Last year, the Governance Committee updated the NYCMER Bylaws. At the April 7, 2020 Board Meeting, the final iteration of the updated Bylaws was passed, and thereby enacted, by unanimous vote.

Major goals of the revision process included succession planning, reviewing and updating the election process, and inclusivity. Some highlights from each category include:

Succession-Planning

• Increased Trustee-at-Large terms from one-year to two-year commitments with half of the Trustees elected in even calendar years, and half elected in odd calendar years.
• Formalized years in which titled positions are elected, and staggering them to reduce high turnover on any given year.

Election Processes

• Updated language to reflect current elections procedures (e.g., changing snail-mail verbiage to digital distribution).
• Updated candidate requirements and supplemental materials, including position-specific questionnaires.
• Clarified the election timeline.
• Allowed candidates wishing to run for both titled and Trustee-at-Large positions the opportunity to do so.
• Added process for transparency for the Board selecting appointed trustee positions.

Inclusivity

• Use non-gendered pronouns throughout the Bylaws.
• Updated Board representation policies to better account for institutions of all sizes and freelancers.
• Included Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Clauses.

We welcome any questions about the new Bylaws or the process to update them. Reach out at governance@nycmer.org.