In December, NSPRA shared with members that the Executive Board had approved several proposed changes to NSPRA Bylaws. Bylaws may only be amended by a majority vote of professional association members, who were invited to cast their votes on the proposed changes from January 10-30. Following the closing of the ballot, the NSPRA Teller Committee has certified the results showing that all proposed bylaws changes have passed. The effective date of the changes is February 1, 2024. 

The approved bylaws changes affect Articles II, III, IV, V, VII, IX and X of NSPRA Bylaws. See below for full details (changes in red).

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Bylaws Changes

Article II – Membership 

Section 1.  Membership in the Association shall be defined as follows: 

• Professional Member – A person who has professional responsibilities in educational public relations in a non-profit or not-for-profit capacity (i.e., school district, education agency, government agency) is eligible for NSPRA professional membership. Professional members have the right to vote and to hold office, and to apply to become candidates for Universal Accreditation. 

• Associate Member – A person who is interested in and supportive of educational public relations may become a NSPRA associate member. Associate members may not vote, are not eligible to hold office, and are not eligible to become candidates for Universal Accreditation. 

• Professional Partner – A person who has professional responsibilities in educational public relations in a for-profit capacity may become a NSPRA professional partner. Professional partners may apply to become candidates for Universal Accreditation but may not vote and are not eligible to hold office. 

• Retired Member - A person who has retired from professional responsibilities in educational public relations is eligible for NSPRA retired membership. Retired members may maintain their Universal Accreditation status but may not vote and are not eligible to hold office. 

• Student Member - A person who is currently enrolled in a secondary school or higher education institution is eligible for NSPRA student membership. Student members may not vote, are not eligible to hold office, and are not eligible to become candidates for Universal Accreditation. 

Article III – Executive Board 

Section 1.  The Executive Board of the Association shall consist of the President, President-elect, Immediate Past President and ten (10) Vice Presidents. All shall be Association members. 

Section 6.  The agenda for each Executive Board meeting shall include time to review and consider input and issues from members and chapters. The Executive Board shall consider these communications and shall communicate its action on such matters to those presenting them and, through its minutes, to interested members. 

Article IV – Officers 

Section 1.  Officers of the Association shall be a President; a President-elect (who shall become President after one year’s service as President-elect); an Immediate Past President; a Vice President for Diversity Engagement; two Vice Presidents at Large; seven Vice Presidents distributed geographically in the Northeast, Mideast, Southeast, North Central, South Central, Northwest, and Southwest sections of the United States, the Territories and Canada; and an Executive Director. 

Section 4.  The President-elect shall hold office for the period of one year, beginning the first day of October following the individual’s election as President-elect and shall become President one year later, beginning on the first day of October. In the event of the President’s temporary disability or absence from meetings, the President-elect shall perform the President’s duties. 

In case of vacancy in the office of President, the President-elect shall at once succeed to the office of President to fill out the unexpired term, and shall continue to serve as President for the full term to which the individual has been elected. 

In case of vacancy in the office of Immediate Past President, that position shall remain vacant. 

Section 5.  Regional Vice Presidents and the Vice President for Diversity Engagement shall hold office for three years, beginning the first day of October following their election. Regional Vice Presidents are responsible for furthering two-way communication with chapters and members; furthering the mission and goals of the Association at the regional, chapter and local level; and communicating needs/desires of chapters and individuals to the Association. 

Regional Vice Presidents from the Northwest and Southeast areas shall be elected in the same calendar year beginning with the term 1976-79; Regional Vice Presidents from the Southwest, Mideast, and Northeast areas shall be elected in the same calendar year beginning with the term 1977-80; and Regional Vice Presidents from the North Central and South Central areas shall be elected in the same calendar year beginning with the term 1978-81. 

A Vice President for Diversity Engagement shall be a member of the Association’s historically underrepresented groups, elected by the membership to serve a three-year term beginning in 1999. 

The Immediate Past President shall hold office for the period of one year following their term as President and is a voting member of the Executive Board. The Immediate Past President shall serve as chair of the Past Presidents’ Council and as chair of the Policy Committee. 

Section 7.  No elective officer shall serve in the same capacity for more than one consecutive full term.  Any Regional Vice President who has been or will be appointed to a one-year term as Regional Vice President shall be eligible to run for this office. 

Article V – Elections 

Section 1.  The election of the President-elect, Vice President for Diversity Engagement and Regional Vice Presidents to succeed those whose terms are expiring shall be conducted by sending a ballot to eligible voting members of the Association. 

Section 2.  The Regional Vice Presidents shall be elected only by members within their respective geographical areas. A resident of any state or a non-resident who is a member of the Association chapter in any state that had one of its members serving as a Regional Vice President for the immediately preceding term of office shall be ineligible for election as a Regional Vice President except as provided in Article IV, Section 7. 

Article VII – Committees 

Section 1.  Standing Committees engage in activities that are continuing in the program of the Association. With the exception of those specifically listed in this Article, they may be created or dissolved as the need indicates by the President, with the approval of the Executive Board. Chairpersons and members of standing committees shall be appointed by the President except as set forth in this Article, Section 1(a), (e), and (f). 

a) Executive Board Search Committee.  There shall be an Executive Board Search Committee comprised of seven Association members representing each of the seven Association regions, and at least one Association member from a historically underrepresented group. The Executive Board shall appoint the members of this committee and specify their terms of office. Each year the President-elect shall appoint one member to serve as their chair. The Executive Board Search Committee annually shall seek out and identify a slate of one or more candidates for each elected office that will become vacant the following year.

b) Audit Committee.  There shall be an Audit Committee of at least three members, comprised of Executive Board members and at least one NSPRA member-at-large. The Audit Committee shall prepare a report for inclusion in the association annual report. 

c) Election Tellers Committee.  There shall be an Election Tellers Committee of not fewer than three members in good standing who shall be responsible for certifying the results of all elections. Members shall be appointed only when an election is to be held. 

d) Accreditation Committee.  There shall be an Accreditation Committee consisting of accredited members of the Association. Members shall be appointed by the President with terms of office specified by the Executive Board. The President shall annually designate one member of the Committee as its chairperson. The Committee shall encourage all Association members to invest in their professional development by becoming accredited, thereby strengthening NSPRA and the public relations profession. 

e) Executive Committee.  There shall be an Executive Committee composed of the President, Present-elect and one member of the Executive Board elected by the Vice Presidents to serve in an official capacity with the Executive Director. 

f) Finance Committee.  The Executive Board shall elect a minimum of three of its members to serve on a Finance Committee, whose chair shall be the President-elect. The Committee shall review financial reports with the Executive Director prior to each Executive Board meeting, discuss the proposed budget prior to its annual adoption by the Executive Board, and meet with the Audit Committee at its Annual Meeting with the auditors. 

g) Policy Committee. The Executive Board shall elect three of its members to serve on a Policy Committee, one of whom will be the President-Elect. The Committee shall review the NSPRA Policy Manual to ensure conformity with practice, review NSPRA Bylaws for alignment with policies, recommend new policies and procedures, and respond to Executive Board or committee requests for changes to current policies. This committee will be chaired by the Immediate Past President. 

Article IX – Chapters 

NSPRA Chapters serve as a link between the Association and its members. Chapters shall be established to carry out programs and provide services which respond to members’ needs and reflect the mission and goals of the Association; to articulate the needs and concerns of members to the Executive Board; and to alert the Association to trending public relations topics and concerns. 

Article X – Amendments 

Section 1.  These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of members, provided the proposed amendments shall have been approved by the Executive Board or presented by petition of at least ten (10) percent of the members to the Executive Board for submission to the membership no later than thirty (30) days following the next regular meeting of the Executive Board. All amendments must be submitted to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to sending the ballot and must include the effective date of the amendment if different from that specified in Section 2 of this Article. 

Section 2.  Proposed amendments shall be published at least thirty (30) days before the ballots are sent to eligible voting members. Members shall have at least fifteen (15) working days from the date the ballot is sent in which to return their ballots. The Election Tellers Committee will meet to certify the results, which will be announced not later than thirty (30) days following the ballot deadline. The effective date of any amendment shall be thirty (30) days following the ballot deadline unless otherwise specified on the notice and the ballot containing the amendment.