Holding two offices on the Board

[David A Foulkes]

Board consists of four officers (P, VP, S, T) and five trustees, each elected for 3-year terms on a rotating group basis. The VP resigns at the end of his second year. A trustee in his first year is elected at the Annual meeting to that office. Nothing in the bylaws precludes holding two offices.

Would it then be left up to custom as to whether the trustee has in fact vacated that position in accepting the VP office? Or would it be understood, particularly under RONR, that the member now holds both offices?

[hmtcastle]

Board consists of four officers (P, VP, S, T) and five trustees

This is the kind of phrasing that sometimes gets posters into trouble. I think it's preferable to say that there is a nine-person board (of trustees), four of whom are the P, VP, S, and T (i.e. they wear two inseparable hats).

Would it then be left up to custom as to whether the trustee has in fact vacated that position in accepting the VP office? Or would it be understood, particularly under RONR, that the member now holds both offices?

From your description, it appears that the four officers are ex-officio members of the board (as opposed to first being elected to the board, then being elected, by the board, to those offices). If that's the case, resignation as VP means that person if no longer a board member (i.e. no longer a trustee). Now if someone who is already a trustee is elected VP, you have an eight-member board.

[David A Foulkes]

From your description, it appears that the four officers are ex-officio members of the board [of trustees]

My apologies to you and all who follow. This assessment is correct. I was trying to avoid quoting bylaws, and getting the obligatory reference to pp. 570-573, and just "set the stage." Lesson learned.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Nothing in the bylaws precludes holding two offices.

Nothing in RONR precludes holding two offices.

(That's not an echo. It's reverb.)

[Josh Martin]

Would it then be left up to custom as to whether the trustee has in fact vacated that position in accepting the VP office?

No. Custom is not sufficient to prevent a member from holding more one than one office. It is the member's decision whether he wishes to resign from his current office.

Or would it be understood, particularly under RONR, that the member now holds both offices?

The member holds both offices unless he resigns from one of them.