Responsiblities of the President/Vice President

[Guest Danielle]

May the President/Vice President also be a chair of a committee?

[Chris Harrison]

May the President/Vice President also be a chair of a committee?

Yes.

[David A Foulkes]

The preemptive answer to the unasked question is RONR does oh-so-strongly discourage the President having anything to do with the Nominating Committee, much less chair it, but otherwise the field is open.

[Guest Danielle]

Yes.

Then how will they be impartial if they chair the committee. If their committee members have a grievance, where do they go? I thought the President is an ex officio member of every committee and did not chair any of the committees. The same for the vice president

[Chris Harrison]

Then how will they be impartial if they chair the committee.

They don't need to be. RONR p. 403 says:

In committees, the chairman not only has the right to make and debate motions, but he is usually the most active participant in the discussions and work of the committee.

If their committee members have a grievance, where do they go?

Depends on the nature of the grievance.

I thought the President is an ex officio member of every committee and did not chair any of the committees. The same for the vice president

The bylaws determine who are ex-officio members of which body (RONR p. 480).

[tctheatc]

Then how will they be impartial if they chair the committee.

Presumably the same way they are when they chair the assembly.

[Gary Novosielski]

Then how will they be impartial if they chair the committee. If their committee members have a grievance, where do they go? I thought the President is an ex officio member of every committee and did not chair any of the committees. The same for the vice president

The president is, ex-officio, a member of all committees only if your bylaws say so, which we don't know one way or the other, so far.

In that case, the advisability of asking the president to chair a committee may be questionable, on the basis of the burden of time alone, but there is still no prohibition against it, unless your bylaws contain one (which we don't know). The advisability of it is up to your organization to judge, not RONR.

The vice president is almost never an ex-officio member of all committees. But again, it depends on your bylaws.

Impartiality has nothing to do with it, since that applies to presiding at a meeting of an assembly, not to other duties such as committee memberships or chairmanships.

It's not clear what you mean by committee members having "a grievance", but it's likely they would have to go to the parent body that created the committee.

[Josh Martin]

Then how will they be impartial if they chair the committee.

If the committee must bring a recommendation to the parent assembly, the President could either relinquish the chair to the Vice President in order to give the report and make the motion, or he could remain in the chair and have another member of the committee give the report.

If their committee members have a grievance, where do they go?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by this. What sort of "grievance" are you thinking of?

I thought the President is an ex officio member of every committee and did not chair any of the committees. The same for the vice president

Neither the President or the Vice President are an ex-officio member of any committee unless your rules so provide, nor does RONR prohibit them from serving as committee chairs.

They don't need to be.

I suspect the concern is with regards to impartiality in the parent assembly when the committee makes recommendations.

Presumably the same way they are when they chair the assembly.

Impartiality is not generally required nor expected of the chair of a small committee.