ARA Officers

The term of office for all positions is one year, and an incumbent may choose to run again the subsequent year. There are no term limits -- a member may continue to hold the same office for as long as he or she is elected to the position. It is important to note that an officer may not hold multiple offices simultaneously. An example of this might be if a member is nominated for two offices, and wins both -- the winner must choose which office he would like to accept, and forfeit the other office.

The President presides over and runs club meetings, and when the need arises, acts as the spokesperson for the ARA. The President signs any legal paperwork that the club may have to file/prepare. He or she also provides leadership and/or guidance to the club and its members. The President of the club is also tasked with forming ad-hoc committees when necessary, appointing members to the committee, and appointing the committee chair. Further, the President disbands committees when they are no longer needed. By virtue of the office, the person in this role is automatically a member of all committees (ex-officio). The President may not initiate a motion, nor can he or she vote on a motion - except in a tie, where the President casts the deciding vote.

The Vice-President assists the President when needed, and stands in for the President as necessary. Basically, the VP has all of the authority of the president when acting in that role. The VP doesn't have any other itemized duties.

The Secretary records and stores the minutes of each meeting, along with all the legal papers and other necessary documents. The Secretary works with the Treasurer to maintain an up-to-date record of all current members. The Secretary is also charged with issuing membership cards to each paid member, annually.

The Treasurer collects and deposits all funds that the ARA receives, maintains the bank accounts, and reports financial transactions/balances/health. He or she maintains a record of all assets belonging to the ARA, including serial numbers of all equipment. The Treasurer also serves in a supervisory capacity over every financial transaction we make, and reimburses club members for expenses incurred during a ARA event (such as Field Day).

The Activities Manager is responsible for providing activities for the activity meetings and serves in a supervisory role during activity events, such as The Great Hagerstown Hamfest.

The Director serves on the ARA Executive Board as representatives of the membership, and participate in the voting of all presented issues. There are three (3) Director positions. The past-president has first dibs on hold one of a director position.

The Executive Board includes all of the aforementioned officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Activities Manager, and the three Directors).

The main purpose of the Board is to discuss more complex issues, and to vote on whether to bring the issues to the entire membership for a membership for a vote. There are four Executive Board meeting per year, scheduled quarterly. All members are free to attend any Board meeting, however, such attendance is limited to listening alone (no questions/comments/or voting).