Bylaws – IEEE Region 2

 

1          Preface

These bylaws are to govern Region 2 of the IEEE.  They augment the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, Policies, and Operations’ Manuals, which shall take precedence in the event of conflict (Reference: IEEE Bylaws and IEEE Policies and Operation Manuals).

The Region 2 Director/Delegate serves as a Director on the IEEE Board of Directors, the Member and Geographic Activities Board, and the IEEE-USA Board of Directors.  The Director also serves as a Delegate on the IEEE Assembly and as Chair of the Region 2 Committee.

For convenience, the office of Director/Delegate/Chair will frequently be referred to in these Bylaws as “Director”, and the office of Director-Elect/Delegate-Elect/Vice-Chair as “Director-Elect”.

The election procedures for the position of Region Director-Elect are prescribed by IEEE Bylaws and the election process as implemented by the IEEE.

Nothing in these bylaws shall be construed to limit any person on the basis of personal characteristics or identity. IEEE prohibits discrimination as stated in IEEE policy 9.26.

The Secretary of the Region shall have custody and be responsible for maintaining these Bylaws in concert with the Bylaws Committee, when the Region Director has established this ad hoc committee.

2          Name

The name of the organization is Region 2 of the IEEE and is referred to as Region 2.

3          Territory

The boundaries of the Region shall comprise the IEEE Eastern USA, and further shall be divided into four Areas designated as South, West, Central, and East.  The Sections in Region 2 are assigned to the Areas as follows:

South: Washington, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia

West: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lima, and Youngstown

Central: Central Pennsylvania, Erie, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Susquehanna

East: Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, Lehigh Valley, and Delaware Bay

4          Management

The affairs of Region 2 shall be managed by the Region 2 Committee, consisting of voting members designated by the MGA Operations Manual, as well as voting and non-voting members appointed by the Region Chair. A member may hold more than one voting office but shall have only one vote. The Region 2 Executive Committee (ExCom) shall have all the functions and duties of the Region 2 Committee between meetings, and those designated by other provisions in these Bylaws, except those that may be reserved exclusively to the Region 2 Committee.  Actions of the ExCom shall be presented to the Region 2 Committee for ratification at its next meeting.  The Region 2 Committee may, by majority vote of members present at any meeting, overrule any act or decision of the Region 2 ExCom.

 

4.1       Voting Members Designated by the MGA Operations Manual

  • Director as Chair
  • Director-Elect as Vice Chair
  • Immediate Past Director
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Chair, Professional Activities Coordinator for Engineers (PACE)/Coordinator, Regional Professional Activities
  • Chair, Region Student Activities Committee
  • Region 2 Section Chairs

The Chair may vote in order to break a tie. Additionally, the Chair will participate in all secret balloting but the vote shall be segregated and only used in order to break a tie.

4.2       Voting Members Appointed by the Region 2 Director

  • Area Chairs (4)
  • Chair, Membership Development Committee
  • Regional Young Professionals Coordinator
  • Chair, Awards and Recognition Committee

Note:  The number of voting members appointed by the Director shall not exceed one-fourth of the number in 4.1 above, rounded up to the next whole number.

 

4.3       Nonvoting Members Appointed by the Region 2 Director

  • Chair, Educational Activities Committee
  • Chair, Nominations and Appointments Committee
  • Chair, Industry Relations Committee
  • Electronic Communications Coordinator
  • Regional Student Representative
  • Chair, Audit Committee
  • Chair, Chapter Coordination Committee
  • Women in Engineering Coordinator
  • Career Enhancement Activities
  • Continuing and Professional Activities
  • Employment Assistance
  • Chair, K-12/STEM Committee
  • Remaining ad hoc committee Chairs
  • Others assisting in the administration of the Region

4.4       Executive Committee

Between meetings of the Region 2 Committee, the management of Region 2 will be entrusted to the Region 2 Executive Committee consisting of the following voting members:

  • Director as Chair
  • Vice Chair/Director-Elect
  • Immediate Past Director
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Chair, Professional Activities
  • Chair, Student Activities Committee
  • Area Chairs

5          Appointment and Tenure of Committee Chairmen

Individuals appointed by the Region 2 Director to chair the Region Committees shall be confirmed by two-thirds of all votes cast by the Region 2 Committee at a properly constituted meeting.

Upon succeeding to office, or in case of a vacancy, the Region 2 Director may appoint members for an interim period until the next regular meeting of the Region 2 Committee, at which time they must be formally confirmed.  All other appointments by the Region 2 Director terminate at their discretion or term of office.

5.1       Elected Members of Region 2 Committee

The Director-Elect shall be elected from a slate of no fewer than two or more than three nominees in even-numbered years and shall assume office on the following January 1.  The Director-Elect is also the Vice Chair of the Region 2 Committee and serves a two-year term.  The Director-Elect automatically becomes the Director at the end of this term and serves a two-year term as Director.

The nominees for Director-Elect can be from any section other than the section of the current Director-Elect.  The IEEE petition process shall apply.

The Section Chairs are elected in accordance with and serve terms specified in the MGA Operations Manual.

5.2       Appointed Members of Region 2 Committee

The Chair of the Student Activities Committee and the Regional Student Representative shall be appointed by the Director for a term of two years.

All Area Chairs, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall be appointed by the Director.  Chairs of all the Standing Committees, except the Student Activities Committee, shall be appointed on a year-by-year basis subject to confirmation by the Region 2 Committee.  Chairs of all Standing Committees, except the Nominations and Appointment Committee, shall be appointed by the Region 2 Director.

5.3       Chair of Nominations and Appointments Committee

The Chair of the Nominations and Appointment Committee shall be the Immediate Past Director.

6          Meetings

The Director shall chair all meetings of the Region 2 Committee and the Region 2 Executive Committee.  In the absence of the Director, the Vice Chair shall serve as Chair.  In the absence of both, the committees shall elect someone from within their ranks to chair the meeting.

Meetings of the Region 2 Committee and the Region 2 Executive Committee should be conducted within the Region.

6.1       Region 2 Executive Committee

The Region 2 Executive Committee will meet at the discretion of the Region 2 Director or by a petition signed by five (5) of its voting members.

6.2       Region 2 Committee

The Region 2 Committee shall meet at least once a year.

7          Quorum

At least one-half of the sections in the Region must be represented at Region 2 Committee meetings to constitute a quorum.  With prior notification to the Region Chair, an alternate Section Representative approved by a section’s Executive Committee may vote in place of that section’s chair.  In the absence of a section’s chair or approved representative, the Director may declare a voting member of the Region 2 Executive Committee from that section to represent that Section.

Six (6) voting members of the Region 2 Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for a Region 2 Executive Committee meeting.

8          Region 2 Committees

Committees within the Region shall consist of standing committees and ad hoc  committees as necessary to conduct the Region’s business.  The standing committees are:  Professional Activities, Membership Development, Continuing and Professional Education, K-12.STEM, Student Activities, Nominations and Appointments, Awards and Recognition, Audit, Industry Relations, Employment Assistance, Young Professionals, Member Development, Educational Activities, and Career Enhancement Activities.

Unless reinstated by the incoming Director, all ad hoc committees expire with the term of the outgoing Director.

All standing committees, but the Nominations and Appointments Committee, meet at the discretion of the Region 2 Director and the chairs of the respective committees.

All ad hoc committees, but the Audit Committee, meet at the discretion of the Region 2 Director and the chairs of the respective committees.

9          Finances

Region 2 funds shall be deposited and expended under the direction of the Region Committee and the Region Director. Region funds shall be deposited in an account in the bank specified by the IEEE Board of Directors. Withdrawals shall require the signature of the Director, Director-Elect, or Treasurer.

For payments/charges over $10,000, either two signatures shall be required or a written concurrence by one of the other two designated signers shall be required, this concurrence can be via email.

All expenditures shall be in accordance with the current annual budget approved by the Region Committee unless deviations are specifically authorized by a vote of the Region Committee.

10        Vacancies of Elected Offices

Vacancies may occur by reason of death, resignation, move from the Region, or removal from office as provided by the IEEE Bylaws, by explicit evidence of incapacity as determined by the IEEE Board of Directors, or by vacating the office of Director-Elect to fill a vacancy in the office of Director (i.e., by succession).

10.1     Region Director/Delegate/Region Committee Chair

Should the vacancy occur during the Director’s term, the Regional Director-Elect shall automatically succeed to the vacant position in all respects and, upon completion of that unexpired term of office, succeed to the office to which elected (IEEE Bylaw I-301.10.6).

10.2     Director-Elect/Delegate-Elect/Region Committee Vice Chair

If this office is vacated by succession to Director (as in 10.1 above) or by inability to serve, the Region Committee shall submit nominees for the office to be determined in either a special election called promptly as specified in the IEEE Bylaws, or in the regular general elections held in the year the vacancy occurs.  In any event, the rules of rotation applying to the now vacant office shall be maintained and the nominee selected shall assume office in all respects upon certification of the election’s results.

11        Amendments

The Region 2 Committee may amend these Region 2 Bylaws by a two-thirds majority of all votes cast at a Region 2 Committee meeting at which a quorum is present.  Proposed changes and reasons for them shall be mailed to all voting members of the Region 2 Committee at least 20 days prior to the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.  These bylaws may also be amended by mail ballot provided approval votes are received from two-thirds of the body constituting a quorum of the Region Committee.  Adoption of new Bylaws shall be in accordance with the provisions for amending.