Officers

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ADOPTED MAY 14, 1999

AMENDED APRIL 1, 2017

ARTICLE I – DEFINITIONS

SECTION 1: “Chapter” shall refer to the professional chapter of the national society headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla.

SECTION 2: The name of the chapter shall be The Oklahoma Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists

SECTION 3: Meetings shall mean regularly scheduled or special meetings authorized by the Board of Directors

SECTION 4: “Members in good standing” shall mean those members who are listed by the national chapter as being current in payment of their local and national dues. Currently there are no local dues.

ARTICLE II – MEETINGS

SECTION 1: There shall be a regular meeting of the chapter each month, and a meeting of the Board of Directors each month, unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors (“Board”), and the time and place shall be fixed by the Board. The Board shall also be authorized to call special meetings of the chapter and the board.

SECTION 2: Notice of each meeting of the chapter shall be by mail, telephone, e-mail or other communication to the last known address or telephone number of each member in good standing of the chapter at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting.

SECTION 3: Notice of special meetings of the Board shall be given to each member of the Board and each Chapter officer at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of such meeting, and shall be given by mail, telephone, e-mail or other communication.

SECTION 4: Emergency meetings of the Board may be conducted by telephone or e-mail means.

SECTION 5: For purposes of conducting business of the Board, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the officers and directors then holding office. All actions of the Board shall be by majority vote of the officers and directors present once a quorum has been established.

SECTION 6; For purposes of conducting business of the Chapter as a whole, a quorum shall consist of no less than one-sixth (1/6) of the total professional members in good standing. All actions shall be by majority vote of the professional members in good standing who are present at any meeting at which a quorum has been established.

SECTION 7: Approval of Chapter by-laws and amendments thereto, and changes in chapter dues, shall be proposed at one meeting and voted upon at a subsequent meeting, after at least seven (7) days notice of the subsequent meeting has been given to all members in good standing of the chapter.

SECTION 8: Meetings shall be conducted by Roberts Rules of Order.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

SECTION 1: The officers of the chapter shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer and they shall perform the functions customarily associated with such titles. Each of these officers shall be elected during the May meting, take office immediately, and serve a term of two (2) years. Officers may serve consecutive terms. Immediately following the election, the secretary shall notify the national headquarters of the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the new officers elected and the date they take office. Vacancies may be filled by appointment of the president, or by vote of the chapter as a whole, as determined by the Board.

SECTION 2: At least two (2) months prior to the meeting at which the annual election is to occur, the president shall appoint a committee consisting of three members in good standing to nominate officers and directors to be voted on at the annual election. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the time of the election.

SECTION 3: The president may appoint other committees, either standing or temporary, as s(he) deems necessary.

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SECTION 1: The Chapter shall have a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for direction and planning of all the Chapter’s activities, including, but not limited to membership and attendance, planning, programs, meetings, convention representation, approving financial reports and expenditures, or authorized by the Board, cooperation with national chapter headquarters in all matters furthering the goals of the Society and the Chapter, and other activities deemed necessary by the Board or the Chapter as a whole. The Chairman shall designate persons to carry out these duties, subject to approval of the board.

SECTION 2: The board of directors shall consist of 10 members, including officers. One-half of the board members shall be elected at each May meeting to a two-year term. Board members may serve consecutive terms. Vacancies shall be filled by a vote of the board of directors as soon as practical after the position is vacated

SECTION 3: The President shall be chairman of the Board and shall preside at all Board meetings.

SECTION 4: The Board shall meet at such times and places as a majority of its members deems necessary, and in accordance with applicable rules of the national chapter. The Chairman may call a meeting upon his or her own initiative, and must cal a meeting when a majority of the board requests it.

SECTION 5: All Board meetings shall be considered open meetings at which any member in good standing and others invited to speak by the Board may participate.

SECTION 6: Any board member who misses three meetings in a calendar year without providing at least 12 hours written notice for their absence shall be considered derelict of duty and removed from office.

SECTION 7: At least one seat will be filled by a representative from each of the state’s four quadrants.

a. Quadrant I: Alfalfa, Beaver, Blaine, Canadian, Cimarron, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Harper, Kay, Kingfisher, Logan, Major, Noble, Roger Mills, Texas, Woods and Woodward counties

b. Quadrant II: Beckham, Caddo, Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, McLain, Murray, Oklahoma, Stephens, Tillman and Washita counties

c. Quadrant III: Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Lincoln, Mayes, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Rogers, Tulsa, Washington and Wagoner counties

d. Quadrant IV: Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, Love, LeFlore, Marshall, McCurtain, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Seminole and Sequoyah counties

SECTION 8: No more than four seats will be held at any one time by representatives from a single quadrant.

ARTICLE V – CONVENTION ATTENDANCE

SECTION 1: The Chapter may be represented at each national convention by the number of delegates authorized by the national chapter headquarters. Each delegate shall be elected by the Board.

ARTICLE VI – DUES

SECTION 1: The amount of local dues to be paid by each member of the chapter shall be fixed by the Board, subject to ratification by the membership. Dues shall become due and payable at the beginning of each calendar year.