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Dear AAOHN Member,
As with any organization, it is a best practice to continually review and revise how business is done to maintain relevancy and adapt to an ever-changing environment. AAOHN is no different and recently went through an exercise to review its bylaws. During this review several areas were identified by the AAOHN Board of Directors as possible changes that would continue to help AAOHN meet the needs of our evolving membership and community. These proposed changes are being presented to you today for your consideration and vote.
The proposed changes include:
1) Chapter Requirements
This change would require the annual report to be submitted in order to receive chapter payments collected through AAOHN. Failure to submit chapter annual reports puts the AAOHN National Organization at risk of not being in compliance of its non-profit status. This measure will help ensure reports are submitted in a timely manner and chapters remain compliant with their requirements for good standing.
2) AAOHN Regions Restructuring & Board of Directors Composition
Currently the AAOHN Board of Directors is made up of three (3) Officers and five (5) Directors for a total of eight (8) members. Each Director is currently required to be a representative from each of the five AAOHN Regions (Mountain/Western, North Central, South Central/Southwest, Southeast and Northeast). AAOHN has experienced challenges in recent years recruiting qualified board candidates from each of the five (5) regions. In an effort to ensure AAOHN is recruiting qualified, willing and eager candidates, it is proposing the regions shift from five (5) to three (3). This would allow the Board of Directors to consist of three (3) regional directors and two (2) directors at-large (no region affiliation required). This will not impact any other qualifications for potential board candidates and will allow for more flexibility in recruiting the right candidate for the role. This shift will not impact how an AAOHN member votes but will support a better succession planning process for the organization. View a map of the proposed region restructuring here. This new structure supports equal membership distribution across the three (3) regions with approximately 1,000 members per region.
3) Election Committee Composition
In addition to looking at how board members are selected; the AAOHN Board of Directors also looked at how the Elections Committee is structured to make sure it is comprised of the right individuals to recruit the right candidates for the Board of Directors. Upon review, the AAOHN Board of Directors is proposing the committee structure change to the following:
- The Chair will be the Immediate Past President. Having just served on the Board of Directors, this person will know and understand the board dynamics and what additional skill sets are needed to ensure a well-rounded Board of Directors.
- The committee will be comprised of at least three (3) and no more than five (5) members that are appointed by the Board of Directors. The current requirement that there is member representation from each of the AAOHN regions will no longer be a qualification. This is due to the challenges AAOHN has experienced with identifying and recruiting volunteers to serve on this committee. By removing the regions requirement, there will be more flexibility in recruiting interested volunteers.
AAOHN is also proposing updating the name of the Elections Committee to the Leadership Succession Committee to more accurately reflect the work done by this group of volunteers.
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