Governing the New PPAG 

Dear PPAG Members and Friends,

In the 30 year history of PPAG, the association has undergone four bylaw revisions. As PPAG has changed and grown, previous Boards have felt it necessary to amend the bylaws accordingly. Once again, we find ourselves evolving. The New PPAG is dedicated to providing opportunities for members to participate and lead the association. We feel that revising and streamlining our bylaws to provide members with direct representation is necessary. In the latest revision, we have accomplished two important things:

1. Simplified and streamlined our bylaws to be more consistent with association standards.

2. Provided membership with the opportunity to directly elect their executive leadership (President-elect, Treasurer, and Secretary).

Simplification of our Bylaws

According to the Association Law Handbook, Bylaws “are used to establish the general organization, and management of the entity needed to achieve corporate existence.” Bylaws provide a broad stroke of the fundamental provisions. After reviewing the Handbook and the bylaws of similar associations, we’ve discovered that our bylaws have described specific policies and procedures more appropriately placed in a Manual of Policies and Procedures. The manual shall provide an administrative guide and a compilation of Board resolutions. For instance, rather than describing the specific procedure in detail for appointing Committee Chairs, the bylaws should simply state that the Board has the authority to appoint Committee Chairs. The appointment process followed should be contained in a separate Policies and Procedures document maintained by PPAG. We are currently working on compiling this Manual and it will be posted on the PPAG website. Policies contained therein will be reviewed after 1-3 years, depending on the policy.

Currently, the standing Committees of PPAG are lead by “Vice Presidents.” Under the revised bylaws, the leaders of Committees shall be referred to as “Committee Chair.” Again, this reflects association standards of governance. Under each standing Committee, sub-committees and ad-hoc task force groups can be formed. The leader of these groups shall be referred to as “Chair,” as well.

Election of Executive Leadership

Currently, PPAG’s leadership is appointed by the Board from members the Board. The membership of the organization does not directly elect the leadership of the organization. We feel this structure is inconsistent with our organizational purpose, mission and values. From a practical perspective, the structure forces individuals that have completed just one year of Board service to become Chair-elect. It is from a humble perspective that the Board amends this process. Now, our President-elect, treasurer, and secretary shall be required to serve one term on the Board. This process will allow potential leaders more time to learn and grow into executive leadership positions. We also believe this will help provide a more mature “institutional” memory for PPAG. Continuity of the Board’s vision and goals is important and difficult to achieve within the current structure.

This summer we will send out a Call for Nominations for the election of officers and at-large directors. The election will take place in the fall.

Final Thoughts: Things NOT motivating the changes

Many organizations, including PPAG, have dealt with financial and other organizational challenges by changing the organizational structure (or bylaws). We do not believe that structural changes will “rescue” PPAG from the current economic climate. However, we do believe that good governance is vitally important to our success. A structure consistent with our values, specifically in the benefits of collaboration and the importance of our experience as members, will indirectly position us to achieve and grow into the future.

We invite you to comment on the new bylaws [Click here to download]. Please feel free to email me at mchriste@uthsc.eduif you have any comments, concerns, or suggestions. We appreciate the time and energy you have given PPAG. Together, we will build the New PPAG.

Sincerely,

Michael Christensen, PharmD, Chair of the Board