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Change in Bylaws

ASEA Monthly

Greetings from the rearview mirror! One of the last actions in my term as president was to present a change in the operating principles. 

In December 2022, I alerted the membership to a proposed change to the operating principles regarding the election of the Executive Vice President. The vote was held in February and the proposal passed, allowing the change to be implemented.

As a recap, ASEA’s officer positions include President, President-Elect, Executive Vice President, and Vice President. Executive Vice President is the first step toward becoming President. At the end of each term, the Executive Vice President automatically moves into the President-Elect position and the President-Elect automatically moves into the President position. Thus, the President and President-Elect are not elected; they move into their roles from previous positions. Both the Vice President and the Executive Vice President positions are nominated and elected positions. 

A nominated member must accept the nomination by submitting a nomination acceptance and another member must second the nomination. The Vice President is an advisory role and that person can be called upon to complete tasks requested by the President or Leadership Council. Due to the nature of the role, only past Presidents are allowed to serve as Vice President. 

Before the recent change in operating principals, there was no requirement of any ASEA-related service in order to be nominated for the position of Executive Vice President. The change now requires at least two years of service on the ASEA leadership council.  

Knowledge gap in leadership has the potential to become a real issue for ASEA. Having background knowledge of how the organization is positioned within the ARA and itself is managed is very important for effective leadership. 

Time on the Leadership Council provides this background. There is a very strong group of individuals who have a long history with ASEA back to the original COPA days on the Leadership Council. In addition, officers must work collectively and are much more effective when each officer has the basic experience. The service requirement is intended to accomplish continuity in the officer positions as well as protect a member from being overwhelmed due to lack of experience.

If you’re looking for a way to be more involved with ASEA and its leadership, please consider running for a leadership council position. You’ll get to work with some very smart and enthusiastic individuals and help shape the future of ASEA.

Virginia C. Wentz, EA, FSEA, CPC, is Director of Actuarial Services at The MandMarblestone Group, llc.