TOS OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

TOS Board of Directors
Roles and Responsibilities

General
The Texas Ornithological Society Board of Directors is responsible for the governance and oversight of TOS, setting policy and managing the organization's activities with the help of volunteers and paid staff.

Responsibilities of Board Members

All Directors:

• Be a member of TOS
• Attend regular and special board meetings
• Attend general membership meetings as a member of the board
• Evaluate the impact and effectiveness of TOS and actively participate in board planning
• Maintain confidentiality of board business
• Serve on board committees, assuming a leadership role in one or more
• Advocate for TOS; present the organization in a positive light to members and the general public
• Prepare for and actively participate in meeting deliberations
• Actively support the board's majority decisions
• Actively recruit new members for TOS
• Accept a role as an officer of the board if elected by the board or a role on a committee if appointed by board president

At Large Directors:

• Accept leadership role of a committee or other major activity
• Assume a role in statewide meeting planning.

Regional Directors:

• Support members in the respective region by acting as a point of contact and providing
  information through newsletter regional reports and other means.
• Support regional activity such as field trips, meetings, conservation, education, and publicity.
• Propose and actively support TOS statewide meetings in the region.
• Promote TOS activities and solicit new members in the region.
• Represent the needs of the region to the board

Annual TOS Director Elections
The membership of TOS elects 12 members of the TOS Board of Directors. The terms for four of the members expire annually, and an election is held each spring to fill those four positions. Directors serve three-year terms.

Nominating
In support of those elections, please submit your nominee(s) for the TOS board to a member of the Nominating Committee. In fact, we encourage you to volunteer yourself to serve! The current committee chair is Kelly Smith at australe88@gmail.com.

Annual TOS Officer Elections
The election of TOS officers - president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer - is conducted annually by the board at the first meeting after the annual director election. Officers serve one-year terms.

General Information
Under the 2016 TOS bylaws, election of TOS directors to the TOS board is held annually. One-third of the twelve director positions expire each year, and elections are held for three-year terms.

According to current board practices, elections are held in March with terms expiring in early May. Officers of the board are then elected each year by the board itself at its first board meeting after the newly elected directors begin their terms. Officers serve one-year terms.

Beginning in August each year, the Nominating Committee solicits nominations for positions scheduled to expire the following year. By the next February, the slate of candidates is placed on the ballot and that ballot is submitted to the membership for a vote.

All members are eligible to vote for all positions, including all regional directors.

TOS Board meeting minutes can be found HERE.