ASMC: Insights into a perspective of a chapter's officer transition. (Chapter Idea Interchange).

Nave you ever thought about how your chapter president or vice president(s) came to his or her present position or about the election of officers and how it is done or should be done? I know that when I first joined ASMC in 1986, I saw the officers and wondered how they got there and how the events occurred. Well, I hope by the end of this article that you will have a better insight into how one chapter does this, though there are other ways to do similar things. There are--and should be--various ways to reach the same destination.

Our chapter is large, so we do things to accommodate its size. We have a large government population from which to select officer nominees, so we can seek our the people who are active in ASMC and will take office to work for the betterment of ASMC and the chapter members. To do this, each year a Nominating Committee puts together a slate of officers. The slate and elected officers includes a president, 1st vice president, 2nd vice president, 3rd vice president, treasurer, assistant treasurer, recording secretary; and corresponding secretary. (I won't detail the duties of each position; but, suffice it to say, everyone has a role and is busy.)

The Nominating Committee chairperson presents the names of the nominees to the Executive Committee for an acceptance vote in April. The names are published in the chapter newsletter and are presented publicly at our monthly meeting in May. At that time, the attendees can nominate members from the floor to be added to the slate, which requires a vote. If there are no additional nominations, chapter members can select the slate as presented. The newly elected officers are installed at the June luncheon and take office on July 1 for a 1-year period.

We have developed a system in which each vice president moves up each year until becoming president. However, this is not automatic. Each year, the Nominating Committee reevaluates the slate and talks to each vice president to see if he or she wants to continue as an officer and stand for reelection by the membership. The assistant treasurer becomes the treasurer, and the other positions become filled by new officers. This allows for continuity in the 1st vice president to president positions and in the treasurer position.

Now, there ate exceptions--and you may have some also, depending on many factors. For instance, some military members, especially a deputy chief of staff for resource management or a re source manager (usually an 0-6) may be on-site for only 2 years--but we want his or her involvement. The Nominating Committee will approach that individual to see if he or she wants to be involved in the chapter as an officer. If so, we nominate that individual in the next current election as the 1st vice president. If elected, he or she would become the chapter president the following year.

This serves two purposes: the new 1st vice president becomes used to the way the local chapter conducts business, and he or she gets involved in ASMC at the local chapter level. I do caution you that it is difficult for any person new to the area and to the local chapter to be put immediately into office as president. It is not fair to that individual or to the chapter membership.

Will this work for you? I don't know. There are many facets to consider in ensuring the success of an ASMC chapter, for instance, size of membership, location, mix of services, mix of military and civilian members, location, and activity of the chapter. I hope you think about how you can improve what you do locally If you have a good program and it is working, keep it! Don't change for the sake of change. There are many ways to have an active, successful chapter. The preceding suggestions address only one facet of many in relation to officer transition. I encourage each of you to do all you can to get involved in your chapter. Support your chapter and make it a fun place--with a professional atmosphere.