ZRA News
ZRA 2011 Leadership Development Program
August 08, 2011 Leadership Development Program2011 ZRA Annual Conference
Wednesday, 05 October 2011
Reviewing and Understanding ZRA Bylaws and Empowering the Spirit of Democracy
In 2007-2008 ZRA underwent a Bylaws revision. In 2009 and 2010 several amendments were implemented. As with any governance document ZRA needed to live with the Bylaws for a period of time to determine how well the Bylaws were working to support the Association and protect members’ rights. We are proceeding with the process of amending our Bylaws because it is important for ZRA members to continue to determine what rules they can all agree with and abide by and continue to allow members to make changes. These rules ensure continuity and stability during times of growth and change. All Committee Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen are required to attend. Please remember to check the Leadership Development Program box when registering for the ZRA Annual Conference. This allows for an accurate headcount for meals and breaks during the program.
This year continued to highlight the need of all members, especially those in leadership positions to know and fully understand the amended Bylaws. Some Bylaws were not working as intended, some Bylaws seemed to be in conflict and others were not entirely clear to their content or intent.
As part of furthering the development of ZRA Members and Leaders, the ZRA Board of Directors has expressed the wish to OPEN the 2011 Leadership Development Program to ALL Members who are interested in personal growth and development, or in becoming more involved with ZRA, by offering this hands-on workshop focusing on bylaws and fundamental governance with time designed to EMPOWER members to speak to issues effectively. There will be instruction on committee report presentations, and there will be time to have discussions about fixing what isn’t working in our Association.
Prior to the ZRA Leadership Program each member who has signed-up will be asked to review the Bylaws and develop a list of Bylaws that they need clarification on or find problematic. These targeted lists will be forwarded to Janet McConnell, RP, before the Program. It is recommended that the committees compare the Bylaws with each committee’s standing rules and operating procedures to determine any conflicts or amendment needs. This information will provide a basis for discussion when those problematic bylaws are reached in the review process. Although Bylaws and COPE amendments are due to the Bylaws and Ethics Committees by 8 September 2011, this exercise and work can be useful for understanding how to go about amending bylaws identified as problematic.
Our Leadership Development Program will begin with a speaker to address Strategic Planning, another topic for discussion by membership this year as we plan to move ahead with the next four-year plan. We are looking for a broad range of member input in order to take this Association in the direction that the members agree they want it to go.
I encourage all ZRA Members to sign-up for the Leadership Development Program to expand your knowledge and EMPOWER yourself.
Pam Krentz, ZRA President
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