ACC E-Note #73: Constitution and By-Laws Amendments

Friends,

I am writing to you in my capacity as ACC Vice President of Internal Administration. As we turn our energies and attention to our upcoming plenary sessions in San Francisco, we will be discussing and voting on the first of two sets of proposed Constitutional and By-Laws amendments.

First, I want to draw attention and deep appreciation to the outstanding work done by our founders and previous administrations in creating and amending these documents to date. They accomplished this with mastery and care; as I reviewed our Articles of Incorporation through this process, I was impressed and delighted to see that they continue to articulate the general purpose of this organization, remaining as true today as they were more than 50 years ago. Our Constitution and By-Laws have continued to grow with us over time. Our Conference is here functioning today in great measure due to the care and attentiveness which our founders and past leadership gave to actualizing the inception of this Conference.

Today, as our organization continues to evolve, so do our governance and organizational needs. The proposed amendments recommended are not made lightly. It is with the understanding that we must continue to be thoughtful and forward-thinking in how we amend this document, so that it will be able to grow and support the organization into its next 50 years.

The attached document of proposed Constitutional and By-Law revisions and amendments is the result of this hard work and deliberation. 

In terms of this process, there will be 2 stages of amendments, enabling all of us to thoughtfully and patiently consider each matter. Constitutional amendments, and By-Law amendments regarding election procedures and dues are being presented this year; the remainder of any amendments to the By-Laws will be presented at next year's plenary. In addition, we hope that this work will forge an ongoing dialogue on these constitutional matters, expanding our conversations beyond our plenary sessions.

In the attached document, you will find two 'categories' of amendments. The first (with a yellow background) are 'clean-ups'-fixing grammatical issues (possibly just memorialized typos), clarification of terms, and bringing the document into alignment with current processes. The second are more substantive, proposing innovative changes in processes to reflect the growth of the Conference, and/or bringing greater transparency to our processes.

On behalf of the officers and board, we are looking forward to seeing you in just a few weeks in San Francisco, to stimulating and challenging work together, and to great music, learning and friendship!

Kol tuv,
Susan Caro