Constitution and Bylaws of the WTPF

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the WTPF: The Business Forum for HR Professionals.

Article II - Purpose

1. To provide a medium for cooperation among those engaged in Human Resources in technology-based organizations throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
2. To promote the exchange of ideas and practices, the examination of common problems and the development of mutual assistance among members and organizations.
3. To foster and advance the professional development of individuals engaged in Human Resources disciplines.
4. To promote ethical philosophy and practices in the Human Resources field and to emphasize non-discriminatory practices relating to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, age, national origin, disabled or veteran status.

Article III - Membership

Section 1 - Membership in WTPF is open to agencies, organizations or corporate entities engaged in professional services, technical sales, or research and development in the commercial, non-profit, or government sectors. Corporate entity is defined as an organization of such size as to warrant the inclusion of a Human Resources Department as a defined and recognizable organizational component. The three types of membership are designated below:

(a) Member Organization- A Federal or State agency, company, corporate entity, organization or association. All individuals related to the company's human resource function are eligible for membership.

(b) Independent Consultant Member- is an individual who consults in the human resources field and has a valid tax ID. Independent Consultant firms with three or more employees pay dues at the Corporate membership level.

(c) Associate Member - Associate membership is offered by the Board of Directors for special cases only. Some of the types are: (1) An individual member recently employed in a full-time Human Resources position with a WTPF member company, (2) A recognized leader or expert in a specific Human Resources field, (3) Registered, full-time students with a major concentration in the Human Resources field.

Section 2 - Members who become unemployed may continue to attend meetings of the Association for the duration of the WTPF fiscal year (January 1 through December 31) following the date of their unemployment, for purposes of continued visibility and job search. Unemployed individuals who join a non-qualifying firm may not continue their membership, effective the date of new employment.

Section 3 - Applications for membership shall be submitted to and screened by the WTPF management association, who shall recommend to the WTPF Board of Directors the acceptance or denial of the applicant. The Vice President for Membership in coordination with the WTPF management association will annually review member firms and ascertain their continued qualifying status. Qualifying firms are defined in Article III, Section 1.

Section 4 - Code of Conduct: No individual may use the privilege of membership for personal or company gain or profit. This includes the use of the dinner meetings, seminars, or the WTPF Member listing for purposes of solicitation materials, information or the sale of products or services unless at the individual request of another member or with the written approval from the WTPF Board of Directors. Members may be suspended or expelled from WTPF for good reason after a hearing by the Board of Directors.

Article IV - Officers

Section 1 The officers of WTPF shall be a President, President-Elect, Past President-Active (non-voting position, retained for one year), Vice President for Membership, Vice President for Programs and Professional Development, Assistant Vice President for Programs and Professional Development (may be up to 2 positions), Vice President for Promotions and Communications, Vice President for Surveys, Vice President for Professional & Community Outreach, Vice President for Technology, and Treasurer. The term of office for these officers shall be for one year (January 1 through December 31). They shall be elected at the annual meeting and shall hold office until their successors are elected and will comprise the Executive Board. All Board officers participate in the development of an annual budget and are expected to actively participate in the functions and activities of the Forum.

Section 2 The President shall (a) preside at all meetings (b) have general supervision of the affairs of the Forum (c) in case of absence, identify a Board member to exercise all of the President's functions during that period (d) oversee disbursements of funds or monies belonging to WTPF and (e) perform all other such duties incident to the office.

Section 3 The President-Elect shall (a) assist the President with special projects, (b) assist the VP Programs and Professional Development in planning events throughout the year, and (c) be the potential successor to the position of President for the following year

Section 4 The Vice President for Technology shall (a) make recommendations to create, develop and maintain a state-of-the-art web site (b) oversee the creation of a WTPF website (c) approve general information for web site publication (d) ensure the technology selected is reliable, maintainable and user friendly.

Section 5 The Vice President for Programs and Professional Development shall (a) recommend the programs, seminars, workshops, and presentations for general monthly meetings, professional development activities, and special events, including the selection of subjects and speakers (b) coordinate an active speakers resource list (c) act as liaison with potential speakers (d) survey the membership to determine topics of interest for future speakers.

Section 6 The Assistant Vice President for Programs and Professional Development will (a) assist the Vice President, Programs in recommending and arranging for speakers and presentations for the programs, seminars, workshops, and presentations for general monthly meetings, professional development activities, and special events. (b) Serve in the absence of the Vice President, Programs and Professional Development, and (c) be the potential successor for the position of Vice President, Programs and Professional Development.

Section 7 The Vice President for Promotions and Communications shall (a) ensure dissemination of information about WTPF programs, and other newsworthy/publicity related items, (b) oversee liaison with local and national newspapers and publications, (c) develop newsworthy articles, press releases, and publicity related to WTPF

Section 8 The Vice President for Surveys shall (a) monitor the competitive quality of the WTPF surveys (b) recommend changes to the scope and depth of the annual surveys (c) annually review and recommend costs for surveys (d) oversee the production (including the layout, scheduling, etc.) of the annual compensation and benefits surveys (d) monitor the usefulness of an executive compensation survey.

Section 9 The Treasurer shall (a) have oversight responsibility for all funds and monies of WTPF, (b) ensure regular books or reports of accounts are accurate and maintained, (c) approve all disbursement of funds or monies belonging to the Forum and (d) call for budget items from each VP and report activities.

Section 10 The Vice President for Professional & Community Outreach shall (a) serve as the WTPF liaison on Washington, DC professional association activities (b) recommend community associations, schools, colleges or universities for WTPF to align with (c) recommend programs for development and implementation to serve community needs (d) serve as a liaison for WTPF on community relations and activities.

Section 11 The Vice President for Membership shall (a) ensure an up-to-date membership roster (b) identify and recommend potential members and organizations (c) foster and oversee membership campaigns to expand the existing membership and (d) recommend and approve general information to potential members.

Section 12 Directors-at-Large shall chair committees and assist officers in various functions and handle special projects as required.

Article V - Elections

Section 1 The Executive Board as outlined in Article VIII shall appoint a Nominating Committee.

Section 2 Nominations for elected positions will be presented or disseminated to the membership 30 days prior to the election of the Board.

Section 3 At the annual business meeting, the candidates nominated shall be voted upon by the members for the offices of President, President-Elect, Vice President for Membership, Vice President for Programs and Professional Development, Assistant Vice President for Programs and Professional Development, Vice President for Promotions and Communications, Vice President for Surveys, Vice President for Professional & Community Outreach, Vice President for Technology, and Treasurer.

Section 4 The officers shall be eligible for re-election, but at no time shall hold the same office for more than two successive terms.

Section 5 If any office becomes vacant, the Executive Board shall appoint individual(s) to fill the remainder of the term.

Article VI - Dues

Section 1 The Executive Board shall annually review the fiscal condition of the WTPF. Based upon that review, dues for Corporate members, Independent consultant members, and Associate Memberships will be established and announced to the membership by December 1 of each year. The Board shall endeavor to retain two times the annual budget as a reserve

 

Article VII - Meetings

Section 1 Meetings will be held throughout the year as determined by the board of directors.

Section 2 Meetings will normally be held on the first Wednesday of the month but may be held at other times if so determined by the President.

 

Article VIII - Committees

Section 1 - The Executive Board will be comprised of all WTPF officers. The President shall call meetings of the Executive Board.

Section 2 - The Executive Board will select standing committees each year, as required, based on the organization's needs.

Article IX - Amendments

Proposed amendments to the WTPF Bylaws will be sent out at least 30 days prior to the meeting and will require an affirmative vote by three-fourths of members present at the next meeting.