Bylaws – IEEE Region 2 (Updated on Nov 2024)  

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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 based on personal characteristics or identity. IEEE prohibits discrimination as stated in IEEE policy 9.27.

The Secretary of the Region shall have custody and be responsible for maintaining these Bylaws in concert with the Governance Committee.

2          Name

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

3          Territory

The geographic territory of this organization shall be the one designated as Region 2 by the IEEE. Its territorial area includes all of the States of Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia, most of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the Southern portion of the State of New Jersey and the Northern portion of the State of Virginia. For details, see table in section 3.3.

The Region shall be sub-divided into four Areas, namely Buckeye, Chesapeake, Greater Delaware Valley, and Mid-Appalachian. The Areas will contain the following Sections:

The Areas will contain the following Sections:

Additions or changes to the boundaries of the Region or to the Sections therein resulting from actions of the Board of Directors of the IEEE shall similarly modify the territory of the Region and the assignment of Sections to the Areas. Any necessary temporary assignment of Sections to Areas shall be made by the Regional Director and submitted for approval by a majority vote at the next regular Region Committee meeting.

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

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

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

4.2       Voting Members Appointed by the Region 2 Director

·        Area Chairs (4)

• Chair, Membership Development Committee
• Chair, Young Professionals Committee
• 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, Women in Engineering Committee
• Chair, Industry Engagement Committee
• Chair, Training Committee
• Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
• Chair, Public Visibility Committee
• Chair, History Committee
• Regional Student Representative
• Chair, Section/Chapter Coordination Committee
• Chair, Governance Committee
• Coordinators and 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
• Director-Elect
• Immediate Past Director
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Chair, Professional Activities Committee
• Chair, Student Activities Committee
• Area Chairs (4)

5          Appointment and Tenure of Committee and Coordinators

Individuals appointed by the Region 2 Director to chair the Region Committees or serve as Coordinators, 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 Chair of the Region 2 Strategic Planning Committee, serving 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

Chairs of all Standing Committees, except the Nominations and Appointment and Strategic Planning Committees, shall be appointed by the Region 2 Director.

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 subject to confirmation by the Region 2 Committee. 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.

5.3       Chair of Nominations and Appointments Committee

The Chair of the Nominations and Appointment Committee shall be the most recent Past Director available to serve.

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 normally 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 Director, an alternate Section Representative approved by a Section’s Executive Committee may vote in place of that section’s chair.

With prior notification to the Region Director, a Section ExCom may identify an alternate Section Representative to vote in place of that section’s chair. In the absence of a section’s chair or approved representative being identified, the Region Director may declare a qualified voting member from that section to represent that Section on the Region 2 Committee for that meeting.

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: Awards and Recognition, Educational Activities, Governance, History, Industry Engagement, Membership Development, Nominations and Appointments, Professional Activities, Public Visibility, Section/Chapter Coordination, Strategic Planning, Student Activities, Training, Women in Engineering, and Young Professionals.

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

All standing committees, except the Nominations and Appointments 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-301.12.6).

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.