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National Society of Black Engineers
Boston Professionals Chapter Constitution
Ratified June 13th, 2013
Preface
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Boston Professionals Chapter Constitution serves as the governing document for the chapter, and it defines the chapter’s structure. This constitution is intended to accompany, and be consistent with, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Constitution and By-Laws and Regional and National Alumni Operating Guidelines.
Article I – Name
The name of this organization is the National Society of Black Engineers Boston Professionals, hereafter referred to as NSBE Boston Professionals; a Professionals chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, a student-based and student managed non-profit organization.
Article II – Mission and Focus
Section 1. The mission of NSBE Boston Professionals is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.
Section 2. The focus of NSBE Boston Professionals are government and civilian employees in the New England area. Activities shall be conducted to:
Encourage and enhance the technical, professional, and personal quality of Black civil service, contractor, and entrepreneurial science/engineering professionals, co-ops, and interns involved in the surrounding area:
Article III – Membership
Section 1. Membership in NSBE Boston Professionals shall be open to all persons of high moral character who pay the appropriate dues and meet one of the following membership requirements:
Chapter Member
Chapter members are not required to be employed within the New England community; however, chapter members should understand that chapter activities will be designed with the New England working community in mind.
Section 2. The NSBE Boston Professionals Chapter Executive Board, or a duly authorized representative, shall process applications for membership.
Section 3. Lifetime members who qualify for the Alumni membership category, as defined in the NSBE constitution, shall be considered equivalent to Alumni Members in this constitution and shall not be denied any opportunities afforded to Alumni Members by these or any other Alumni governing documents.
Section 4. Individuals who are active members of a different Alumni Chapter would be able to obtain membership with the New England Professionals Chapter by paying the Chapter Dues and following the By-Laws in the New England Chapter Constitution.
Article IV – Dues
Section 1. NSBE Boston Professionals dues shall be reviewed annually by the NSBE Boston Professionals Executive Board.
Section 2. Any dues imposed by NSBE Boston Professionals shall accompany any application for membership.
Section 3. Except as otherwise noted in this constitution, changes in the amount of dues shall require a 2/3 vote of present NSBE Boston Professionals membership, and shall take effect beginning in the upcoming operational year.
Section 4. The NSBE Boston Professionals Executive Board shall retain all decision-making authority concerning the deposit, budget, and withdrawal of all NSBE Boston Professionals dues.
Section 5. Recent college graduates shall be granted 1 year of free membership to NSBE Boston Professionals. This offer shall be good for 1 year from the date of their graduation.
Section 6. The NSBE Boston Professionals dues for national Lifetime members shall be discounted by 50%.
Article V – Administration
Section 1. There shall be a Chapter Executive Board of NSBE Boston Professionals called the CEB, which shall consist of the following elected offices:
Section 2. The CEB shall determine and appoint any additional appointed offices. The CEB shall determine specific duties for any such offices.
Section 3. The CEB shall:
Section 4. All Elected officers must be NSBE Professional members and must have satisfied all local chapter membership requirements.
Section 5. Elections of Chapter Offices-Elections of chapter offices shall take place during the month of May.
The following offices shall be elected:
The CEB shall appoint a Parliamentarian who will chair the Elections Committee, and govern the proceedings of this Association in all cases by the rules contained in the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Section 6. Vacancies
Section 7. Quorum
A quorum is necessary to conduct the official business of the NSBE Boston Professionals Chapter.
A quorum shall consist of:
Section 8. Nomination and Elections
Election of officers shall be conducted annually at the general meeting in the month of May.
Article VI – Officer Duties
Section 1. The duties of the CEB offices are:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Programs Chairperson
Membership Chairperson
Article VII – Zone Structure
Section 1. NSBE Boston Professionals shall divide the CEB into the following zones:
Administrative Zone- Officers: President, Vice-President, President-Emeritus, Secretary, Treasurer, Programs Chair, Membership Chair, and Parliamentarian
Communications Zone- Officers: Secretary, {if these officers are created: Publications Chair, Public Relations Chair, and Telecommunications Chair
Finance Zone-Officers: Treasurer {and Finance Chair, if this position is created}
Programs Zone-Officers: Programs Chair, {if these officers are created: Chief Engineer, Professional Development Chair, Community Impact Chair, College Initiative Chair, and Pre-College Initiative Chair }
Membership Zone- Officers: Membership Chair, {if these officers are created: Professional Networking Chair
Article VIII – Committees
Section 1. NSBE Boston Professionals shall establish and disband committees as necessary for the conduct of NSBE Boston Professionals business.
Section 2. Committees may be established by the President or majority vote of the CEB, and may be disbanded by majority vote of the CEB; except in the case of the Elections Committee, which cannot be disbanded.
Section 3. The following are NSBE Boston Professionals standing committees and their duties:
Professional Development Committee
Pre-College and College Initiative Committee
Public Relations/ Publications Committee
Telecommunications Committee
Finance Committee
Elections Committee
Engineering Project Committees
Article IX – Delegates
Section 1. The President shall appoint, with approval of the CEB, two NSBE Boston Professionals Members to serve as delegates in regional and national business. At least one NSBE Boston Professionals Delegate must be a CEB member. A third individual may optionally be appointed as an alternate.
Section 2. Delegates shall serve for one year. In the event that a delegate resigns his or her duties, a replacement must be appointed within one week.
Section 3. Delegates are expected to attend at least one Region 1 Conference or the National Convention, and are expected to attend all Delegate business sessions at those events.
Section 4. Delegates are responsible for becoming familiar with NSBE governing documents and with Robert’s Rules of Order, as they are heavily used in NSBE regional and national business.
Article X – Meetings
Section 1. The CEB shall set a regular meeting schedule to consist of a minimum of one executive board meeting, and one General Members meeting per month. Meeting time and place should be determined by consensus, voting, or the discretion of the President or Chairperson. There shall be a minimum of two Executive Board Workshops per year to conduct officer training, set chapter goals, and evaluate progress towards those goals. Quorum shall be defined as one-third of the board, including at least two executive officers.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by either the president, two (2) of the Chapter Executive Board, or a majority of the General Members, provided that written notice is given at least three (3) business days in advance. In order to transact business at such meetings, a quorum must be present.
Section 3. Each Zone shall set their meeting schedules as deemed appropriate by that zone. Zone leaders may modify meeting times and locations as necessary. Quorum shall be defined as the Zone leader and at least one Zone member.
Section 4. NSBE Boston Professionals business meetings shall be held once per month. These meetings may also include items of general interest to the membership. Quorum shall be defined as one-third (1/3) of the board, including at least two executive officers, and at least two paid chapter members.
Section 5. Meetings shall be conducted using parliamentary procedure unless waived by the chair of the meeting.
Article XI – Conferences
Section 1. NSBE Regional and National Conferences
NSBE Boston Professionals shall conduct incentive and recruiting activities to increase chapter attendance at NSBE regional and national conferences.
Section 2. Technical Conference Support
NSBE Boston Professionals shall provide manpower at least bi-annually to at least one technical conference held in the New England area. This support shall be negotiated in a manner to help the chapter prepare to take the lead role in hosting future conferences.
Section 3. Chapter Conferences
NSBE Boston Professionals shall endeavor to conduct at least one conference every five years. This may involve hosting a NSBE Region 1 conference or may be a technical conference of the chapter’s creation.
Article XII – Removal
Section 1. A member of the CEB may be removed from office with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the CEB.
A quorum must be present, excluding the CEB member in question, to vote.
Members of the CEB can be considered for removal for the following reasons:
Section 2. Removal Procedures:
To remove the President
To remove any other CEB member:
Article XIII – Awards
Section 1. The CEB shall establish annual awards to recognize significant contributions from NSBE Boston Professionals members.
Section 2. The CEB shall establish annual awards to recognize performance above the call of duty from CEB members.
Section 3. The CEB may establish annual awards to recognize New England community members or partners who has contributed a great deal to advance the mission and focus of NSBE Boston Professionals.
Article XIV – Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by:
A two-thirds vote of the CEB, or
One-third vote of NSBE Boston Professionals members during a regularly scheduled meeting, or
Joint proposal by the NSBE Boston Professionals delegates
Section 2. Propose amendments must be submitted in a written proposal to the CEB to be reviewed at least two weeks prior to the meeting in which a vote will occur. The proposal must be clearly stated and justified.
Section 3. Ratification of any amendment to this constitution shall be contingent upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting paid members present at a regularly scheduled meeting {or on approval of the CEB provisions can be made for Absentee ballot}, provided the proposed amendment has been submitted to the NSBE Boston Professionals CEB at least sixty (60) days prior to its consideration for adoption.
Article XV – Interpretations
Section 1. All questions of interpretation of the NSBE Boston Professionals Constitution and By-Laws shall be decided by the NSBE Boston Professionals Chapter Executive Board.
Your gift helps fulfill our mission to graduate 10,000 black engineers by 2025. Learn more about the Inspire STEM Gala on our website!