APS News

APS Council Unanimously Approves New Constitution & Bylaws

The APS Council voted unanimously on Saturday, November 15, to ratify the new Constitution & Bylaws as part of the Society's corporate reform efforts.

November 18, 2014

This followed the recent vote by the membership to approve the new governing documents.

The new Constitution & Bylaws document creates a Chief Executive Officer position to directly oversee all day-to-day operations of the Society in place of the current triumvirate. The amended Articles of Incorporation and the new Constitution & Bylaws will bring APS into compliance with Washington, D.C. statutes governing nonprofit corporations.

The recently adopted documents will change the roles of the existing Council and Executive Board. The Council will become the Council of Representatives, chaired by a speaker, and would be responsible for all matters of science and membership, including science policy, prizes and awards, units, and meetings. The Executive Board will become a Board of Directors made up of the presidential line, the treasurer, and nine council members including the speaker of the Council. It will be in charge of all matters of governance and finance.

The new rules take effect on Monday, November 17, and the Board meeting a week later will be the first convened under them. At the inaugural meetings of the newly formed Board of Directors and Council of Representatives, the Board will make several appointments, such as choosing an interim treasurer. Steps will be taken to begin the CEO search process and adopt the Society's updated policies and procedures documents, which are manuals for how APS will operate in practice.

Related Information

Gray arrow APS Governance Changes Webpage