Change Is Coming to WEF's Bylaws

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WEF Board of Trustees President Jackie Jarrell details proposed key changes to the Water Environment Federation's governing documents.

Happy New Year! I hope 2020 is off to a great start for you.

In mid-December WEF notified members about an upcoming vote on proposed changes to the WEF Constitution and Bylaws. The last update to WEF’s Constitution and Bylaws took place in 2015. In general, an organization should plan to review and update their Bylaws every five to seven years.

The changes proposed provide a more streamlined and less-complicated document. As a professional member organization, we need the ability to be flexible and nimble in our organizational policies in order to meet the needs of WEF and our members. The proposed changes will give us that ability by allowing the development of policies at the right level of the organization and at the time it is needed.

Here are a few of the proposed key changes:

  • Changed the name of the Constitution & Bylaws to Bylaws, as WEF’s Articles of Incorporation serve as the constitution for the organization
  • Moved prescriptive, non-governing sections to the policies and procedures of the WEF Board, the House of Delegates, and/or the Committee Leadership Council.
  • Simplified various sections based upon legal counsel recommendations.
  • Future changes to WEF’s Bylaws will be approved by a majority of the House of Delegates (currently a 5 percent response of WEF membership is required).

The proposed changes will allow for a more representative voice of our membership in future changes through the House of Delegates. Our WEF Vision is “A community of empowered professionals creating a healthy global environment.” You are that community. WE are not WEF without you.

In early February, an email will be sent requesting you to cast a vote electronically. That email will request your name, e-mail address, and indicate whether you approve or do not approve of the recommended changes.

To view a webinar reviewing the proposed changes, please visit https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/4941922539844860674.

Please find the following documents related to the proposed Constitution and Bylaws edits:

  • WEF’s current Constitution and Bylaws
  • The proposed Bylaws
  • A table summarizing each of the recommended changes

Once a 5 percent response to the vote is reached, the voting will be closed. This is the current Constitution and Bylaws requirement.

As a fellow WEF member, I strongly encourage you to exercise your right to vote in early February. Thank you for your membership and helping WEF to be the great organization it is.

Jackie Jarrell P.E.

2019-20 WEF President Jackie Jarrell, P.E.Jackie Jarrell, P.E., is the 2019-20 president of the Water Environment Federation (WEF), an international organization of water quality professionals headquartered in Alexandria, Va.

Jackie has been with Charlotte Water for more than 29 years. As wastewater operations chief she has been responsible for wastewater operations with total permitted capacity of 123 million gallons per day (MGD), with the largest plant permitted at 64MGD, the related residuals program producing more than 90,000 wet tons/year, oversight of regulatory functions, process control, and continuous improvement programs within the operations areas.

Recently, Jackie was appointed as an interim deputy director for Charlotte Water. This has expanded her role to oversee customer service, communications, industrial pretreatment, laboratory services, and the Industrial Pretreatment Program, with more than 60 significant industrial users.

As a WEF member, Jackie has held multiple leadership and committee roles, including serving as the chair of the Utility Management Program Symposia and the first vice chair of the Utility Management Committee.

Also an active member of the North Carolina Water Environment Association (NCWEA), Jackie served as the MA chair in 2013. At that time, she lead the MA in developing NCWEA's strategic plan in 2013. Over many years volunteering for NCWEA, she chaired several committees including the Nominating Committee, the Public Education Committee, the Annual Conference Committee, and the Program Committee. She also worked on several committees such as Water for People (including a trip to Bolivia in 2011), the Wastewater Schools Committee, the Endowment Committee, and the Plant Operations Committee.

She is actively involved with the North Carolina Water Quality Association, a regulatory advocacy organization of utilities in North Carolina, and is a past chair and a current board member.

Jackie is a registered professional engineer in the state of North Carolina and holds a Biological Wastewater Grade II OIT. She received a B.S. in engineering from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. She is a member of the NC 5S.  Jackie is the 2014 recipient of the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award. In 2015, Jackie, along with her colleagues, was awarded the Gascoigne Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Improvement Medal.

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1These blogs offer the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy of the organization.