Article I. Name and Description

1. The name of the corporation shall be the “Oklahoma Association of Career and Employment Professionals, Inc.,” hereafter referred to as OACEP.

2. The name of the corporation shall be employed in connection with official business and activities of the corporation. The name shall not be used by individuals, corporations, or agencies – except to signify membership in the corporation – without approval of the Board of Directors of OACEP.

3. OACEP is a not-for-profit, equal opportunity corporation. The address for the corporation will be 1500 West 7 th Avenue, Stillwater, OK 74074. The mailing address will be P.O. Box 1951, Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1951, or a post office box convenient to the treasurer and/or secretar

Article II. Purpose

OACEP shall bring together professionals from throughout the state involved in job search training as either practitioners, trainers, counselors, researchers, or publishers from the education, social/human services, government, or private sectors for the purpose of:

Article III. Membership and Dues

1. Membership shall be available to all individuals committed to self-directed job search training and career developmentwilling to endorse and abide by OACEP philosophy, policies, and procedures.

2. Members may hold and vote for OACEP offices, attend OACEP meetings and annual conferences, and receive a certificate of membership and membership directory.

3. Application for membership, along with payment of dues, shall be submitted to the Treasurer. Renewable yearly memberships shall run from the current/most recent fall conference up to the subsequent fall conference with new membership dues prorated in quarterly increments.

4. Corporation membership dues shall be established by the Board of Directors subject to a majority vote of the current membership.

Article IV. Executive Officers and Board of Directors

1. The administration and operational responsibilities of OACEP shall be vested in the elected Executive Officers consisting of a President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and other Board of Directors members consisting of the Past President and an Advisor.

2. Terms of Office

a. Officers shall be elected by the state membership during the business meeting at the fall conference each year. Terms of office shall begin January 1 st of the calendar year following the adjournment of the fall conference.

b. The President shall serve for three years; one year as President-elect, one year as President, and one year as Past President. The Treasurer and Secretary shall each be elected to a two-year term. The Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected in alternate years to provide staggered terms and continuity to the Board of Directors.

c. An Advisor shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. The advisor should be a person with a broad base of knowledge from a statewide perspectiveand shall represent the interests of the membership as a whole.

d. Officers may not hold more than one office at a time.

3. Responsibilities of Officers

a. The President shall preside at all corporation meetings; chair meetings of the Board of Directors; call meetings and notify members, and recommend to the Board of Directors for approval committee chairs and successors to fill unexpired terms of officers or directors.

b. The President-elect shall have served as a program committee member and/or possess comparable leadership experience and/or event planning and coordination and after election perform all duties of the President in his/her absence or at his/her request; shall fill the unexpired term of the office of President should it become vacant; and shall chair the Program Committee and assist the President in the administration and operation of all other OACEP activities and functions.

c. The Treasurer shall maintain a record of all OACEP financial business including billing and payment of bills; shall prepare a quarterly financial statement of operations and an annual financial report (which will be presented at the first quarterly membership meeting); shall keep updated membership lists to be distributed to the members semi-annually, and shall perform any other non-conflicting duties assigned by the Board of Directors. The treasurer shall maintain a record of the receipt and disbursement of dues, pledges, donations, contributions, grants and gifts in cash or property. All OACEP monies shall be kept in a separate bank account with all checks signed by one designated member of the Board of Directors, being also previously approved by a separate board member. Upon majority vote of the membership, the Treasurer may be assisted by a paid bookkeeper.

d. The Secretary shall handle all official correspondence; shall keep official minutes of the corporation meetings and Board of Directors’ meetings, and shall submit them for distribution to the general membership after approval by the President. In addition, the Secretary shall perform any other duties assigned by the Board of Directors.

e. The advisor shall provide information to the Executive Officers regarding labor market trends and current information on job search techniques, and assist the Membership/Nominations committee with identifying and contacting groups of potential members. In addition, the advisor will not serve as a voting representative but shall perform any agreed upon duties assigned by the Board of Directors.

4. A simple majority of the Board of Directors must be present at meetings to constitute a quorum. A simple majority vote of the membership present is required to pass motions in all OACEP meetings. In case of a tie vote, the vote shall be retaken with the President abstaining.

Article V. Committees

1. Standing committees shall be organized by the President and approved by the Board of Directors. The following shall be standing committees for the specified purposes:

a. Professional Development Committee shall consist of a chair appointed by the President with at least one representative from each of the special interest groups (education, social services, government, and private practitioners). The committee shall be responsible for promoting the goals and professional development activities at each meeting, obtaining college CEU’s and attendance credits when appropriate, and disseminating information on innovative research and new legislation. The committee shall recommend to the membership the methods and activities for disbursing funds from the corporation’s activity to solicit, accept and collect dues, pledges, donations, contributions, grants and gifts.

b. Membership/Nominations Committee shall consist of a chair appointed by the President and at least one representative from each special interest group. The committee shall support and promote marketing, public relations, and increasing membership. This committee shall also seek nominations and propose a slate of a minimum of onecandidate for each office to be filled annually. This slate will be submitted to the Board of Directors prior to the first day of September for approval and for notification of the membership prior to the fall election. Nominations from the floor shall also be accepted for the election of officers.

c. Program Committee shall be composed of the President-elect as chair and other members as needed. This committee shall be responsible for planning the agenda and location of all OACEP meetings and retreats.

. 2. Other committees may be appointed by the Board of Directors as necessary.

Article VI. Meetings

1. The members of OACEP shall meet in business sessions at least once quarterly. The membership must receive formal notification of all meetings at least two weeks prior to each meeting. The President and president-elect shall set the agenda for these meetings. Members may request and vote on additional meetings or special events that would be of interest to OACEP.

2. The Board of Directors shall meet at least semi-annually to review the progress of the corporation, set annual goals, etc. Other Board meetings may be scheduled by the President as needed or upon request to the President by any Board member. All members of the Board must be notified of Board meetings at least seven days in advance of the meeting.

3. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the official rules for all meetings.

Article VII. Amendments and Dissolution

1. Any member of OACEP may propose amendments to these by-laws. Amendments or revisions shall be submitted to the Board of Directors, in writing, for consideration at least two weeks prior to the membership meeting at which the request is to be considered. A majority of the Board of Directors must approve the amendment for it to be presented to the full OACEP membership for ratification.

2. A majority vote of the members in attendance is required to ratify any amendment or revision.

3. In the event of the dissolution of the corporation, the current Board of Directors shall, after payment of outstanding bills, dispose of all the assets and properties remaining by conveying such to one or more exempt charitable, scientific, or educational corporations as described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Code, in the following order of priority:

a. to a successor corporation to this corporation, if any; or

b. to one or more corporations with similar charitable, scientific, or educational purposes to this corporation’s as determined by majority vote of the Board of Directors, subject to a majority vote of the current membership; or

c. to one or more exempt corporations, as determined by majority vote of the Board of Directors, subject to a majority vote of the current membership.

 

APPROVED AND RATIFIED this Ninth day of November, 2006, by the undersigned officers of the Board of the OKLAHOMA ASSOCIATION OF CAREER AND EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS, INC.