In a few days, all AIHA members will be invited to vote online for two new amendments to the association’s bylaws, as proposed by the AIHA Board of Directors. AIHA’s bylaws are frequently reviewed by the Board to ensure that they reflect best practices and meet the needs of its members.

The two amendments that are up for voting this time around propose:

• transitioning the Local Sections Council (LSC) to the Local Sections Advisory Group (LSAG)
• changing the Board election process to “single-slate” for Board officers

One of the goals of these proposed amendments is to make the association more inclusive and its leadership more diverse. The proposed LSAG, while smaller and nimbler than the current LSC, will continue to have members elected by local section officers. The amendment also allows for the inclusion of student representatives who are currently not part of the LSC. The LSAG will act as a direct voice to the Board for local section and student local section concerns. It’s significant to note that including students was supported by all AIHA members who provided feedback during the 30-day period, even those who were not in favor of the proposed bylaws.

As AIHA’s President Kathy Murphy pointed out in the August Synergist, the change to the election of AIHA officers to a single-candidate slate, which is becoming the norm among associations, helps ensure a diversity of skills and professional experience on the Board. Inclusion and diversity are vital for any governing body, and the proposed amendment facilitates the selection of officers with the strongest mix of required skills and abilities, which in turn aligns with our current strategic priorities.

The proposed amendments are the result of many months of facilitated discussions by members, local section leadership, Board members, and AIHA's senior leadership team, resulting in an extensive strategic planning process to determine the best path forward for the association.

The online voting will open on September 16, 2019, via a third-party provider, and will close on October 11 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). AIHA members will receive more detailed information via email, including a unique link and password assigned to them, prior to the launch of the voting portal. To take effect, bylaws amendments must be approved by two-thirds of AIHA’s voting members.

If you want to find out more about the rationale behind these amendments, I encourage you to read the Board's response to members' concerns about the proposed amendments (PDF), where the Board addresses some of the common issues expressed during the thirty-day comment period. You can also view the tracked changes of the proposed bylaw amendments (PDF).

I also want to take this opportunity to encourage you to take advantage of your member benefit and participate in the voting process. An association’s success depends a great deal on you, the member, to be fully informed of the issues at hand and to actively participate in decision-making and elections.