In mid-2015, then AIA Virginia President Valerie Hassett, FAIA appointed a task group dedicated to a comprehensive review and revision of the bylaws of “The Virginia Society AIA.” Over the course of several years and in consultation with the AIA’s General Counsel and AIA Virginia’s legislative counsel, the task group developed a revised and refined set of bylaws, which it recommended substituting for the existing version. The board considered these bylaws at both the February 17 and April 21, 2017, meetings and voted to sponsor them for adoption by the membership.
The members of AIA Virginia are now being asked to consider the revised document, for a vote of adoption during the June 16, 2017, virtual Meeting of the Membership, being conducted via webinar at 11:30 a.m. Register for the annual meeting>>
Review the existing bylaws>> and the proposed bylaws>>
In advance of that vote, a webinar will be provided to members on Thursday, May 25, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. During that session, Bylaws Task Group Chair Eric Keplinger, AIA and EVP Helene Dreiling, FAIA will offer an overview of the amendments, including thorough explanation of certain aspects of the recommended changes. Register for the bylaws webinar>>
What started as a comprehensive overview turned into a truly ‘deep dive’ – amending the older document to incorporate current best governance practices and editing as necessary to enhance clarity. More specifically, the intent of the work of the Bylaws Task Group was to:
- Clean up any grammatical or punctuation items, of which there were very few;
- Amend the name, throughout, to mirror the new name of AIA Virginia;
- Update text to recognize new communication/outreach methodologies and technologies; and
- Make other non-substantive changes to reflect new business or programmatic approaches.
While the bylaws were amended dramatically, most modifications to content were not substantial and could be considered ‘clean-up.’ The document was highly simplified and prescriptive references were either removed or relocated to the board’s companion document. Related to this, what was formerly the “Rules of the Board” was substantially altered as well and became the “Rules of the Organization.” This companion piece now incorporates articles removed from the bylaws; it has been approved by the Board of Directors on April 21, 2017, to take effect upon approval of the bylaws by the membership.
Through the course of the work, two areas emerged with the potential for substantive amendment:
- Addition of a Fourth Vice President: This proposes to add a fourth Vice President focused on “Member Services” and provides for all Vice Presidents to have two-year staggered terms. There is a great necessity for AIA Virginia to concentrate more heavily on membership issues, and a standing volunteer leader, as well as a council, should be dedicated to this crucial need. The addition of a fourth Vice President for Member Services and creation of a Member Services Council is a logical and appropriate step in aligning the governance structure to meet the service needs of the organization. Additionally, this approach directly responds to specific objectives in the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan under Goal 5, to “Become a model of a strong nonprofit and vibrant membership organization.” Similar to the current Councils, the Vice President for Member Services would serve on the Board of Directors as well as the Executive Committee. The VP position and the Member Services Council will focus on membership (recruitment, retention, and reinstatement) as well as member services (support for and benefits to members). The change would take effect with the coming election cycle, and the staggered terms of the four serving individuals will be set prior to the election in November 2017.
- Addition of a Public Director on the Board: Many associations and professional societies are now adding a public member to their Boards of Directors. These individuals provide a valuable perspective representing the public that architects serve, and their opinions are often highly beneficial to board discourse. In fact, the Board of Directors, prior to the repositioning, had at least one public member for more than 40 years, and two in more recent years. At least sixteen of the 50 statewide components of the AIA have a public director on their boards. This inclusion would place AIA Virginia at the leading edge of governance best practices and would bring an important voice – and special expertise – to the board table.
On behalf of 2015 President Valerie Hassett, FAIA, 2016 President Nick Vlattas, AIA, and 2017 President Bill Brown, AIA, we request your careful attention to and consideration of support for these amended bylaws.
AIA Virginia gratefully acknowledges the participants of the Bylaws Task Group:
- 2016 Secretary: Eric Keplinger, AIA (Bylaws Task Group Chair)
- 2015 President: Valerie Hassett, FAIA
- 2017 Secretary: Jeanne LeFever, AIA
- Board Member: John Burns, FAIA
- Board Member: Mitch Rowland, AIA
- Member-at-large: Pamela Sams, AIA
- Staff Liaisons: Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, and Rebecca Lonadier
Questions in advance of the webinar or the membership meeting should be directed to Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA at hdreiling@aiava.org or Rebecca Lonadier at rlonadier@aiava.org.