ARTICLE I

Status of the organization

A. The name of the organization shall be Westchester Speech, Hearing, and Language Association (WSHLA).

B. WSHLA shall be a professional organization.

C. The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 31.

ARTICLE II

Mission of the organization

A. The mission of the Westchester Speech Hearing and Language Association (WSHLA) is to support the professional endeavors of speech-language pathologists, audiologists and other allied health professionals who reside or are employed within reside or are employed within the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City, and Fairfield County, CT. WSHLA supports its membership in upholding the educational and ethical standards of the professions as set forth by the American Speech Language Hearing Association and by the New York State Department of Education. It does so by providing networking opportunities, continuing education, and related programs and services to enhance professional growth. WSHLA keeps its members informed of legislative activities that affect service delivery and professional conduct.

B. In addition, WSHLA disseminates information to the community at large about identification, prevention, and rehabilitation of communication disorders, and the speech-language pathology and audiology services that are available within its geographic area.

ARTICLE III

Membership

A. The association’s membership year shall be January 1 through December 31. All members in good standing shall have voting rights.

B. Membership Levels

  1. Full members

    a. Full members shall be those persons in the profession of speech and language pathology and/or audiology who hold ASHA certification or are licensed or certified by the New York State Department of Education.

    b. The Executive Council may rule in cases where there is a question regarding equivalent qualifications.

  2. Associate members: Associate membership is open to any related service professionals.

  3. Clinical Fellows: Membership is open to any professionals who are currently within their clinical fellowship year

  4. Student members: Student membership is open to any person enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate college or university program.

ARTICLE IV

Dues

The annual dues of the association for all members (i.e., full members, associate members, and Clinical Fellows) shall be established by the Executive Council. Dues must be paid in full and are only valid through December 31 of each year.

Student members do not have to pay annual dues and only pay program registration fees.

Any new members who join WSHLA between July 1 – December 31 of any given year will receive full membership for that period as well as the following year.

ARTICLE V

Officers

A. Designation: The officers of this association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

B. Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association. It shall be his/her duty to preside at all regular business meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board. The president shall appoint, with the approval of the Executive Board, all committee chairpersons who shall report directly to the president. The president shall promote the interests of the organization as a member on the Board of Regional Association Presidents, meetings held in Albany, New York. The president shall fill any Executive Board vacancy by appointment until the next regular election.

  2. The Vice-President shall be the Second Executive Officer of the Association and shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. The Vice-President shall be Chairperson of Membership.

  3. The Secretary shall record minutes at the Executive Board meetings and distribute them. He/she is also responsible for the distribution of notices, letters of confirmation to guest speakers, and other necessary correspondence as instructed by the members of the Executive Board.

  4. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the organization and shall receive and disburse them on the authority of the Executive Board. He/she shall submit a quarterly financial report to be included in the minutes of the Executive Board. The Treasurer and President shall propose an annual budget for approval by the Executive Board at the first Executive meeting of each year and submit a year-end statement at the last yearly meeting.

C. Term of Office: All terms of office shall be for two years and shall begin following the election at the annual member breakfast.

ARTICLE VI

Executive Board

A. The Executive Board shall include elected officers and appointed chairpersons of standing committees.

B. Compensation: All positions are on a volunteer basis. No compensation shall be paid by WSHLA to any board member or committee member for serving on the Executive Board.

C. Reimbursement: Any board member may submit to the treasurer appropriate bills for products and/or services purchased, or expenses incurred for the Association, for full reimbursement. Original bills and /or receipts should be submitted within 30 days of said purchase(s).

ARTICLE VII

Meetings

There shall be at least three Board meetings of the association on an annual basis. The last board meeting of the fiscal year shall be open to the membership. The business of the association, including a summary report of the activities of the past year, shall be presented by the president, and a financial report shall be presented by the treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII

Quorum

A simple majority of the Board shall comprise a quorum for all Board meetings.

ARTICLE IX

Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees

A. All standing committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Executive Board. There shall be the following standing committees:

  1. Continuing Education Administrator

  2. Social Media Coordinator

B. Duties and Responsibilities of the Standing Committees:

  1. The CEU administrator will ensure that WSHLA complies with all policies and procedures of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) for attaining continuing education credits so that members are able to receive CEUs for attending WSHLA-sponsored programs.

  2. The Social Media Coordinator will provide information to the online community about WSHLA’s networking opportunities, programming, events, and services.

C. All ad hoc committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Executive Board on an as-needed basis. The following are typical ad hoc committees of the organization. Other ad hoc committees can be appointed at the discretion of the president with the approval of the Executive Board.

  1. Program Committee

  2. Nominating Committee

  3. By-laws Committee

D. Duties and Responsibilities Adhoc Committees

  1. Program Committee: A Program Committee is appointed for each program. Those appointed shall organize and plan designated events.

  2. Nominating Committee: refer to Article X.

  3. The By-Laws Committee shall review the WSHLA by-laws on a bi-annual basis and make recommendations for revisions to the board.

ARTICLE X

Election and Nomination Procedures

A. Nominating Procedures

  1. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board biannually, in September, consisting of 1-2 board members.

  2. The Nominating Committee shall email the membership a call for nominations in October.

  3. The Nominating Committee shall obtain the names of full members in good standing wishing to run for elected office. Any full member in good standing may request consideration for nomination to an elected office. All proposed nominees shall provide background information regarding their qualifications for election to office.

  4. The Nominating Committee shall inform the Executive Board of the proposed slate 30 days before the last board meeting of the fiscal year. The Nominating Committee will email the membership at large the slate of nominees and their qualifications 15 days prior to the last board meeting of the fiscal year.

B. Election Procedures

  1. The election shall be held at the annual member breakfast. All members in good standing may vote. Each member will vote at the annual breakfast. Those unable to attend the annual breakfast can vote by proxy.

  2. The Nominating Committee will count the ballots. The officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the votes cast. Membership will be notified of elected officials.

  3. Should a vacancy occur before the end of the term of office of an elected officer, the President shall appoint a member in good standing to fill the position until the next election.

ARTICLE XI

Amendments

Amendments must be proposed in writing to the Executive Board. All members shall receive a copy of the proposed amendments. Amendments shall be approved by a three-quarters majority vote at the next board meeting.

ARTICLE XII

Ratification

The By-Laws shall be ratified by a simple majority vote of the membership. Approved by the membership committee.

ADDENDUM

In the event of the dissolution of the Westchester Speech Hearing and Language Association (WSHLA), all assets will be donated to the New York State Speech Language Association (NYSHLA). Approved by the executive board on Oct 26th, 2011.

REVISED ADDENDUM

Westchester Speech Hearing and Language Association is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501( c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section on any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

The revised addendum was approved at the April 25, 2012, executive board meeting.