Tom Coronite Posted August 29, 2015 at 03:18 PM Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 at 03:18 PM I observed a particular situation in a meeting that has got me reading sections of RONR for my own education and curiosity. I hope this question is not so vague as to be useless. What pitfalls should I be wary of in equating "chair" with "president"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Hunt Posted August 29, 2015 at 03:50 PM Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 at 03:50 PM If you're talking about in terms of reading/writing rules/bylaws, the two terms are not the same. The President is usually the chair, but not necessarily so. This means that one must be careful to always draw the distinction carefully: for instance, if you write in your bylaws that the President shall rule on all points of order, then this would (assuming there are no other oddities in interpretation) apply even if the President were not presiding---not a good scenario at all! If you're talking about in terms of designing an organizational structure, the biggest risk is one of impartiality. The chair must remain impartial in large assemblies, and in some organizations, the President is a very active in debate and may not be easily able to find others to argue his case for him (for whatever reason). Alternatively, it may be that the assembly grants great latitude to the President in carrying out their duties, and the assembly often finds itself in a more governmental model of trying to hold the President accountable rather than actively participating in decision-making. In this situation, it may be advisable to have someone else serve chair, so that the President can argue his case from the same level (procedurally speaking) as the other members and without risking either a breach of impartiality or, in cases where impartiality isn't required, the President using the position of chair to constantly influence the debate to his side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g40 Posted August 29, 2015 at 03:56 PM Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 at 03:56 PM It all depends on the governing documents, and other details (including, perhaps, customs) of the organization. In some organizations, the terms/titles may be equivalent, while in others they could be very different - and there may be both a "Chair" and a "President" each with very different roles. As an example, I am a Board member of an organization that many, many years ago had a "President" - who "presided" at Board meetings. At that time, the terms/titles "President" and "Chair(man)" were identical. For various reasons, over time, organizations like mine, almost all changed the title of "President" to "Chair(man)" or "Board Chair" and many gave the title of "President" to the employee (not a Board member) who ran the organization (the CEO). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Coronite Posted August 29, 2015 at 06:56 PM Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 at 06:56 PM The particular scenario in mind involves the chair of a board (which also has a vice-chair) resigning. There is NOT also a president in addition to the chair. I am reading the sections of RONR that refer to the vice-president assuming the position of president. Same thing, or not the same thing, or it depends? If it depends, on what? In this case I'm thinking same thing, but want to make sure I'm not missing an important "yes, but". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted August 29, 2015 at 07:13 PM Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 at 07:13 PM I would think the Vice-Chair becomes the Chair if the Chair leaves office before the end of the term. I think it's helpful to call the official presiding officer of boards (and committees) the Chair (or Chairman, or Chairwoman, or Chairperson), and the official presiding officer of the society the President (even if the same person holds both offices). That way there's only one President. I also think it's helpful to distinguish between (upper-case) Titles and (lower-case) roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Coronite Posted August 30, 2015 at 10:30 AM Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 at 10:30 AM I would think the Vice-Chair becomes the Chair if the Chair leaves office before the end of the termi].I would, too, but for some reason an election was held and someone other than the Vice-Chair was elected. Everything I read points to this being a mistake, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmuel Gerber Posted September 1, 2015 at 12:37 AM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 12:37 AM The particular scenario in mind involves the chair of a board (which also has a vice-chair) resigning. There is NOT also a president in addition to the chair. I am reading the sections of RONR that refer to the vice-president assuming the position of president. Same thing, or not the same thing, or it depends? If it depends, on what? In this case I'm thinking same thing, but want to make sure I'm not missing an important "yes, but". "CHAIRMAN OR PRESIDENT. The presiding officer of an assembly ordinarily is called the chairman when no special title has been assigned, or in a body not permanently organized, such as a mass meeting. In organized societies the presiding officer's title is usually prescribed by the bylaws, that of president being most common. The term the chair refers to the person in a meeting who is actually presiding at the time, whether that person is the regular presiding officer or not." (RONR, page 448) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted September 1, 2015 at 08:57 PM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 08:57 PM "CHAIRMAN OR PRESIDENT . . . But the question is whether the Vice-Chairman (of a committee? of a board?) automatically becomes the Chairman when the Chairman leaves office before the term expires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Honemann Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:27 PM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:27 PM But the question is whether the Vice-Chairman (of a committee? of a board?) automatically becomes a Chairman when the Chairman leaves office before the term expires. It's a board (see post #4), and the answer is yes, he does, absent anything in the applicable rules indicating otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:35 PM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:35 PM It's a board (see post #4), and the answer is yes, he does, absent anything in the applicable rules indicating otherwise. Are you saying that the automatic mid-term succession of Vice-chairman to Chairman doesn't apply to committees? Well, I know you're not saying that. But why wouldn't you say that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Honemann Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:38 PM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:38 PM Are you saying that the automatic mid-term succession of Vice-chairman to Chairman doesn't apply to committees? No, I was simply answering your parenthetical question in post #8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:45 PM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:45 PM No, I was simply answering your parenthetical question in post #8. Well, there were two parenthetical questions and you've answered one. I wasn't asking if Mr. Church was asking about a board, I was asking if the same rule applies to both boards and committees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Honemann Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:59 PM Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 at 09:59 PM I wasn't asking if Mr. Church was asking about a board, I was asking if the same rule applies to both boards and committees. Yes, it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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