Board and record of its actions shall be kept by the Secretary and made available for inspection by the membership. Members present at the business meeting shall constitute a quorum.

D. Standing Committees:

1. Nominating Committee – The Nominating Committee shall serve as defined in the constitution and governed by the procedures stated therein.  
2. Call for Proposal Vetting Committee – The Call for Proposal Vetting Committee shall vet all annual tri-state conference proposals for quality and coherence.  The responsibilities of the Vetting Committee will include the following: verify that each proposal is in compliance with NNETESOL guidelines; and rank proposals against vetting rubrics. 
3. Ad Hoc Committees – Ad Hoc Committees may be established by the President with the
   approval of or at the request of the Executive Board.

 

E. Disbursement of Funds:

The President and/or the Treasurer must disburse all monies with notification to the Executive Board.  Accounting of all expenditures will be kept and the record will be reported to the Executive Board and to the membership at the business meeting.

F. Relation to TESOL International Association:

NNETESOL shall initiate and maintain affiliation with TESOL International Association while supporting the TESOL mission of advancing the quality of English language teaching. NNETESOL will provide appropriate fees, records, communication and documentation as defined in the responsibilities of the Past President and Treasurer. Due to the agreement with TESOL International Association, NNETESOL will send the Past President as a representative to the annual TESOL International Convention. In the event that the Past President cannot attend, the President or President-Elect will serve in this role.

G. Netiquette Guidelines

When composing basic topics for email, keep it brief and professional. When trying to resolve any serious issues related to protocols or processes, it should be done through phone or video conferencing to avoid any miscommunications. When you are sending attachments please include the filename, format, and program version. Please consider using rich text format (rtf) or portable document format (pdf) for compatibility.