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Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE WORLD ASSOCIATION OF VETERINARY LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICIANS

- Draft -

ARTICLE I

The President
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the President, who shall be elected for two (2) years (or until the next formal meeting of the WAVLD), to preside at all meetings of the World Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc., herein referred to as the Association, and to chair the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee. The President may delegate these duties to the WAVLD Executive Director.
Section 2. The President shall appoint all committees and representatives, unless otherwise stated in these Bylaws, deemed necessary for the conduct and welfare of the Association's business. All appointees must be Board members of the Association in good standing. The President shall serve on all committees as an Ex-Officio member.
Section 3. The President shall have the power to call special meetings of the Board of Directors or Executive Committee whenever deemed necessary.

ARTICLE II

The President-Elect
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the President-Elect to assume the duties of the President in case of the latter's absence, disability, or resignation.
Section 2. Upon the President's completion of the term of office, the President-Elect shall assume that office.
Section 3. The President-Elect shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
Section 4. The President-Elect shall serve as Ex-Officio on the same committees as the President.
Section 4. The President-Elect is responsible for organizing the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association with the assistance of the Executive Director of the WAVLD.

ARTICLE III

The Executive Director
Section 1. The Executive Director, shall serve as the Administrative and Financial Officer of the Association and shall be responsible for the following:

  1. Keep accurate records of the meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
  2. Maintenance of all records and files of the Association to include maintenance of the organization's web site.
  3. Help identify and encourage countries to host a future ISWAVLD meeting and assist their designated representatives in preparing bids. In addition, assist the Organizing Committees of countries selected to host an ISWAVLD meeting to plan and hold a successful meeting.
  4. Manage the day-to-day operations of the Association.
  5. Establish checking and savings accounts in a federally insured bank.
  6. Serve as the WAVLD treasurer and act as custodian of all fiscal assets, which includes the depositing, disbursement and investing of Association funds.
  7. Present a current statement of receipts and disbursements at each meeting of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. The Executive Director shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
Section 4. The term of office for the Executive Director shall be four (4) years, renewable for an unlimited number of terms.

ARTICLE IV

The Board of Directors
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall constitute the administrative body of the Association. It shall be composed of the President, who shall serve as Chair, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Executive Director and up to (14) WAVLD Board Members.

  1. The Board of Directors shall determine the activities and policies of the Association.
  2. The Board of Directors shall meet at the biennial meeting of the WAVLD.
  3. Five (5) Board members shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of the Association business.

Section 2. WAVLD Officers and Board members are eligibile to nominate individuals to server on the Board of Directors. Board members are confirmed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. As long as Board members are active participants in the WAVLD, they may remain in office indefinitely. Board members who become inactive can be removed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V

The Executive Committee
Section 1. The President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, and the Executive Director shall constitute the Executive Committee. Each shall have equal vote.

Section 2. The duties of the Executive Committee, in addition to those assigned by the Board of Directors or prescribed from time to time by these Bylaws, shall be to act as the administrative body of the Association between meetings of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee shall review the current budget and monitor the financial affairs of the Association. All actions and recommendations of the Executive Committee shall be presented to the Board of Directors at any properly constituted meeting of that body for approval.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least (1) time a year. Meetings may be conducted in person, by teleconference, or by e-mail.

ARTICLE VI

Committes
Section 1. All committees shall be appointed by the President to serve during the President's term of office unless otherwise specified by these Bylaws. The Board of Directors may instruct the President to appoint specific committees.

  • Subsection A: Each committee Chair shall submit an annual written report to the Board of Directors.
  • There are no standing Committees in the WAVLD.

ARTICLE VII

Membership and Dues
Section1. There are currently no member classifications or dues for membership in the WAVLD.

ARTICLE VIII

Elections
Section 1. The President, President-Elect, and Executive Director are elected by a majority of the Board of Directors members at the biennial meeting of the WAVLD.

ARTICLE IX

Meetings
Section 1. The Biennial Scientific Meeting. Bids by countries that wish to host the next WAVLD scientific meeting are presented at the Biennial Board of Directors meeting. The bid is awarded to a hosting country by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The hosting country is wholly responsible for organizing, financing, and conducting the WAVLD meeting. The WAVLD Executive Director provides administrative assistance to the hosting country's delegation. Hosting countries must pledge to donate a fee (set by the Board) for each registrant to the WAVLD treasury at the close of the meeting to help ensure the continuity of the organization.

ARTICLE X

Amendments
Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Board of Directors provided that the specific changes to be acted upon shall have been presented in writing at least 30 days before the next biennial meeting.
Section 2. Any article or section of these Bylaws may be suspended during that single meeting only by the unanimous consent of the members present.
Section3. Any amendments or changes to these Bylaws shall become effective immediately after the close of the Biennial Meeting of the Association.

ARTICLE XI

Effective Date
Section 1. These Bylaws shall become effective when adopted by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. All Bylaws existing prior to the acceptance date of these Bylaws shall be declared null and void.