Board Member Job Descriptions

The IALHA is governed by a Board of Directors of not fewer than twelve (12) and not more than twenty-four (24) persons consisting of:

• At least one (1) member but not more than two (2) members representing each of the IALHA’s geographic regions: 1-7.
• At least one (1) but not more than two (2) At-Large members representing the entire membership.
• The following officers: the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the IALHA Show Committee Chairperson.

Responsibilities

The job of the individual board member is to participate as part of the board team to accomplish the mission of the organization. The board member represents a particular community perspective to the organization and in turn, represents the association in the community, communicating news, events, goals and successes, etc.  Specific roles as described in our bylaws are listed below.  While participating as part of the board team, board members should:

• Believe in and actively support the mission of the organization.
• Attend and participate in board meetings, planning meetings, and assigned committee meetings.
• Prepare in advance for all meetings, and accomplish tasks and activities assigned or volunteer for in a timely manner.
• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, bylaws, policies, and the code of conduct/code of ethics.
• Accept the legal duties of loyalty and care while serving as a board member.
• Understand that all power rests with the full board, not individual board members.
• Support and abide by the decisions arrived at by the board.
• Share wisdom and insights to help the board make appropriate decisions and policies.
• Remain actively engaged and bring knowledge of the community and constituents to the board’s deliberations.
• Be an advocate to the community and constituents for programs and board decisions.
• Play a consultative role by sharing expertise with management when requested.
• Seek opportunities to expand knowledge about the organization.
• Regularly self-evaluate personal performance on the board and determine needs for improvement.
• Resign from the board when no longer able to support the mission or devote the necessary time to be a good board member.

Qualifications

To hold office, a person must be a Full Member in good standing at the time of his/her nomination and through his/her tenure. He/she must be nineteen (19) years of age at the time of his/her nomination. He/she must own an IALHA registered purebred horse (officers, registry board member, audit board member) or either an IALHA registered purebred or half-bred (regional directors, at-large directors) at the time of nomination.

No individual may stand for election for more than one (1) elected position in any one (1) election. No individual may hold more than one (1) elected position within the Association at any time.

No person may serve on the Board if that person is currently serving, as a voting member, on the board of any other association or organization that has purposes that are in conflict with the welfare of the IALHA as determined by the Board of Directors.

President

Candidates for President shall have served at least twelve (12) consecutive months on the Board of Directors within the previous two (2) years prior to assuming office.

The President is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of this Association and will, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, supervise and control the affairs of the Corporation. The President shall sign all contracts and obligations under the approval and supervision of the Board of Directors and perform all other such duties as required by the Board of Directors. The President shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors and all duties incumbent upon the office of the presidency.

The President shall have voting rights on the Executive Committee. The President shall vote on the Board of Directors only to make a tie, break a tie, or in votes cast by secret ballot. The President shall be an advisory member, without a vote, of all committees having the authority of the Board, as defined in these bylaws.

At the conclusion of the President’s term, the President shall take the position of Past President. He or she shall serve in the capacity of Past President for a term of one (1) year. The Past President shall serve as an advisory member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors and shall have no voting rights as Past President.

Vice President

Candidates for Vice President shall have served at least twelve (12) consecutive months on the Board of Directors within the previous two (2) years prior to assuming office. The Vice President shall serve a term of one (1) year.

The Vice President shall assist the President in the following manner: Arrange the logistics of meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Membership. The Vice President shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors or the President and all duties incumbent upon the office of the Vice President.

The Vice President shall have voting rights on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. The Vice President shall perform all duties and exercise all powers of the President when the President is absent or is otherwise unable to act. If the Vice President temporarily assumes the position of the President, as stated herein, he or she, while serving in that capacity, assumes the same voting rights of the President.

Secretary

The Secretary shall have no requirement of prior service on the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall serve a term of one (1) year. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all the meetings of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and meetings of the membership. The Secretary shall ensure the minutes are published within fourteen (14) days of approval by the body for which the minutes pertain. The Secretary shall forward the draft minutes of Executive Committee meetings to the Directors within seven (7) days. Draft minutes shall be sent by email, facsimile, or other electronic means.

The Secretary shall be the custodian of the corporate records, shall ensure all notices are given as are required by law or by the IALHA’s Bylaws, shall ensure the maintenance of a list of all members in alphabetical order, and generally shall perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may be required by law, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by the Bylaws, or which may be assigned from time to time by the Board of Directors.

The Secretary shall have full voting rights on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.

Treasurer

Candidates for Treasurer shall have served at least twelve (12) consecutive months on the Board of Directors within the previous five (5) years prior to assuming office. The Treasurer shall serve a term of two (2) years. The term shall be staggered from the term of the President.

The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of all funds of the Association, shall ensure the funds are deposited, as required by the Board of Directors, shall ensure the maintenance of adequate and correct accounts of the Association’s accounts and business transactions, shall ensure that reports and accountings are delivered to the Board of Directors, and shall perform in general all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as may be required by law, by the Articles of Incorporation, by the Bylaws, or as may be assigned from time to time by the Board of Directors.

The Treasurer shall report in writing a balance sheet, profit-loss statement, and a cash flow statement through the accounting period ending immediately prior to each Board of Directors’ meeting. The Treasurer shall present, at the Annual General Meeting, financial reports, including a balance sheet, profit-loss statement, and cash flow statement, for the first three (3) calendar quarters prior to each Annual General Meeting, and audited financial reports, including a balance sheet, a profit-loss statement, and a cash flow statement, for the previous fiscal year.

The Treasurer shall sit as the Finance Committee Chairperson.

The Treasurer shall have full voting rights on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.

IALHA Show Chair

IALHA Show Committee Chair shall have served at least twelve (12) consecutive months on the Show Committee within the previous five years prior to assuming office. He or she shall have no requirement of prior service on the Board of Directors. Any past Show Committee Chair may be elected to the position without having served on the Show Committee within the five (5) years previous to him or her assuming office.

The IALHA Show Chair shall serve a term of one (1) year.

The IALHA Show Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for all IALHA Show Committee activities. The IALHA Show Chair shall personally supervise the planning and administration of the National Show. The IALHA Show Chair shall have full voting rights on the Board of Directors.

Registrar

The Registrar shall have served on the Registry Board within the previous five (5) years prior to assuming office. He or she shall have no requirement of prior service on the Board of Directors. Any past Registrar may be elected to the position without having served on the Registry Board within the five (5) years previous to him or her assuming office. The Registrar shall serve a term of three (3) years.

The Registrar shall serve as the Chair of the Registry Board. The Registrar shall be responsible for all Registry processing and documentation. The Registrar shall provide a quarterly summary report of Registry activity to the Board of Directors and he or she, or his/her designee shall be available for questions during the quarterly Regular Board of Directors’ meetings.

In collaboration with the Executive Committee, the Registrar oversees and coordinates the work of registry staff in the Birmingham office.

The Registrar shall have full voting rights on the Executive Committee.

Regional and At-Large Directors

A Director must be a Full Member at the time of his/her nomination and maintain his or her full membership, in good standing, throughout the election cycle and his or her tenure as an elected director.  If a Director fails to maintain his or her full membership, in good standing, he or she shall be subject to removal as described in the Articles of Incorporation. The vacancy shall be filled as provided by the Bylaws. Regional and At-Large Directors shall serve a two-year term.

Each candidate to the Board of Directors shall have attained the age of nineteen (19) years by the time of his or her nomination.

A Director representing a geographic region shall own an IALHA registered Purebred or half-bred horse at the time of his or her nomination.

A Director representing a geographic region must maintain his or her residency, as defined by state law of said director, in the region for which he or she was elected or appointed.

Registry Board Member

Members of the Registry Board serve a three (3) year term, with one member rotating off each year.

The responsibilities of the Registry Board are to preserve, protect, and manage the Registry of the IALHA and to verify the purity of all horses in The Purebred Registry and the purity of the Purebred Andalusian parent of each Half-Andalusian submitted for inclusion in the Half-Andalusian Registry. The Registry Board, directly and through the Registry staff, shall be solely responsible for tracing all horse registrations to be included in The Purebred Registry and the Half-Andalusian Registry. The Registry Board will make the final decision on all certification of horses to be included in The Purebred or Half-Andalusian Registries.

Audit Board Member

The Audit Board consists of three (3) elected members. Each member of the Audit Board must be a Full Member in good standing of the Association at the time of his or her election and for the remainder of his or her full term. All candidates for election to the Audit Board shall have attained the age of nineteen (19) by the date of the election. No Audit Board member may be a director or officer of the Association during his/her term on the Audit Board. No Audit Board member may have any other financial responsibilities on behalf of the Association during his or her term on the Audit Board. Members of the Audit Board serve a one (1) year term.

The Audit Board shall select a Chair from amongst themselves. The Chair shall report the findings of the Audit Board to the Board of Directors at least fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The Audit Board shall either directly perform or oversee the work of an independent auditor who performs, audit duties on the financial statements of the Association. Unless an independent auditor is contracted for the work of the audit, at least one member of the Audit Board will visit the Offices of the Corporation to conduct or oversee the in situ work of the audit.

Authority

Individual board members have no power except that granted by the full board through the bylaws, board policy, or by resolution of the full board. All power of the board is a joint and collective power, which exists only when the board is acting together as one body.