How Your APA Works for You: As you prepare to vote in APA’s 2003 election, you should know the officers’ duties and responsibilities and where you are needed to serve your professional organization.

The Board of Trustees, composed of officers and trustees elected by the membership, governs the Association. These are the voting members of the Board of Trustees:

The nonvoting members of the Board are the member-in-training trustee-elect and the past presidents elected before the year 2000.

Candidates other than those for Area trustee are selected by the Nominating Committee or nominated by petition. They are elected by the entire voting membership, except for the member-in-training trustee-elect (MITTE), who is elected solely by members-in-training. The seven Area trustees are nominated by their Area Councils or by petition and elected by the members who belong to the district branches within the individual geographic regions (see page 31).

In the 2003 election, voters will elect the president-elect, a vice president (one elected every year for a two-year term), the secretary (secretary and treasurer elected in alternate years for two-year terms), an ECP trustee-at-large (one trustee-at-large elected every year for a three-year term, with the ECP trustee elected every third year), the member-in-training trustee-elect (serves one year without voting privileges and one year as member-in-training trustee with voting privileges), and Area trustees from Areas 1, 4, and 7.

▪ President/President-Elect — The president-elect chosen in the 2003 election will serve as president-elect through the annual meeting in 2004 and as president through the annual meeting in 2005.

The president-elect chairs the Joint Reference Committee and carries out any duties assigned by the president that are specifically designed to familiarize him or her with the duties to be assumed as president.

The president is the chief executive officer of the Association, preparing the agenda for and presiding at all general meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Board and carrying out the orders and resolves of the Board and the membership. The president (after election as president-elect) appoints the personnel of nearly all components except the Joint Reference Committee.

▪ Vice President — The two vice presidents perform the duties assigned to them by the president. They may represent the president at official functions of APA, such as district branch meetings, national conferences, and other meetings. One vice president is elected each year for a two-year term; they are ineligible for reelection to the same office.

If the president is unable to function because of absence or illness, the Board selects one of the vice presidents to act for the president. If the president dies or resigns, the Board selects one of the vice presidents to become president for the remainder of the term. If the position of president-elect becomes vacant, the Board selects one of the vice presidents to serve as president-elect, and he or she is installed as president at the next annual meeting.

▪ Secretary — The secretary will be elected in 2003. The secretary keeps the records of the Association; receives petitions nominating candidates or for referenda or to amend the Bylaws or for recall of officers or trustees and submits the recall ballot to the membership; assists the president in preparing the agenda for Board meetings; certifies minutes of Board meetings; certifies the editions of the Bylaws; and chairs the Ethics Appeals Board.

▪ Treasurer — The treasurer will be elected in 2004. The treasurer and his or her authorized agents are bonded in an amount determined by the Board. He or she receives, disburses, accounts for, and manages all monies of APA under the general direction of the Board. The treasurer submits financial statements each year to the Board and to the Assembly at the annual meeting. He or she also submits financial statements to the auditors, sends out annual dues bills, notifies members who are in arrears, and is responsible for investment of Association funds with the help of the Investment Oversight Committee and the medical director. The treasurer, by reason of office, is a voting member of the Budget Committee and chairs the Committee on Grants and Awards.

▪ Other Trustees — Two trustees-at-large, one ECP trustee, trustees from each of the seven Area Councils, and the three immediate past presidents are members of the Board of Trustees, as are the officers. The power to make policy is vested in the Board, and the Board’s primary function is to formulate and implement the policies of the Association. The Board exercises all powers of the Association that are not otherwise assigned. Trustees are expected to attend all Board meetings and participate in the matters at hand, for they cannot delegate responsibility to govern or give a proxy vote. Area trustees are ex-officio members of their respective Area Councils.

▪ Member-in-Training Trustee and Trustee-Elect — Each year a member-in-training trustee-elect (MITTE) is elected to serve on the Board for one year without a vote and then advance to the MITT position for one year with a vote. The MITTE also attends meetings and conference calls of the Committee of Assembly MIT Representatives. The MITTE is elected by members-in-training only instead of by the membership at large.

The Assembly is composed of representatives from the Association’s 74 district branches, minority/underrepresented groups, and allied organizations. The Board and its components often refer issues to the Assembly for consideration and study. The Assembly elects its own officers each May.

The Joint Reference Committee is a standing committee that acts as a liaison and screening mechanism for the Board, the Assembly, and the Association’s supportive components. It refers issues for study to various components and coordinates their recommendations for further consideration by the Board or the Assembly. The president-elect serves as chair and the speaker-elect of the Assembly as vice chair.