Election Guide | AAJA-Los Angeles

BALLOT AND ELECTION BASICS

Expectations and requirements for all officers and board members: The officers and board members will do their best to attend board and general membership meetings. All terms will begin Jan. 1. Additional expectations and requirements are to pay dues, be prompt and responsive to email correspondence, help plan and produce Trivia Bowl and other AAJA-LA events, lead or serve on at least one committee, lead or organize at least one chapter event per year and participate in fundraising activities.

Election of the officers should take place prior to Nov. 1 of each year for open positions.

JOB DUTIES

PRESIDENT: The President shall be the chief executive officer of the corporation and shall, subject to the control of the board, have general supervision, direction and control of the business and officers of the corporation. S/he shall preside at all meetings of the membership and at all meetings. S/he will be the chief spokesperson and advocate of the local chapter, recruit members, direct organization of chapter events, oversee fundraising activities, and speak at public engagements when asked.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMMING: The Senior Vice President of Programming shall serve as the point person for all programming, events and fundraisers taken on by the chapter. This person shall be responsible for ensuring that those events are valuable, relevant, and responsive to the needs of chapter members.

Specifically, the Senior Vice President will be responsible for ensuring that AAJA-LA meets its mandate to hold at least one educational program per year, and one fundraiser per year. This person will lead the brainstorming, development and execution of such events, and may also elect to develop networking/social programming.

AAJA-LA traditionally fulfills its fundraising obligation through a Trivia Bowl. The Vice President of Programming will act as the chief administrator of this event, working with the rest of the board to secure sponsorships and execute the event itlself.

In the absence or disability of the President, the Senior Vice President shall perform all the duties of the president, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of, and be subject to, all the restrictions upon, the president.

All vice presidents shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed for them respectively by the board under the AAJA bylaws. The vice presidents shall recruit and encourage journalists to join AAJA, help lead the organization on planning of chapter events and act as top advocates for the chapter.

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Vice President of Community Engagement shall act as the primary intermediary between AAJA-LA’s board and the membership it serves. Specifically, this Vice President will be responsible for maintaining constant contact with the chapter membership through posts and updates on the chapter website. As such, s/he will act as the point person for the website, and will work in conjunction with the President and Secretary to monitor the chapter’s email inbox and ensure the board responds to queries from the community in a timely, thorough manner. The Vice President of Community Engagement will also be responsible for new-member recruitment and helping ensure the chapter retains existing members. This Vice President will receive and process monthly updates on membership from AAJA National and will conduct targeted outreach to help ensure the chapter is meeting its members’ needs.

As stated above, all vice presidents shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed for them respectively by the board under the AAJA bylaws. They shall recruit and encourage journalists to join AAJA, help lead the organization on planning of chapter events and act as top advocates for the chapter.

VICE PRESIDENT OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT: The Vice President of Career Development shall administer the chapter’s scholarship, internship, stipend and fellowship programs. These programs involve reaching out to media organizations, organization, announcing the opportunities, judging applications as part of a team, awarding funds, and helping recipients engage with the chapter. In partnership with the rest of the board, this Vice President will help decide which programs the chapter will fund, and at what levels.

SECRETARY: The secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, a book of minutes at the principal office or such other place as the board of directors may order, of all meetings of the directors and membership. Minutes shall include time and place of the meeting; whether regular or special, and if special, how authorized; the type of notice given; the name of those present at the directors’ meetings; the number of members present; and the proceedings of the meeting. S/he will advocate for the chapter, help plan chapter events and help recruit members.

TREASURER: The treasurer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions of the corporation, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital and earnings. Twice a year the treasurer shall make sure to turn in the chapter financial report to the national treasurer by the due date specified. The books of accounts shall be at all times open to inspection by any board member. S/he will advocate for the chapter, help plan chapter events and help recruit members.

BOARD MEMBERS: A board member will be informed about AAJA’s mission, services, policies, and programs; serve on committees or task forces and offer to take on special assignments. S/he will advocate for the chapter, help plan chapter events, help recruit members, and participate in fundraising activities. (All AAJA-LA board members are expected to take an active leadership role in the planning/execution of one or more large events.)

[Appointed] STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE: The student representative is an appointed, non-voting board position that is open to student members of AAJA-LA. Although this is not an elected office, the Board of Directors requests nominations for consideration of this position. Outside of voting, the expectations and requirements for the student representative are the same as other board members.