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A. Officers. The Officers of the Chapter shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Officers shall be elected by the Chapter membership at the last General Membership Meeting of the calendar year.
B. Chapter Advisors.
1. Home Base. Advisors are typically staff members of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and/or Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
2. Board Membership and Vacancies. Chapter Advisors are permanent members of the Board. When a vacancy arises in an Advisor position, the replacement is selected collaboratively between the TMN state coordinator, the Chapter President and the exiting Advisor.
3. Duties.
a. Assists the Chapter in upholding the missions, goals, objectives, operational framework and activities of their respective agency/organization and the Master Naturalist statewide program.
b. Ensures that the Chapter operates under the mission, goals and objectives of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and/or Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
C. State Representative – Duties
1. Represent the Chapter in State level matters of the Texas Master Naturalist program
2. Attend the semi-annual State Volunteer Representatives Council meetings.
D. Other Board Members. Other Board Members must include the Past-President position and other Board Members as required in the Chapter Operating Handbook.
E. Election of Officers
1. Officers Elected. The only elected positions are those of the Officers.
2. Election Process
a. Nomination. The Officer Nominating Committee, chaired by the Past-President with a minimum of two additional ad-hoc members who are selected by the President with Board approval, shall submit a slate of candidates for Officers to the President. The President must publish the slate to the Chapter membership in writing 15 days prior to the last General Membership Meeting before the end of each calendar year.
b. State Coordination. The State Master Naturalist Coordinator(s) may provide oversight and additional input to an individual Chapter’s nomination process.
c. Nominations from the Floor. Nominations for all positions will be accepted from the floor prior to a vote at the last General Membership Meeting of the calendar year.
d. Election. The election shall take place by secret ballot, or as stated in the local Chapter Operating Handbook, at the last General Membership Meeting of the calendar year and winners determined by a simple majority.
e. Single Candidate. If only one candidate is nominated for an office, that candidate may be elected by voice vote.
f. Assumption of Office. The newly elected Officers shall assume their duties within the month of January of the following calendar year.
F. Appointment of Board Members
1. Appointed Positions. All positions other than the Officers, Past-President and Advisors are appointed positions.
2. New Class Director Appointment. The Officer Nominating Committee or an ad-hoc committee selected by the sitting President shall recommend candidate(s) for the New Class Director position to the sitting Board for confirmation following the last formal training class session of each year. The New Class Director shall assume his/her duties following appointment and confirmation by the sitting Board.
3. Appointment Process for Board Members other than New Class Director.
a. Recommendation of Candidates. The incoming President must recommend candidates for the appointed positions to the newly elected Officers following the last General Membership Meeting. The President may use the Officer Nominating Committee or may appoint a separate ad hoc committee to recommend candidates for his/her consideration.
b. Selection. All appointed positions must be confirmed by a majority vote of the newly elected Officers, Past-President and Advisor(s) prior to the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.
c. Assumption of Office. The newly appointed Board Members shall assume their duties within the month of January of the following calendar year.
G. Terms and Limits. All members of the Board of Directors shall serve for a period of 12 months, and are eligible for re-election or re-appointment.
H. Vacancies. If any Officer or other member(s) of the Board of Directors resigns or is unable to fulfill their duties of the office, the President shall select a slate of candidates qualified to fill the vacancy and be approved by a majority vote of the remaining Board members for the remaining unexpired term of the vacancy.
I. Removal of Officers and Board Members.
1. Attendance. Any Officer absent from three consecutive Board of Directors meetings without notice and/or excused absence shall be subject to removal by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors. Any Board member other than an Officer absent from three consecutive Board of Directors meetings without notice and/or excused absence shall be subject to removal by a simple majority vote of the Officers of the Chapter.
2. For Cause. Any Officer in serious malfeasance of their responsibilities or behavior inconsistent with the principles of the Texas Master Naturalist Chapter may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the remaining Board of Directors. Any Board member other than an Officer in serious malfeasance of their responsibilities or behavior inconsistent with the principles of the Texas Master Naturalist Chapter may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Officers of the Chapter.