AAEES Board of Trustees Nominations

Part of our five-year outcome statement is to tell the stories of environmental leaders to grow, connect, and diversify the environmental profession.  Click here to access the AAEES Five-Year Strategic Plan, Bylaws, Policies and Procedure, and other guiding documents of AAEES.

The Nominating Committee is chaired by the most recent available Past President.  It is the responsibility of this committee to identify candidates for Vice President and Trustee-at-Large that meet requirements as specified below.  

Academy elections are held annually to elect a Vice President and two Trustees-at-Large.

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Time commitment includes, at minimum:

• Quarterly Board of Trustees Meetings (approximately 3 hours) (Zoom and/or in person)
• Annual Academy Convocation and Celebration of Excellence (approximately 3 hours) (Zoom and/or in person)
• Bi-weekly, hour long meetings (Zoom)
• Participation in committee meetings, generally an hour long.  Varies from bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

Vice President

The Vice President is elected annually and shall be offered as the candidate for election to the position of President-Elect in the subsequent year.

Duties

The Vice President shall carry out the following duties: 

• Assist the President and President-Elect in carrying out the duties of their Offices. 
• Act in place of the President and/or President-Elect when necessary. 
• Serve as ex-officio member and BOT liaison on the Engineering Education Committee. 
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the President or the BOT. 

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates for Vice President shall have served at least one term as either a Trustee, a chairperson of an Academy committee or as the Treasurer.

Term

The terms of office for Vice President shall be one year; shall coincide with the Academy’s fiscal year; and shall begin on January 1 of the fiscal year immediately following the annual meeting of the BOT in which they are inducted into office. Those serving in these officer positions may serve one additional consecutive one-year term, provided he or she is nominated and elected.

Trustee-at-Large

Duties

It is common practice for for-profit and not-for profit organizations to be governed by policy groups commonly referred to as boards. For-profit organizations (both private and public held) governing groups are perhaps most frequently referred to as a Board of Directors and the stockholders elect the directors. Public held organizations normally look for financial and management skills that can best be productive contributors in the governance of the for-profit organization. The same is essentially true in many not-for-profit organizations, especially foundations and charities, with needs for the same skills. Usually though since there are no stockholders, the existing Boards select individuals to serve as a directors who have a measurable interest in the organization. The term trustee, rather than director, is used most often for scientific, benevolent, educational and charitable organizations. 

The Academy is a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees (BOT). While the reasons for the founding group chose trustees rather than directors is not known. A safe assumption is that the manner in which the Academy came into being may have been a determining factor. Founded by the engineering societies in America, these societies may have viewed the establishment of the Academy as an organization that they were “entrusting” certain aspects of their engineering interests to a third party. The selection of trustees, rather than directors, is interesting; there are several definitions for a trustee. Trustee – a person appointed to administer the affairs of a company, institution, etc., or a person elected to hold custody and to provide for the care of an organization. These definitions suggest more than just a casual investment by a trustee in the workings of the organization that has been entrusted to their care. This may also explain why there has been so much reliance placed on the Executive Committee to manage the organization. 

A very unique governance arrangement in the Academy is the composition of the BOT. There are Trustees-at-Large elected by the members and then there are Sponsoring Organization Trustees selected by the organizations that have a vested interest in the quality and quantity of environmental engineers working in America. The engineering societies that founded the Academy are also, to a great degree, the Sponsoring Organizations and the significance of this is sometime lost for these organizations as well as the Academy. 

So, the Academy has two representative groups on the BOT, one for the members of the Academy and one for the founders of the Academy. And finally, there is a third group on the BOT, the Officer Corps elected by the members to serve as an executive and to also represent both of these groups. And as it typical of any board, regardless of how the members got to the table, a fiduciary responsibility for the well-being of the Academy is a responsibility of every member of the BOT. 

With this background in mind, the following responsibilities for the Trustees of the Academy are established. 

Definitions 

Definitions pertinent to this policy are: 

• Administer – to direct or manage (affairs, a government, etc.); have executive charge of. 
• Agent – a person, or business, authorized to act on another’s (individual or business) behalf. 
• Authority – the power to determine, to control, command, or determine. 
• Corporation – an association of individuals created by law and having an existence apart from that of its members as well as distinct and inherent powers and liabilities. 
• Director – one of a group of persons chosen to control or govern the affairs or a company, corporation, or organization. 
• Duty - something that someone is expected or required to do by moral and/or legal obligation. 
• Fiduciary – a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another. 
• Incorporate – to form a legal corporation. 
• Liable – legally responsible. 
• Liability – liabilities as detailed on a balance sheet, or for actions taken in regard to an individual’s worth. 
• Power – legal ability, capacity or authority. 
• Responsibility - accountable, as for something within one’s power. 
• Stewardship – the caring for the affairs of an organization. 
• Trustee – a person appointed to administer the affairs of a company, institution, etc.; a person elected to hold custody and provide for the care of an organization. 

POLICY/PROCEDURES

1. It is the duty of all Trustees to embrace and support the Vision Statement of the Academy. 
2. It is the duty of all Trustees to embrace and support the Mission of the Academy. 
3. It is the duty of all Trustees to support and see that the primary objectives of the Academy are implemented successfully. 
4. It is the duty of all Trustees to act as Stewards of the Academy on behalf of the membership. 
5. It is the duty of all Trustees to abide by the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures of the Academy and to ensure that they are implemented in a manner that best serves the membership. 
6. It is the duty of all Trustees to support the development and growth of all categories of members of the Academy. 
7. It is the duty of all Trustees, as members of the BOT, to protect the rights and benefits of the membership. 
8. It is the duty of all Trustees to serve faithfully in any capacity assigned to them by the President of the Academy or the BOT. 
9. It is the duty of all Trustees to exercise their fiduciary responsibility in the exercise of the powers granted to them, as members of the BOT, as specified in Section 3.1 (See Appendix 3-1.1) of the Academy Bylaws. 
10. It is the duty of all Trustees, as members of the BOT, to oversee that the execution of the authorities delegated to the Executive Committee by the BOT are exercised in such a manner to protect the rights and benefits of the membership. 
11. It is the duty of all Trustees to direct that the financial practice of the Academy follows best accounting and financial management practices, that they are done transparently, and are committed to the financial health and well-being of the Academy. 
12. It is the duty of all Trustees to prepare for and attend meetings of the BOT, to participate actively in the meetings to exercise their fiduciary responsibilities, and to make their decisions on what is best for the good of the Academy. 
13. It the duty of all Trustees to accept and comply with the standards of conduct established by AAEES. 

The following guidance is provided for Trustees: 

• Trustees must perform his or her duties, including duties as a member of any committee, working group and state representative, in good faith, in a manner the member reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the Academy, and with such care, including reasonable inquiry, as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. 
• In performing these duties, Trustees are entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, prepared or presented by: 
•  Another Academy member or an Academy employee, whom the member reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented, 
• An attorney, accountant or other person as to matters that individual believes to be within that person's professional or expert competence, 
• A committee, working group or state representative of the Academy on which the member does not serve, as to matters within its designated authority, which committee the member reasonably believes to merit confidence, and 
• Provided, in each situation, the Academy member acts in good faith, after reasonable inquiry when the need therefore is indicated by the circumstances and without knowledge that would cause such reliance to be unwarranted. 
• Trustees must devote sufficient time and energy to become familiar with Association matters, must participate actively, must review available informational materials, and must make special inquiry whenever information is insufficient. 
• Trustee are obliged to wisely and prudently manage the assets and funds of the Academy in keeping with its purposes and to assure that books and records are accurate and complete and required reports are filed on time. 

Goals and Objectives 

Goals 

The goal of all Trustees is to serve in such a manner that at the end of their time of service that the Academy is a better organization than when they began to serve as a Trustee. 

Objectives 

1. To take the time to study and understand the vision statement, mission and objectives of the Academy. 
2. To apply what is learned from the study of the vision statement, mission and objectives of the Academy in such a way as to bring honor to the time served as a Trustee and to reach the goal stated above. 
3. To take the time to learn the basic facts of the governance provided by the Bylaws and the “get the work done” intent of the Policies and Procedures Manual. 
4. To be a valued and contributing member of the BOT. 
5. In the case of the Sponsoring Organizations Trustees to serve the interest of the organization in a manner to build a valued partnership between their organization and the Academy. 
6. To support the Officers, Executive Director and Academy Staff in the conduct of their responsibilities to the Academy. 

Recommended Implementation Procedures 

Implementation is accomplished through attendance to BOT meetings, meaningful contributory work on committees and assisting in the planning and active participation in the annual work plans of the Academy. 

Eligibility Requirements

• Been board certified for a minimum of five years
• Has served on and been a contributing member of an Academy Committee or Working Group

Term