EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ROLES

Understanding the MSLHA Executive Council

The MSLHA Executive Council (EC) is made up of elected offices and committees to promote the needs and interests of the Maine Speech Language Hearing Association. The people who hold these positions are simply regular MSLHA members who are willing to donate their time to our organization. However, a question that the EC gets asked all the time is “What do you guys do?” Keep reading to have this and other common questions answered!

1. What are the elected offices?

2. When are they elected?

-President-Elect: Annually
-Treasurer: On even number years starting with 1990
-Secretary: On odd-number years starting with 1991
-Membership Chair: On odd-number years starting with 1991
-Continuing Education Committee: One co-chair is elected each year

• All elected officers participate in the Spring Retreat after they are elected and then officially begin their positions on July 1^st

3. What are the responsibilities of the officers?

The following is a general description of the overall role of each office as well as examples of their responsibilities. For a complete picture, please review the By-Law Article V (Organization) found on the MSLHA website.

• President
  

  The EC President is essentially the director of the EC, making sure it runs smoothly and the other members are fulfilling their duties. They do this by
  -Preparing the agendas and running the EC meetings (at least 6 meetings are held yearly)
  -Appointing committee members and their chairs
  -Working with the Treasurer in preparing the annual budget
  -Being an advisor for the EC for a year after his/her term is done (Past President)

• President-Elect

  For the President-Elect, the first year focuses on learning how to step into the role of President and assisting the committees and their projects. Part of the responsibilities include
  -Assisting the President in all MSLHA activities
  -Working with several committees including Continuing Education, Audiology, Clinical Services, School Practice, and Membership Development
  -Assuming the role of President following a year as President-Elect

• Past-President

  The Past-President’s role starts following a year as President-Elect and a year as President. Their advisory role includes
  -Assisting the Legislative Action Committee and Communications Committee
  -Running the annual elections
  -Helping increase public awareness of the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology
  -Serving as President in the event of vacancy of the position

• Secretary

  The Secretary helps keep MSLHA organized and makes sure its members stay informed by
  -Sending the EC meeting agenda (created by the President) to all the EC members
  -Keeping detailed minutes of all EC meetings and making them available to all MSLHA members
  -Keeping an updated version of the Bylaws
  -Maintaining an organized archive of the Association’s papers and publications

• Treasurer

  The Treasurer helps MSLHA stay on top of its financial obligations by
  -Developing an annual budget (from July 1 to June 30) to be approved by the EC
  -Signing checks for MSLHA
  -Paying bills and keeping records of all financial transactions
  -Making sure these records are available for a review or audit
  -Working with a professional accounting firm to administer MSLHA’s financial matters

• Membership Development Chair

  The Membership Chair is the go-to person for SLPs who want to join MSLHA. This is a very important position because without members, there would be no MSLHA. Part of the responsibilities include
  -Receiving applications and keeping a record of all current and past MSLHA members
  -Communicating information about dues to all MSLHA members
  -Publishing an annual membership directory
  -Recruiting members for appointments to committees

• Continuing Education Committee (3 members)

  The members of this committee plan and take the lead role during MSLHA conferences. This includes
  -Surveying members annually for their continuing education needs
  -Coordinating the activities and programs involved in MSLHA’s conferences
  -Having one senior Chair, one junior Chair, and one new committee member each year

4. What are the MSLHA Committees?

The MSLHA Executive Council is also made up of seven standing committees with each committee member appointed by the President. Each group provides a report at each EC meeting, helps keep the MSLHA website updated on their specific area of interest, and addresses specific questions and issues of MSLHA members. Below is a basic description of each committee and more examples of what they do. For a more complete description, please review the By-Law Article IX (Commitees).

• The Legislative Action Committee
  As with all committees and positions, the Legislative Committee plays a vital role in MSLHA as it is at the forefront of legislative actions made by our local, state, and federal government. This includes
  -Staying current on legislative issues that affect MSLHA members
  -Increasing MSLHA’s influence on legislation and policies that affect MSLHA members
  - Promoting the professionalism and quality of services given by the MSLHA members
• The Audiology Committee
  This committee addresses issues related to both speech-language pathologists and audiologists by
  -Carrying out actions approved by the EC that affect the profession of Audiology
  -Making recommendations to the EC on specific positions for MSLHA to take to improve services given to individuals with speech, language, and hearing disabilities
• The School Practice Committee
  For SLPs in schools, this committee addresses services and issues that are important to them by
  -Being a resource for SLPs working in schools
  -Staying updated on current issues affecting SLPs in schools
  -Giving recommendations to the EC on actions to take related to school practices
• The Communications Committee
  This committee helps facilitate communication between the EC and MSLHA members and well as between MSLHA and the general public. This committee does this by
  -Increasing public awareness concerning the actions and interests of MSLHA
  -Keeping the MSLHA website updated with information obtained from the EC committees and elected offices
• The Clinical Services Committee
  This committee specifically addresses areas of interest of professionals in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and private practice. Some of their duties include
  -Evaluating issues that may impact services MSLHA members provide in clinical settings
  -Making recommendations to the EC on actions to take to improve services and practices of SLPs and audiologists in clinical settings
• The Membership Development Committee
  The Membership Committee is led by the elected Membership Chair to promote MSLHA membership. They do this by
  -Organizing an annual Association Membership Campaign to recruit new members
  -Publishing a yearly membership directory
  -Developing activities to promote member participation in MSLHA
• The Continuing Education Committee
  This committee provides one of the most obvious benefits for MSLHA member- they plan and organize MSLHA conferences. Their duties include
  -Gathering information from MSLHA members about their continuing education interests and needs
  -Recruiting presenters and organizing the logistics of the MSLHA conferences
  -Providing the CEU paperwork for conference participants
  -Recruiting vendors for the conferences