Ability to remove a committee chairperson

[Guest Drew Kothenbeutel]

Greetings,

Does a president have the authority to remove a person as the chair of a committee on the grounds of acting in the best interests of the organization, even if the regulatory authority over committees is granted to the Board of Directors in the organization bylaws?

The body recognizes Robert's as the parliamentary guide (which is being used to substantiate the argument of the president having this authority), and has the following section on committees in it's bylaws:

SECTION 1. The Board of Directors shall determine the committees deemed necessary and define the purposes of said committees.

SECTION 2. All Committee Chairpersons shall appoint a Co-Chairperson and Committee members as required to complete the projects. These appointments may be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

SECTION 3. The President and appropriate Vice President and Director shall be ex-officio members of all committees. The President and his/her guest will also be guests at all organization functions.

SECTION 4. A Committee Chairperson may take such reasonable and proper action as is deemed necessary to accomplish his/her purpose, but shall not exceed authority duly granted to him/her. He/She shall present to the Board of Directors, then to the membership, his/her plan of action and budget for approval prior to taking any irrevocable action.

The authority of the president is defined in the bylaws as thus:

The President, as chief executive of the organization, shall supervise the organization's affairs and activities. He/She shall prepare a Plan of Action for approval by the Board of Directors and membership to be presented no later than the first regular meeting in March. He/She shall prepare a budget for approval by the Board of Directors and membership to be presented no later than the first regular meeting in March. A Parliamentarian and a Chaplain shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

The questions:

1. Can the president remove a committee chair unilaterally?

2. In the case of #1 being true, must they show cause?

3. The organization has a policy governing how to address unbecoming conduct. If #1 is true, can the president use this authority to bypass that procedure if he/she believes wrongdoing has occurred?

Thank you.

[Chris Harrison]

We cannot interpret your bylaws here (see RONR pp. 588-591 for some principles to help you all with that) but nothing you cited seems to grant the President the authority to unilaterally remove a Committee Chairman.