Section Chair Description

The Association By-Laws recognize a single Section Chair who represents the Section. Sections vary in whether their Chairs are in position for one or two-year terms. The Chair’s responsibilities include:

• Working with the Council to have an activity plan that meets the Section’s priorities and is consistent with APHA.
• Convening Section Council business meetings and/or conference calls.
• Leading the Section in using the democratic process and Robert’s Rules of Order.
• Working with the Section to select a meaningful strategic plan with goals, objectives, and related activities.
• Developing and monitoring the Section budget in consultation with the Section Council.
• Monitoring and approving budget expenditures as the fiscal agent of the Section.
• Delegating responsibilities except for the fiduciary responsibility.
• Keeping activities focused.
• Encouraging members to actively participate .
• Supporting recruitment of new members to the Section.
• Including new members in Section activities, such as encouraging participation in Section committees or projects.
• Developing and submitting Section’s Annual Report.
• Overseeing Section fund raising for compliance with APHA policies.
• Filling standing committees with appropriate and current Section members.
• Encouraging the Section’s Immediate Past Chair to chair the Section’s Nominations Committee. Several Sections have adopted this approach and find it helpful because the Immediate Past Chair has current knowledge of the process.
• Seeing that the Section develops slates for Officer and Councilor elections.
• Seeing that the Section responds to the APHA Membership Deployment Process.
• Acknowledging and rewarding Section Leaders and members for their contributions.
• Responding to APHA requests for input/feedback on issues in consultation with Section Council or other Section members.
• Meeting the APHA and Section Affairs calendar deadline dates.
• Facilitating Section work so that full Section participation may happen prior to Section Affairs deadlines, such as sufficient time and opportunity for members to be included on the Section leadership ballot.
• Taking responsibility to engage the chair-elect throughout the year, and to work with the chair-elect at the end of the term to review Section activities and obligations and insure a smooth transition for the new chair.

The Section Chair serves as an ex officio, non-voting member of the Governing Council.

The Section Chair-elect attends and participates in the Inter-Sectional Council meeting at the APHA Annual Meeting.