Expired Term for Current Chairman

[Guest Chet Lewis]

• A member of a board is elected Chairman of the organization. 
• The term of the member ends on December 31, 2014.
• The vice-chair resigned before the end of the term.
• The next position in charge, according to the by-laws, is the treasurer.
• A new president has been selected by a selection committee, but has not been voted and accepted by the membership body.  The board did not hold a regular meeting before the expired term of the current chair.
• The by-laws are silent on this situation and uses RONR.

 

For the next upcoming meeting to be held in 2015, would the previous chair with the expired begin/lead the meeting until the new officers are accepted or would the treasurer with the unexpired term lead the meeting?

 

[Edgar Guest]

A member of a board is elected Chairman of the organization.

Typically, the presiding officer of a board is called the chairman (or chair or chairperson) and the presiding officer of the (general membership of the) organization is called the president.

 

The term of the member ends on December 31, 2014.

I assume you mean the term of office of the chair (or president).

 

The next position in charge, according to the by-laws, is the treasurer.

Does this mean that your treasurer became your president (or chair)?

 

For the next upcoming meeting to be held in 2015, would the previous chair with the expired begin/lead the meeting until the new officers are accepted or would the treasurer with the unexpired term lead the meeting?

Are you referring to a meeting of the board or a meeting of the general membership?

 

And what do you mean by new officers being "accepted"?

[D_K]

This depends on the wording of your bylaws regarding the length of terms. If there is language that the terms last for a certain period of time and something to the effect of "or until a successor is elected," then the chairman is still in office until the next one is chosen. However, if your bylaws just say that the term is until the end of the year without any other qualifications, then the chairman stopped being chairman at the end of the year and has no authority to preside at a meeting. In that case, if the treasurer is the next officer in line, then that person presides until the new chairman is elected.

[Richard Brown]

If your organization is incorporated, I suggest you check your state's corporation laws regarding length of  terms.  Said laws sometimes provide that officers whose terms have expired continue to serve until their successors are elected.

[Guest Chet Lewis]

Thank you for your insight.