ADLM (formerly AACC)

Bylaws of the Nutrition Division

ARTICLE I. ORGANIZATION NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Nutrition Division of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC), Incorporated.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

The general purpose of the Division shall be the same as that of the Association. The specific purpose shall be to improve the quality of patient care by encouraging the study, advancing the science, and enhancing the practice of nutritional clinical chemistry in all its aspects. To achieve these objectives the Division shall:

  1. Evaluate assay methods and establish standards for reference materials, quality control and reference ranges in the field of nutritional clinical chemist.
  2. Promote the growth of scientific knowledge of nutritional clinical chemistry to health care professionals and the public through seminars, reports, conferences and publications, and local, national and international meetings.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Anyone who is a Member of the Association as defined by the Association Bylaws, Article I, may become a Member of the Division.

ARTICLE IV. ORGANIZATION

The Division shall have autonomy in all matters not defined, limited, or reserved by the Association in its Constitution or Bylaws, or by policies officially adopted by the Association Council and Board. However, Division activities involving the interests, policies, and operations of the Association, as differentiated from matters of concern, activity, and authority limited to the Division, must be approved by the Association Board of Directors and/or the Council. There shall be nothing in the Division Bylaws contrary to the interests of the Association.

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS

  1. Only full (or emeritus) Members in good standing shall serve in any elective or appointive capacity.
  2. Only Members of the Division shall hold office in the Division and serve on the Executive or Nominating Committees. All Members shall have voting privileges and be eligible to serve on all committees.
  3. Division officers, elected by the Members, shall include a Chair, who shall serve for two (2) years; a Chair-elect, who shall serve for one (1) year and be designated as Chair for the following year; a Secretary and a Treasurer, each of whom shall serve for two (2) years; and the Immediate Past-Chair, who shall serve in that office for one (1) year. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected in alternate years and shall not serve for more than two (2) consecutive terms, or four 4) consecutive years. The Immediate Past-Chair shall not be eligible for re-election to the office of Chair-Elect until one year has elapsed since his/her last term of office. The powers and duties of the officers shall be those usually vested in their respective positions or specified by the Bylaws. The above group of officers plus the Publications Committee Chair shall be designated collectively as the Executive Committee. Terms of office shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31, of each year.
  4. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
    1. Chair. The Chair shall be the Executive officer for the Division, shall preside at all official meetings, and shall appoint all committee chairs, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
    2. Chair-Elect. The Chair-Elect shall assume the duties of the Chair in case of the Chair’s absence or disability, and serve as Program Committee chair.
    3. Secretary. The Secretary shall
      1. Keep minutes of Division meetings at which business is conducted and submit them for approval to the Executive Committee.
      2. Submit approved minutes and election results to the Newsletter Editor for publication in the next newsletter.
      3. Maintain an accurate list of Members’ names and addresses
      4. Carry out Division correspondence as delegated by the Chair.
      5. Distribute meeting notices, ballots and election results to the Membership, and receive and tally election ballots
      6. Notify the Association Secretary and Executive Director of the results of election of officers, and other matters pertinent to Division activities
      7. Serve on the Program Committee
    4. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall
      1. Maintain accurate and current records of all credits, debits and balances
      2. Present a financial statement of receipts, disbursements, and current balances at official meetings
      3. Provide accurate records to be passed on to the succeeding Treasurer
      4. Serve on the Program Committee
    5. Immediate past-Chair. The immediate Past-Chair shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee and member of the Program Committee, and shall direct long-range planning activities of the Division.

ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES

  1. Standing committees shall include the Executive, Program, Nominating, and Publications Commitees. The Executive Committee may form ad hoc committees as deemed necessary.
  2. The duties of the standing committees include:
    1. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers and the Chair of the Publications Committee. This committee shall have the authority to act on all matters concerning the Division, and shall convene no less than two (2) meetings each year. One shall take place during the national meeting of the Association; the remaining meeting shall be scheduled by the Chair.
    2. Program Committee: This committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Past-Chair and as many additional Members as deemed necessary. This committee shall plan, schedule, and make necessary arrangements for the Division’s scientific and educational endeavors.
    3. Nominating Committee: This committee shall consist of the Immediate Past-Chair and two elected Members.The elected Members shall serve for two (2) years; one Member shall be elected each year from a list of three (3) candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee. Members of the Nominating Committee may not succeed themselves andare ineligible to be nominated as an officer.
    4. Publications Committee: This committee shall consist of the Newsletter Editor, appointed as Chair by the Executive Committee, and as many Members as deemed necessary by the Editor. This committee shall publish a newsletter and any other information relevant to Division activities.

ARTICLE VII. FISCAL YEAR AND FINANCES

  1. The fiscal year of the Division shall coincide with that of the Association, beginning on January 1and ending on December 31.
  2. Dues shall be established by the Executive Committee and shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the Association dues.
  3. In the event that the Division is dissolved, all funds remaining after payment of all debts shall be transferred to the Association. In no event shall any funds of the Division inure to the benefit of any Division inure to the benefit of any Division member either during the life of the Division or after its dissolution.

ARTICLE VIII. ELECTIONS AND VACANCIES IN OFFICE

  1. Elections:
    1. Elections shall be by mail or fax or electronic ballot and be conducted to assure the secrecy of such ballots. The Secretary shall distribute to the Membership a ballot showing the positions to be filled and the nominees for each office. In addition, each office shall have provisions for write in votes.
    2. Nominees shall be selected by the Nominating Committee. All nominees must have agreed to serve before placing their names on the ballot.
    3. Ballots shall be collected and tabulated by the Secretary and counted by a Member appointed Teller by the Chair.
    4. The nominees receiving a plurality of votes shall be elected. In the event that candidates for any office receive an equal number of votes, another election for that position shall be held. The Executive Committee shall establish conditions for a run off election.
    5. Results of Division elections shall be reported to the Association Secretary and Executive Director.
  2. Vacancies:
    1. Resignation of officers and elected Members of the Nominating Committee, with the exception of the Chair, shall be submitted in writing to the Chair. The resignation of the Chair shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee.
    2. An officer may be impeached following (1) a majority vote by the Executive Committee, and (2) a mail ballot vote by the Membership. A two thirds (⅔) majority of the votes cast is required to effect the removal from office of an elected officer.
    3. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed to Chair for the remainder of the unexpired term and for the following fiscal year. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer, or among the elected members of the Nominating Committee, the incumbent Executive Committee shall appoint a qualified Member to discharge the duties of that office until the January 1 following the next regularly scheduled election to fill that vacancy. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Immediate Past-Chair, the duties and functions of this office shall be carried out by the most recent Past Chair able to serve. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair-Elect, the Nominating Committee shall transmit a list of nominees for election to the Secretary within thirty (30) days of the vacancy. This election process shall be the same as described in Article VIII, Section A.

ARTICLE IX. ADOPTION AND AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

  1. Amendments to the Bylaws, in whole or in part, shall be proposed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee, or by petition to the Executive Committee signed by at least ten (10) percent of all Members in good standing.
  2. Adoption and amendments to the Bylaws shall require approval by two thirds (⅔) of the votes cast by mail ballot. Written notice of proposed admendments must be available to the Membership no less than thirty (30) days prior to the date on which the ballots are to be counted. Ballots shall be collected and tabulated by the Secretary and counted by a Member appointed as Teller by the Chair.
  3. These Bylaws shall become effective at the time of their adoption.