NAWLEE BYLAWS

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES, INC.

Membership Options

Executive (Voting)

$100 yr

BYLAWS (Rev.16)

ARTICLE I

Purpose

The general purpose and mission of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, Inc. shall be to promote the ideals and principles of women executives in law enforcement; to conduct training seminars to train and educate women executives in enforcement including but not limited to the areas of leadership, management and administration; to provide a forum for the exchange of information concerning law enforcement and generally fostering effective law enforcement. These activities are neither all-inclusive nor mandatory, however, the Association shall not engage in a business of a kind ordinarily carried on for profit.

ARTICLE II

Membership and Dues

Section 1. Classes of Membership

There shall be four classes of NAWLEE membership: Executive, Associate, Supporting, and Corporate.

a. Executive Membership:

To be qualified as an Executive Member, a person must hold the rank of Lieutenant or above, or its equivalent in a federal, tribal, state, county, municipal, international campus or railroad law enforcement agency. After retirement from active duty, members in good standing may retain the privileges of Executive membership by continuing payment of annual dues.

b. Associate Membership:

To be qualified as an Associate Member one must be an employee of a federal, fribal, state, county, municipal, international, campus or railroad law enforcement agency below the rank of Lieutenant or non-sworn member not eligible for Executive membership. After retirement from active duty, members in good standing may retain the privileges of Associate membership by continuing payment of annual dues.

c. Supporting Membership:

To be qualified as a Supporting Member, a person must, share and support the concerns and objectives of NAWLEE. Examples of supporting members include professors, researchers, mental health practitioners, among others.

d. Corporate Membership:

To be qualified as a Corporate Member, a corporation, business, group, organization, university, or association that shares and supports the concerns and objectives of NAWLEE is qualified to be a Supporting Member of NAWLEE.

Section 2. Annual Dues

To be qualified as an Executive Member, one must hold the rank of Lieutenant (a person whose rank is above first line supervision for the organization; supervises supervisors – or its equivalent) or above, in a federal, state, county, municipal, international, campus, or railroad law enforcement agency.

Associate

(non-voting) – $100 yr

To be qualified as an Associate Member one must be an employee of a federal, Tribal, state, county, municipal, international, campus or railroad law enforcement agency below the rank of Lieutenant, or a civilian / non commissioned member of any law enforcement agency.

Corporate Member (non-voting)

To be qualified as a Corporate Member, a company must share and support the concerns and objectives of NAWLEE. To become a corporate member please contact NAWLEE at 781 960-5170 or email [email protected]

a. The annual dues for each class of membership shall be established by the Board of Directors ninety (90) days prior to the start of the next membership year.

b. The annual dues of all members shall be due and payable on January 1st of each year.

c. The Executive Director, or designee, shall immediately notify any member who is ninety (90) days delinquent in the payment of dues that their active membership will be canceled, and all membership entitlements shall terminate.

Section 4. Denial/Termination of Membership

The Board of Directors may terminate any member for cause, after a hearing before such persons or in the absence of such member after due notice to appear for such hearing, and in such manner as the Board of Directors shall direct.

ARTICLE III

Directors/Officers

Section 1. Board of Directors

The affairs of the Association shall be managed by a Board of Directors which shall consist of the following directors/officers: a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, Ex Officio(s), Immediate Past President and a Member-at-Large. The Ex Officio(s), and Immediate Past President are non-voting members of the Board and serve in an advisory capacity.

The President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, a Treasurer, and a Secretary shall be elected by the Executive members.

Section 2. Succession Plan and Terms of Office

Succession Plan: The Association has implemented a succession plan for its Board of Directors. Under the succession plan, each year there will be an election of a Second Vice President who will serve in four (4) different positions over four (4) years. The Second Vice President will serve for (1) year and then ascend to First Vice President for one (1) year, then to President for one (1) year, followed by one (1) year as Past President. The Second Vice President will continue to be filled by election from the Executive membership at the General Membership meeting¹.

a. The Treasurer and Secretary shall serve two (2) year staggered terms.

b. The Member-at-Large shall serve a two-year term.

Section 3. Nominations and Appointments

a. Eligibility for 2^nd Vice President on the Board of Directors:

• Active Executive member for two (2) years; and

• Membership is current, active, and dues-paid; and

• Has attended a minimum of two (2) annual conferences; and

• Has demonstrated knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors.

• Nominations for this position are open to those who are employed in a law enforcement agency at the time of their nomination.

b. Eligibility for Secretary and Treasurer on the Board of Directors:

• Active Executive member for two (2) years; and

• Membership is current, active, and dues paid; and

• Has attended a minimum of two (2) annual conferences; and

• Has demonstrated knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of the Executive Board.

c. Eligibility of Member-at-Large position:

• Active Associate member; and

• Membership is current, active, and dues-paid; and

• Has attended a minimum of two (2) annual conferences.

• Has demonstrated knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of the Executive Board.

d. Nomination Process:

¹ Voting, at the discretion of the Board may occur remotely and/or electronically.

Nominations for directors/officers may be made at any time prior to the dates and times of the election by submitting the names(s) of the nominee and the positions nominated for, in writing, to the Nominating/Search Committee Chairperson. Nominations may also be made on the day of the election from the floor. For the Member-at-Large position, all active Executive, Associate, and Supporting members may make nominations and may nominate themselves if they meet the criteria for eligibility. For all other elected Board positions, only active Executive members may make nominations and may nominate themselves.

Section 4. Elections and Voting

All elections shall be by confidential vote and may be held in person or electronically as approved by the Board of Directors.

It shall be the responsibility of the President to delegate duties to organize and manage the election so long as this person is not running for any elected offices that year and is an Executive level member.

All eligible Executive members may vote for the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

All Executive, Associate, and Supporting members may vote for the Member at Large.

Membership dues must be current in order to vote.

Corporate members do not have voting privileges.

Section 5. Powers, Duties and Vacancies in Office

PRESIDENT

The President shall preside at all meetings of the members, assist in developing Association policy, set the goals and objectives of the Association, approve the committees and appoint a chairperson for each, act as a spokesperson for the Association, and in general, shall perform all duties incumbent to the Office of the President authorized by Association policy, Charter and Bylaws.

The President or designee shall provide general oversight to all committees, assigning board members as Committee liaisons as appropriate.

The President may call an Executive session whereby only directors/officers and Executive Members shall be present, as well as, any persons the President deems necessary.

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

The First Vice President will be assigned duties as designated by the President and/or Board of Directors. In the absence of the President, the First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President.

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

The Second Vice President will be assigned duties as designated by the President and/or Board of Directors. In the absence of the First Vice President, the Second Vice President shall perform the duties of the First Vice President.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE

The Member-at-Large shall serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors and representative of the Associate and Supporting membership and may be assigned duties as designated by the President.

TREASURER

The Treasurer, or designee, shall have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds and sureties of the Association; receive and give receipts for monies due and payable to the association from any source whatsoever, the deposit of all monies in the name of the Association in such banks, trust companies, or other depositories as shall be selected in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws; and, in general, perform all the duties incident to the Office of Treasurer authorized by corporate policy, Charter, Bylaws and administrative directives.

The Treasurer, or designee, will ensure that all finances are processed in accordance with the following:

1. A budget will be prepared and modified as needed by the Board of Directors. all expenditures will be in accordance with this approved budget.

2. All funds of the Association shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the Association in such banks, trust companies, or other depositories as the

Board of Directors may elect.

3. The Association may accept contributions, gifts or bequests for any general purpose or for any special purpose of the Association.

SECRETARY

The Secretary will record meeting minutes and distribute the minutes to the membership. The Secretary shall mail the agenda for meetings if the agenda is established in advance by the President or designee.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

The Immediate Past President shall act as non-voting advisor to provide knowledge and expertise to the Board of Directors and any assigned committees.

Section 6. Designees

Any designee must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 7. Vacancy in Elected Office

President: If the office of President is vacated during the term of office, the First Vice President shall automatically ascend to President and the Second Vice President to First Vice President, and the Board shall make an appointment of an Executive Member to the Second Vice President position.

First Vice President: If the position of First Vice President becomes vacant for any reason, the Second Vice President will assume the position of First Vice President for the remainder of the term.

Second Vice President: If the position of Second Vice President becomes vacant for any reason, the President may appoint an Executive Member to the position with the advice and consent of the remaining Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.

Treasurer: If the Treasurer is unable to fulfill his/her duties for any reason, the Second Vice President shall perform the duties of the Treasurer until an Executive Member can be appointed with the advice and consent of the remaining Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.

Secretary: If the position of Secretary becomes vacant for any reason, the President may appoint an Executive Member to the position with the advice and consent of the remaining Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.

Member-at-Large: If the position of Member-at-Large becomes vacant for any reason, the President may appoint an Associate Member to the position with the advice and consent of the remaining Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.

All appointments shall remain in effect until the next election. The open position will then be filled by vote of the Executive members.. Appointment to fill a vacancy under these bylaws will not prevent the person from fulfilling a full term of office as would have been achieved in the succession plan.

Section 8. Holding More Than One Office of the Association

An Executive Member of the Association shall not hold more than one (1) elected office at the same time, unless as otherwise provided for in these bylaws.

Section 9. Ex Officio Member(s)

Ex Officio Member(s) shall serve in an advisory capacity as (a) non-voting member(s) of the Board and representative of the Corporate Members. Ex Officio Member(s) shall be appointed on an annual basis by the Board of Directors. This is limited to two (2) ex officio members.

Section 10. Removal From Office

The Board of Directors shall have the power to exclude, suspend or expel any officer by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, including the vote of the Immediate Past President, for any conduct deemed to be detrimental to the best interests of the Association, neglecting the duties of office as prescribed by these Bylaws, or for any other violation of these Bylaws and such position will be considered a vacancy in office and shall be filled in accordance with these Bylaws.

ARTICLE IV

Meetings

Section 1. General Membership Meetings

The Association shall hold at least one General Membership meeting at a location selected by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.

The agenda of the General Membership meeting shall be determined by the President or designee.

The General Membership meeting may coincide with the Association’s annual conference. All active members of the Association shall be duly noticed of the date and location of the General Membership meeting and conference.

The Board of Directors may call additional meetings, as it deems appropriate, and shall duly notice all active members of the Association of such additional meetings.

Section 2. Board of Directors Meetings

The Board of Directors shall meet on dates and times decided by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V

Voting

Section 1. General Meetings

A quorum must be present to conduct all general business. A quorum at an in person meeting consists of a majority of the voting members who are present at a General Meeting and eligible to vote.

Voting by the eligible Executive members shall be by simple majority, unless otherwise provided for in these Bylaws.

Eligible Executive members shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote on any matter coming before the Association. Only Executive members of the Association shall be eligible to vote on Association matters and election of Executive Members to the Board of Directors.

All active Executive, Associate, and Supporting members may vote to fill the Member-At-Large positio

Section 2. Board of Directors

Action taken by the Board of Directors shall be by simple majority of the Board unless otherwise provided for in these Bylaws.

Section 3. Electronic and Mail Voting

The President may conduct a electronic mail or USPS mail vote on a matter determined by the President.

Any action taken by electronic mail or USPS mail vote shall be immediately reported to all members of the Association.

ARTICLE VI

Committees

Committees of this Association shall be created by the President based on operational needs and emerging issues.

Guidelines for the Committees shall be contained in the Board Operational Manual

Section 1. Duration of Committees

Each member of the committee, including the Chairperson shall continue as such until a successor(s) is/are appointed, unless the member(s) is/are removed from the committee or the business of the committee is concluded.

Section 2. Responsibilities of Chairperson

An Executive Member shall serve as Chairperson and shall be responsible for recruiting members for service on a committee, calling committee meetings, reporting committee recommendations to the Executive Director on all committee issues, and participating in formal and informal meetings as called by the President or Board.

Voting shall be conducted by simple majority vote of committee members present, and each committee member shall have one (1) vote.

ARTICLE VII

Books and Records

The Association, or designee, shall keep correct and complete books and records of account, and shall keep minutes of the proceedings of all meetings in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable period of time.

ARTICLE VIII

Parliamentary Procedure

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order – Newly Revised – shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws and any special rules or order the Association may adopt.

ARTICLE IX

Association Staff

The Board of Directors may select and appoint an Executive Director, and any additional staff, if required, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Board, and may or may not be compensated.

Section 1. Executive Director

The duties and qualifications of the Executive Director and any additional staff shall be provided for in a job description approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Compensation

The Board of Directors shall periodically approve the compensation of the Executive Director, other approved staff, and their operating expenses necessary to maintain approved functions falling within the scope of authority of the Executive Director.

Section 3. Mail

The Executive Director shall be responsible for collecting the Association’s mail and responding or forwarding it to the appropriate officer.

ARTICLE X

Amendment to Bylaws

The Bylaws of the Association shall be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of Executive members of the Association present at an annual business meeting or by alternative voting procedures as provided for in these Bylaws.

Notice of all proposed amendments shall be provided to the membership at least thirty (30) days in advance of the scheduled vote.