Proposed By-law Changes for 2023 – Part 1
Tony Minestra
DePaul College Prep
Credentials Committee Chair
IACAC Past President
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. ~ John F. Kennedy
IACAC Family,
As an Association, we are set to embrace some big potential changes in the weeks and months ahead. As many members are aware, a NACAC Special Member Vote in November 2022 has fundamentally altered the relationship between our national organization and its affiliates. Essentially, our own Executive Board, as it’s been traditionally built, will need to take on a new look, and embrace a re-imagined identity – as the role of the “Delegate” has been eliminated.
If the past 3 years have taught us anything of the resilience and resolve of our organization, I am confident that IACAC will emerge stronger, more equitable, and continue to set the professional standard for our industry.
Typically the Credentials Committee brings by-law changes to the membership ahead of the Annual Membership Meeting that takes place during the Spring Conference. In order to slate candidates ahead of that meeting, we need to bring these proposed changes to the membership now, via an up-down/block electronic vote. In this block vote, the Credentials Committee is proposing changes only related to the by-laws directly impacted by the special NACAC vote and adding a position of Secretary-elect. Once this vote is complete, the Credentials Committee will return to the by-laws to complete their full review and recommend any other amendments ahead of this year’s Membership Meeting during the Annual Conference.
By-Laws can be complicated, so essentially, here’s what we’re proposing as changes…
- The terms “Delegates” and “Council Team Directors” are out. The term “Board Director” takes their place. 12 “Board Directors” serve 3 year terms. Current continuing board members will serve out their remaining respective terms, and transition to the new “Board Director” role.
- The Secretary cycle moves to a three year model (like every other board position). Secretary-elect is a new elected role, and in the third year of the cycle, the Secretary moves into our Parliamentarian role.
IACAC leadership has been in proactive conversation around these potential changes for some time, and a significant amount of energy has been spent re-engineering a vision for our organization. Big shout out to the Delegates (likely the last of their line) for taking the lead on this and for their patience, humility, and creativity. Our north star through this entire process has been a call to take care of our own, by elevating and cultivating leadership and growth opportunities from within our organization.
Our by-laws state that we need to alert membership to this vote at least two weeks in advance. Please review this information ahead of voting opening on Wednesday, February 15th at 2 PM CT. We will be available for any questions and/or discussion on February 15th at 10 AM CT via Zoom, please RSVP. Voting will be close Monday, February 20th at 5 PM CT.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly with anything at all as we move forward together through this process. Thank you to the Executive Board and the Credentials Committee for their incredible and intentional work on this.
Be Good, Tony
past-president@iacac.org
PROPOSED BY-LAW CHANGES – Block Up/Down Vote
Rationale for board name changes and removal of NACAC references to Delegates and/or Assembly: Aligns with NACAC changes.
Rationale for adding the Secretary-elect role: The Secretary role has evolved into a high workload position, with important responsibilities in keeping up with Robert’s Rules of Order as well as supporting the President. Adding a Secretary-elect will provide more support to the role as well as more support to the Media team.
