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.