Bylaws

Updates coming soon!

ARTICLE VII – Elected Officials

Section 1.Officers

The officers of the Association shall be President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Nominating Chairperson, Nominating Chair-elect, Continuing Education Chairperson, and the Chairperson-elect of Continuing Education. The dates of the terms of office shall correspond with those of the Pennsylvania Dietetic Association (PADA).

The duties of all elected official shall be consistent with the Bylaws and the Policy and Procedure Manual of this Association.

President-elect (1-year position) serves for two years, beginning as President-elect in the first year, assuming the office of President in the second year. The President-elect serves as a voting member of the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

• Performs the functions of the office of President in the absence or disability of the President.
• Coordinates publication and serve as editor of the Association’s Newsletter.
• Summarizes results of the Membership survey to use as a guide in planning for the presidential year.
• Develops goals/objectives for the presidential year, after consultation with elected and appointed members.
• Performs other duties as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

President (1-year position)

• Serve as the chief executive officer of the Association and chair of the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.
• Make appointments, as specified in Article IX. Section 4, to fill vacancies that develop.
• Appoint ad hoc committees as necessary to accomplish Association objectives.
• Serve as an ex-officio member, without a vote, on all other committees, except the Nominating committee and as otherwise specified in these Bylaws.
• Have general powers of supervision and active management usually vested in the office of President consistent with the Bylaws and policies.

Immediate Past President (1-year position)

• Serve as the Chair of Bylaws and Policy and Procedure.
• Serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors, without vote and report on committee’s activities at scheduled BOD meetings.
• Serve as an advisory member, without vote, of the Nominating Committee.
• Serve as an ex-officio member, without vote, of the Executive Committee.

Secretary (2-year position) serves as a voting member of the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

• Is responsible for the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and for disseminating these minutes to appropriate personnel.
• Coordinates the typing, printing, and the mailing of the LVDA newsletter.
• Maintains the official files of the Association as instructed by the Executive Committee.
• Has any and all powers and duties usually vested in the office of Secretary.

Treasurer (2-year position)

• Have custody of all LVDA funds and securities, assuring that the collection and disbursement of all monies is properly handled.

• See that full and accurate financial records are kept in books belonging to the LVDA.

• Report the financial status of the Association to the Board of Directors at its meetings and to the membership through membership meetings or the newsletter.

Continuing Education Chair-elect (1-year position) serves for two years, beginning as Chair-elect in the first year, assuming the office of Chair in the second year. The Chair-elect assists the Chair, learning how the Chair:

• Is a voting member of the Board of Directors.
• Assists the Chair on the program planning committee.
• Assists the Chair in applying for CEU credits and providing CEU certificates for members.
• Assists the Chair when preparing and mailing the membership meeting materials, membership meeting evaluation forms and communications with meeting speakers.

Nominating-elect (1-year position) serves for two years, beginning as Chair-elect in the first year, assuming the office of Chair in the second year. The Chair-elect assists the Chair, learning how the Chair:

• Chairs the development of a ballot and all awards activities at the district level through coordination with the Nominating Chair-elect.
• Maintains records of persons contacted to run for office, possible future candidates, as well as copies of past ballots and voting results.
• Prepares and disseminates ballots for elections as well as ensures that the votes are tallied and submits a report of the outcome of the election to the Secretary (with exact count) and to the President and President-elect.
• Notifies all candidates of election results as well as BOD and members at large.
• Works in conjunction with LVDA’s representative on the PADA Nominating Committee to nominate individuals for state awards.

ARTICLE VIII – Appointed Officials

The President-elect will appoint interested Division Chairs. The Chair for each Committee will follow guidelines listed in the Policies and Procedures Manual.

Standing Committees

The Standing Committees shall be Executive Committee, Bylaws and Policies and Procedures Committee, Legislative Information and Public Policy Committee, Media and Public Relations Committee, Membership Committee, Nutrition Education for the Public Committee, Reimbursement Committee, Education and Research and Professional Recruitment (SPRC) Committee, Finance Committee, Newsletter Committee and Website Committee.

Executive Committee: this committee shall consist of the President as the Chairperson, the President-Elect, the Treasurer, and the Secretary. Functions of this Committee:

• Act in an advisory capacity and give counsel upon any or all financial matters affecting this Association.
• Draft a budget of expenditures for the fiscal year.
• The chairperson shall report on committee activities via BOD meetings.

Bylaws and Policies and Procedures Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson who is the immediate past-President; additional members may be appointed as needed by the Chairperson. Functions of this Committee:

• Receive, recommend and draft any changes in the Bylaws of this Association.
• Forward Bylaws changes to the LVDA BOD and the Chairperson of the State Committee for review and acceptance. Maintain a current Policy and Procedure Manual for this Association.
• The chairperson shall report on committee activities via BOD meetings.

Legislative Information and Public Policy Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Disseminate, to LVDA members, legislative and public policy information received from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND).
• Serve as a communication link between federal, state and local legislative bodies and this Association, under the direction of the Board of Directors.

• The chairperson shall attend legislative meetings and workshops as designated by the Board of Directors of LVDA and/or the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND) Legislative Chairperson.
• The chairperson shall report on committee activities via BOD meetings.

Media and Public Relations Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed.Functions of this Committee:

• Plan all Public Relations, Media, and publicity activities of this Association subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

• Plan Nutrition Month activities with the Nutrition Education for the Public Committee for the district and coordinate activities with those suggested Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND).

• The chairperson shall report on committee activities via BOD meetings.

Membership Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Review and ascertain the eligibility and status of prospective members and invite them to apply for membership in this Association.
• Maintain a current listing of active members.
• Greet and register members attending meetings and programs of the Association.
• The Chairperson shall report on committee activities at BOD meetings.

Nutrition Education for the Public Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Provide assistance to the Public Relations/Media committee in planning Nutrition Month activities.
• Shall coordinate public nutrition education activities.
• The chairperson shall report on committee activities at BOD meetings.

Reimbursement Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Serve as a liaison between this Association and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND) in developing guidelines for implementing nutrition services payment systems.

Education and Research and Professional Recruitment (SPRC) Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Shall be an association liaison to colleges and universities.

• Shall assist Nominating Committee in soliciting candidates for the LVDA Undergraduate Scholarship.

Finance Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed except President and Treasurer. Functions of this Committee:

• Conduct an audit of the finances at the end of each membership year.

Newsletter Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Shall oversee the newsletter as outlined in the Policies and Procedures Manual.

Website Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Shall oversee the website as outlined in the Policies and Procedures Manual.
• Shall communicate with the membership via email.

Career Guidance Committee: this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President-Elect. Additional members will be selected as needed. Functions of this Committee:

• Shall be an association liaison to colleges and universities.
• Shall assist Nominating Committee in soliciting candidates for the LVDA Undergraduate Scholarship (when available.)

AND Delegates

This position appears on the state ballot. The Delegates to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) House of Delegates will serve for a term of three years and may be re-elected. Delegates will take office at the time the elected officers of Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND) assume their offices.

The senior Delegate in the third year of office who received the highest number of votes in the year elected will be designated as Chair of Delegates. Since there is a rotation of delegates, there is a new delegate each year.

Functions

The Delegates will:

• Prepare and present all resolutions from the state and district associations or members for consideration by the ADA House of Delegates.
• Represent, in person, Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its members at meetings of the AND House of Delegates.
• Establish and maintain communication with the state BOD and the state membership.

(Not a LVDA board member but represents LVDA on a state committee.)

LVDA Representative on the PAND Nominating (and Awards/Scholarships) Committee. This position appears every two years on the state ballot. Functions of this Committee:

The Nominating Committee will:

• Annually designate candidates for offices as outlined in Article IX of these Bylaws.
• Submit an official slate of officer candidates agreed upon by committee members.
• Coordinate and oversee the awards process.
• More information:

Basically, the nominating committee member is responsible for recruiting dietitians from their district to apply for the affiliate awards. They also have to recruit dietitians to run for the open positions on the ballot.

The nominating committee will have a phone meeting, as needed. We are not able to meet physically because each member is from a different part of the state, easier to have a phone meeting. Communication among committee members is mainly via email.

Appointed Committees

• Appointed Committees and ad hoc Committees are charged with specific duties or functions and may change according to Association needs.

• Other Special Interest Groups

1. Special Interest groups may be formed at the district level and may receive financial support. These groups will report on their activities to the Board of Directors.