charge of the committee and individual positions

Since our approval for probationary status last fall the section has been led by an ad-hoc group composed largely of individuals who were involved in developing the proposal for section status. It is now time to elect a formal leadership team/steering committee to lead the section through its three-year probationary period. Tasks for this leadership group will include (but are not limited to):

 

  1. Creating by-laws and a constitution for the section.
  2. Initiating and implementing PUI-focused activities that benefit the ASPB membership and the larger plant community.
  3. Working to grow the membership of the section and ASPB in general.
  4. Establishing funding sources to help support the section’s activities.

 

As you can see, this will be a big job. The work done in the next few years will be critical to the section’s long-term health.

 

In the interest of expediency, the current leadership group has, after much discussion, decided on a structure for the steering committee for this probationary period. Continuity during the probationary period was a major factor in our thinking. This structure has the following roles:

 

President (one-year term)– This individual will preside over the leadership team and will have ultimate responsibility for moving the section forward on the tasks listed above. At the end of the term, this person will move into a one-year Past-President position on the committee.

 

Vice-President (one-year term)– This individual will support the president and will also be responsible for leading group initiatives. At the end of the term, the vice-president will assume the President role for a one-year term, then the Past-President role for one year.

 

Steering Committee Members (General) (three total, each serving three-year terms)– These individuals will assist in leadership tasks according to their interests and abilities. The committee may choose to assign specific responsibilities (e.g. treasurer, secretary, outreach/communication) to individual members or may choose to spread those responsibilities over the group. We wanted to keep this flexible to allow the steering committee freedom to make their own decisions based on the composition of the group.

 

Section Representative to ASPB Council (three-year term)– This individual will fill the PUI section seat in ASPB Council and the ASPB Membership Committee as a liaison between the section and ASPB leadership. We have already elected Leeann Thornton to this position.

 

Past-President (one-year term)– This individual will support the president, as well as the work of the committee more generally, by bringing experience and perspective to the leadership team. The position will be unfilled the first year.