Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family
A. The name of this organization shall be Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family (also referred to as Groves or Groves Conference).
B. This organization shall be a not-for-profit corporation, located in and governed by the statutes and regulations of the State of Connecticut.
A. The mission of this organization shall be to continue the model of professional exchange and interaction established by its founder, Ernest W. Groves, through timely and provocative discussions with diverse and flexible foci, in a manner that allows for the exploration of issues in depth as well as free exchange of ideas, information, and experience among scholars and other professionals from the various disciplines concerned with the family.
B. The objective of the organization shall be to work on the leading edges of theory development and empirical research in the field.
A. Categories
1. Regular members of Groves include full members and associate members. Regular members must pay annual dues to retain membership.
2. Honorary members of Groves include lifetime members and Groves Academy members. Honorary members retain dues-free membership for life.
B. Selection criteria
1. Full members are established professionals from any field who are influential in determining the future of scholarly, professional, and public policy developments in the field of marriage and family.
2. Associate members are professionals in the early stages of their careers who have the potential to become full members in the future.
3. Lifetime members are Groves members who have made notable contributions to the Groves Conference.
4. Groves Academy members are members of Groves Conference who have been selected in recognition of the extraordinary quality of their scholarly work in the field of marriage and family.
C. Selection procedures
1. The number of members shall not exceed 400, counting all categories of members.
2. Prospective regular members must be nominated by a current member of Groves. The membership chair shall act on behalf of the Board of Directors to make a decision about membership of those nominated.
3. Selection of lifetime members shall be made from the membership of Groves Conference. Election shall be made by the Board of Directors. No more than one person is to be selected as a lifetime member during one 3-year presidential term of office.
4. Selection of Groves Academy members shall be made from the membership of Groves Conference. Election shall be made by the entire membership of the Academy. If there are fewer than four members of the Academy at any given time, the current and past presidents of Groves (in reverse order of date of service up to a total electorate of four members) shall make the selection. No more than one person is to be selected as an Academy member during one 3-year presidential term of office.
D. Membership status
1. Members who are delinquent in payment of dues for over one year shall be dropped from membership.
2. A former Groves member can be reinstated at any time by paying dues in accordance with the policy established by the Board of Directors.
IV. Officers and Board of Directors
A. Composition
1. Elected members of the Board of Directors shall be a president, a president-elect (for one year before term as president), the immediate past president (for one year following term as president), a secretary, a membership chair, and three at-large members.
2. Other members of the board shall be a treasurer, an awards chair, two conference chairs (one for the previous or current conference and one for the next conference), and a corporate representative.
3. All members of the board, whether elected or appointed, shall serve as voting members.
B. Selection and terms of office
1. The president will appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of a chair and at least two other members. Members of the Nominating Committee shall be announced at the annual general business meeting. Nominations for elected officers shall be sought by the Nominating Committee from the full membership. The Nominating Committee shall submit a proposed slate of officers, consisting of at least two candidates for each available office, to the Board of Directors. Upon approval by the Board of Directors, the proposed slate of officers will be submitted to the full membership for election.
2. The president-elect shall be elected by the voting membership to a 1-year term immediately preceding a 3-year term as president. The retiring president shall serve 1 additional year on the board as immediate past president.
3. The secretary, membership chair, and three at-large members of the board shall be elected by the voting membership for 3-year terms.
4. The terms of the president, secretary, and membership chair shall be staggered so that each year a new term begins for one of these officers. The terms of the three at-large members also shall be staggered so one new at-large member of the board begins each year.
5. A treasurer shall be selected by the Board of Directors on an annual basis.
6. A corporate representative shall be selected by the Board of Directors for an indeterminate term. The corporate representative must be a resident of the state of Connecticut.
7. The chair of the Awards Committee shall be appointed by the president for a 3-year term (coinciding with the term of the president).
8. The conference chair(s) shall be selected by the Board of Directors no later than the year before the chaired conference. The conference chair shall serve on the board during the year before the chaired conference and the year immediately following the chaired conference. (Planning responsibilities may begin earlier.) If conference co-chairs are selected, only one conference chair shall serve as a voting member of the board.
9. The regular election of officers and board members shall be concluded by the end of October each year. The term of office will begin at the end of the next annual conference.
10. Nominees for all offices must be full members in good standing of Groves at the time of the election.
C. Board member replacements
1. Any board member who misses two consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors shall be replaced. In the case of extenuating circumstances, an exception can be made if (a) the board member has been active in carrying out board responsibilities in other ways, (b) the board member provides a written explanation of absence from board meetings and requests retention on the board, and (c) the request is approved by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors.
2. If the president vacates that office before the completion of the 3-year term, the immediate past president shall assume the office of president until a new president can be elected. An election shall be held as soon as possible to elect a new president to complete the unexpired term.
3. If an elected member of the Board of Directors other than the president vacates a position before the completion of the term to which that member was elected, at the next regular election the position shall be filled by election of a replacement for the remainder of the unexpired term. The president may, with the approval of the Board of Directors, appoint another person (who may or may not already be a member of the Board of Directors) to carry out the responsibilities of the position during the interim period (until the next regular election).
4. If more than one position on the Board of Directors is vacated within a given year (other than by expiration of the term of office), the Board of Directors may develop a plan whereby replacements are elected for terms other than 3 years in length in order to maintain a system of board continuity through staggered terms. Approval of such a plan requires an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership of the Board of Directors.
A. There shall be at least one general business meeting of the membership each year.
B. The business meeting shall be scheduled by the conference chair to occur during the annual conference.
VI. Amendments
A. Proposed amendments to these bylaws must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
B. After approval by the Board of Directors, proposed amendments must be presented to the Groves membership with a mailed ballot. Final approval requires assent by a majority of votes received.
A. Standard parliamentary procedures shall be followed for all meetings of the membership and the Board of Directors to ensure adequate notice and fair opportunity for debate.
B. For matters not covered by these bylaws, the most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall be followed.
1999