Maricopa County Diversity Office

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Bylaws

Article 1: Name
Article 2: Purpose
Article 3: Membership
Article 4: Dues
Article 5: Elected Council Members
Article 6: Duties of Council Members
Article 7: Powers of Council Members
Article 8: Nominations & Elections
Article 9: Voting & Amendments
Article 10: Meetings
Article 11: Committees
Article 12: Core Values

Article 1: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Maricopa County African American Knowledge Network (hereinafter referred to as AAKN).

Article 2: Purpose
The AAKN is a volunteer employee association founded and conducted under the auspices of Maricopa County Manager’s Diversity Office. The mission of AAKN is to provide career development and education for all its stakeholders in order to advance their professional career opportunities, promote community engagement and to give voice and value to African American / Black employees within the County. We envision that all County employees be promoted and advanced based on their own ability and skill and that Maricopa County be a place where diversity is valued and celebrated.

Article 3: Membership
The AAKN shall consist of the following categories of membership: Full and Associate.

Full Membership: All Maricopa County employees are eligible to become members of AAKN, provided they subscribe to the goals and objectives of AAKN. Full Members have voting privileges.
Associate Membership: Individuals who are non Maricopa County employees may become Associate members provided they subscribe to the goals and objectives of Maricopa County. Associate members vote and participate, but may not hold elected office.

Article 4: Dues
The AAKN Council shall determine the annual dues for each member or class of membership. Upon receipt of application, annual dues shall be payable to AAKN and annually thereafter on that date.

Article 5: Elected AAKN Council Members
AAKN shall be governed by a five (5) member Council which will include the following functions: Chairperson, Co-Chair and Recorder. Council Members shall serve a minimum of a one (1) year term but no longer than a two (2) consecutive year term (January 1 through December 31). The function of the AAKN Council Chairperson will be carried out by a Maricopa County employee. The function of the AAKN Council Co-Chairperson shall be carried out by a Maricopa County employee. The function of the AAKN Recorder will be the responsibility of the five (5) member Council body and the duties will be rotated on a quarterly basis.

Article 6: Duties of AAKN Council Members
Chairperson: The Chairperson presides at meetings and serves as Chairperson of AAKN Council. This person oversees the development of an annual strategic plan with measurable goals along with a budget to accomplish these goals as approved by the AAKN Council and ratified by the membership. The Chairperson will also perform such other duties usually incumbent upon office i.e. orientation of new Council members. This person is expected to groom the incoming Chairperson for the first six months of their new position.

Co-Chair: The Co-Chair exercises Chairperson’s functions if the Chairperson is absent or is unable to serve. This person monitors the activities of the various committees to ensure they are consistent with the goals of the AAKN. The Co-Chair also fulfills other duties as may be delegated by the Chairperson. The Co-Chair is expected to work closely with the Chairperson for six (6) months prior to assuming the position of Chairperson, if possible. This person is expected to assume the Chairperson duties at the end of the incumbent Chairperson’s two year term.

Recorder: The Recorder is responsible for recording, assembling and distributing all minutes taken at each AAKN Council and General meetings.

Council Members: Council members are responsible for attending Council meetings and general membership meetings during the year. Members will remain on the Council for two year term (January 1 through December 31) following the initial establishment. Duties and responsibilities also include working with other Council members to identify problem areas important to the people of the county including AAKN members and helping to determine programs which could help to resolve these problems. Specific duties might include:

Identifying resources
Assisting in determining priorities
Serving as a channel for new ideas; new programs; committee activities
Helping to promote Extension programs
Helping to evaluate programs
Assisting in gathering information about needed programs
Giving suggestions for newsletter content
Speaking to support groups about Extension programs.

Article 7: Powers of AAKN Council Members
The decision making process lies with all Council members. The AAKN Council is responsible for identifying and approving the selection of all committee chairpersons, as necessary.

The AAKN Council shall have the power and authority to receive donations on behalf of AAKN to make expenditures, donations of capital to further the objectives of AAKN. In addition, the AAKN Council shall have the right, power and authority to exercise all the powers, recommend by-law changes to AAKN members, and take all necessary actions which may be exercised or done by the Council, subject nevertheless to Maricopa County policies, and subject to the by-laws of the Council.

Article 8: Nominations and Elections
Nominations for and the election of AAKN Council Member positions shall be made and voted on by paid members only. To be eligible and nominated for service as a Council Member, the individual must be a member in good standing of AAKN. The AAKN five member Council shall be elected by a majority vote of active paid members present at a membership meeting or via bona fide absentee ballot (i.e. email). The Co-Chair position will be determined by the majority vote.

Article 9: Voting and Amendments
Three members of the AAKN Council constitute a quorum. The bylaws may be amended by a three-fifths vote (three of five) from the AAKN Council. A thirty (30) day written notice must be submitted to the AAKN membership prior to the Council vote to allow for feedback or amendments from members to be made at the next general meeting. Amendments, if approved, shall become effective immediately and published accordingly to all members.

Article 10: Meetings
Regular Council meetings shall be held on a monthly basis, general meetings every other month basis, or as established by the AAKN Council to adjust for circumstances. The AAKN Council shall meet as often as necessary to conduct business and Robert’s Rules of Order Parliamentary procedures will be used to facilitate the meetings.

Article 11: Committees
AAKN carries out much of its activities through the efforts of AAKN members who serve on a variety of committees. The AAKN Council encourages all AAKN members to be involved in the life of AAKN by serving on one or more of these committees. All committees will meet at the discretion of its respective Committee Chairperson.

Qualified paid AAKN members for each chairperson position are identified by the current Chair in collaboration with the Council Liaison and the Council Co-Chair. Appointments are made by the Council Chair or Co-Chair depending on the timing for convening the work group. Chairpersons are appointed for a one-year term, which may be renewable by the Council Chair.

A detailed description of each Service Position is on file in the AAKN records. The following committees shall be considered as standing committees of AAKN:

Service Committee:

Responsibilities and Expectations of the SC Chairperson include:

Provides leadership, knowledge, and skills to ensure achievement of desired outcomes.
1. Facilitates achievement of AAKN group outcomes by:
  1. Ensuring orientation of all members including desired outcomes and expectations.
  2. Delegating assignments to members and setting timelines.
  3. Providing direction, suggestions, and input on all group proposals and reports.
2. Ensures group members’ perspectives are heard and incorporated into group work.
3. Develops and mentors all group members, especially potential chairpersons.
  1. Provides feedback to group, AAKN Council Members, and members.
  2. Provides recommendations for next year’s members and chairperson.
  3. Promotes a collegial relationship among all group members.
  4. Promotes the purposeful leadership development of all group members.
4. Summarizes activities, discussions, and feedback for the AAKN Council Members, including development of activity reports as appropriate.
Ensures group outcomes are in alignment with AAKN outcomes.
1. Collaborates with all group members to meet outcomes.
2. Ensures open communication around progress and priorities.
Fosters collaborative working relationships between the Co-Chairs, Council Liaison and Chair Finance.
1. Jointly reviews the charges for the group and develops action plans for achieving desired results.
2. Achieves consensus among the leadership team on decisions.
3. Jointly develops conference call and meeting schedules and agendas.
4. Jointly plans how workload will be distributed and develops project timelines.
5. Jointly monitors progress of the group toward achieving outcomes.
6. Communicates regularly regarding the progress of the group and jointly resolves any challenges that might impede the group’s progress.
7. Jointly identifies potential chairs for the coming year, communicates with them as needed and forwards recommendations to the Council Co- Chair.
8. Jointly conducts the review of applications, interviews prospective group members as needed and forwards recommendations to the Council Co-Chair.
9. Submits leadership references for any current and/or past committee members applying for leadership positions.

The Service Committee currently consists of two sub-committees, Programs and Membership. Each sub-committee chairperson is appointed by the SC Chairperson.

Membership Sub-Committee:

The Membership Sub-Committee Chairperson is expected to coordinate membership procedures and fee with Finance Chair. This person is also expected to oversee the recruitment of new members to AAKN which may include printing promotional materials. The Membership sub-committee chairperson will maintain AAKN membership records and database, including member name, email, phone, department/company, dues payment, and AAKN membership number and also establish a membership campaign, especially at renewal time. If applicable, this person will work to set up corporate membership and institutional sponsorship programs when possible.

This person is responsible for receiving copies of the completed membership forms from the FC Chairperson and sending out the AAKN welcome letter and the t-shirt for first time members. This person is also responsible for tracking membership and notifying members when there annual membership fees are due.

Programs Sub-Committee:

The Program Sub-Committee Chairperson directs the activities of the program committee and oversees the management of AAKN programs. This includes setting program dates, finding program leaders, chairing committee meetings for program planning, and assuring that all activities are executed properly. The person should find responsible volunteers to serve on the program committee, and should direct and oversee the committee functions rather than perform them, whenever possible.

Finance Committee:

The Finance Chairperson is the financial voice of the AAKN and the community and is responsible for maintaining all financial records. All completed membership forms with payment should be given directly to the Finance Chairperson. This person will be responsible for making a copy of the membership form and the payment (check). The FC Chairperson will keep a copy for their records and also forward a copy to the Membership Sub-committee Chairperson. In addition, the membership dues will be deposited in the AAKN bank account by FC Chairperson.

Other responsibilities of the Finance Committee include:

Collect money at meetings if applicable.
Supply appropriate budget report to the Council.
Report financial status to AAKN Organization.
Coordinate membership procedure and fee with Membership Co-Chair.
Work with all committees to approve budget and purchases.
Ensure the implementation of an annual operating budget.
Implement safeguards to protect AAKN assets.
Coordinate with the AAKN Council Liaison of Finance, who is the Accounting Officer for all funded activities. The Council Chair will hold this person accountable for AAKN funded activities.

Marketing / Communication Committee:

To prepare and monitor all promotions / advertisements / communications for the AAKN.
Help the AAKN Council prepare promotional milestones for AAKN.
Determine the extent of promotional activities for the AAKN Events.
Maintain web site and review MC Diversity web site with AAKN featured.
Develop promotions.
Serve as speaking mechanism for AAKN matters as directed by the AAKN Council.
Develop electronic postcard directing people to the AAKN Website, events and meetings.

Article 12: Core Values of the Maricopa County AAKN

These core values apply to All Members and Sponsors.