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Shari Kenney, CHPPD Governing Councilor |
What on earth does a Governing Councilor do? I spent the last year finding out (and I am still learning), so I thought I would share with other Section members who might like to join the Governing Council. It really is fun!
The APHA Constitution and Bylaws describes the composition of the Governing Council in Article IV and its functions in Article VI. Each section gets a minimum of two elected representatives and additional representatives based on the number of members in the section. CHPPD has seven members who are elected for two-year terms. The term begins after the Annual Meeting in the year the member is elected and ends two years later after the Annual Meeting (I had some trouble figuring out how this worked).
In brief, the functions of the Governing Council include establishing policies, amending the Bylaws of the Association, receiving the report of the accomplishments and financial status of the organization and reports from the various boards of the organization. The Council also elects the Executive Board, the officers of the Association and honorary members.
This year the Governing Council had a work session to provide input to the APHA Strategic Map: 2007-2009, and we also participated in lively discussions and approved policies including Pandemic Flu and the Risks of Nanotechnology. Of course the Governing Council does involve politics. Each member has the right to speak to issues and shape the policies of APHA - and we represent YOU the members.
The most important duty of a Governing Councilor is to attend the Annual Meeting, attend the Governing Council sessions and be present to VOTE! This is a pretty big commitment as it involves coming to the meeting a day early for the first session on Saturday, attending policy discussions (not required but very helpful to have an informed vote), attending roundtable sessions to participate in strategic planning and spending an entire day (this year it was Tuesday) in the Governing Council Session and voting on policy proposals, officers and the Annual Meeting.
What if for some reason you cannot attend the Annual Meeting? You can designate a proxy. That proxy must be a member of APHA and your section and you must notify the secretary of the Governing Council prior to the meeting of the Governing Council (APHA Governing Council Handbook).
Whew! That is a lot. Also in preparation for the Annual Meeting you need to participate in the monthly CHPPD leadership teleconferences and in the mid-year Governing Council teleconference. Keep in mind you have to keep your membership current to be on the Governing Council.
While the Governing Council is a fair amount of work and time commitment, really is fun and a rewarding experience. You get to work with a lot of great people, and you have the opportunity to shape health policy. Please feel free to e-mail me if you want to know more or have any questions.
Shari Kinney, MPH, MS, RN
CHPPD Governing Councilor
sharik@health.ok.gov