BYLAWS
Of Alexander Technique International
About
ATI 
The ATI Bylaws
The ATI Code of Ethics
Membership
Sponsorship
Bylaws Of Alexander Technique International
October 22, 2001; Ratified May 31, 1992, revised November 7, 1993, November 6, 1994, November, 2005.
I. NAME
I.1. The name of the organization shall be "Alexander Technique International" (herein referred to as ATI).
II. PURPOSE
II.1. The purpose of ATI is to promote and advance the F. Matthias Alexander Technique and to disseminate information among its members and to the public.
III. MEMBERSHIP
III.1. Any person who supports the purpose of ATI as set out
in
these Bylaws and who pays the dues as set by the Executive Board may be
a member of ATI.
III.2. ATI membership dues are to be paid annually at the beginning of
the fiscal year (January 1). The amount of dues may be changed by the
Board, but any change in the dues structure must be approved by the
membership.
III.2.1. Dues for the period ending Dec. 31, 1992 are US $50. [see Membership for current dues]
III.3. Members more than ninety (90) days in arrears shall be dropped from the membership roll.
III.4. Any person who wishes to terminate membership in ATI may do so by notifying the Executive Secretary in writing.
III.5. TEACHING MEMBERS
III.5.1. In order to be designated as a Teaching Member of ATI a member must have the following on file with the executive secretary:
a) a signed copy of the current ATI Code of Ethics.
b) a description of training, other relevant professional credentials, and specialized teaching experience, for informational purposes.
c) one of the following:i) letters of sponsorship from three Sponsoring Members as defined in section III.6
ii) a copy of a teaching certificate granted by any professional Alexander Technique organization recognized by a majority vote of the membership
iii) is a Teaching Member of ATI before November 7 1993 (with all relevant documentation filed with the Executive Secretary before June 10 1994)III.5.2. Any member who becomes a Teaching Member through section III.5.1.c.i. above shall be granted an ATI Teaching Certificate.
III.5.3. All Teaching Members of ATI are committed to the professional development process outlined in section X.7.
IV. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
IV.1. The purpose of the Executive Board is to act for the membership of ATI when needed between Annual General Meetings to advance and further the purposes and objectives of Alexander Technique International.
IV.2. The Executive Board (hereafter referred to as the "Board") shall consist of the Officers listed in section VI and Directors as described in section VII.
IV.2.1 The number of Board members may be increased in increments of two Directors.
IV.2.2 Any increase in the number of Board members must be voted on by the members at the Annual General Meeting.
IV.2.3. All Director positions created by IV.2.1 above will be filled by means of a mail-in ballot.
IV.3. Each Board member shall serve as a liaison to at least one committee, so that each committee shall have a Board liaison member except the Nominations committee.
IV.4. Meetings of the Board will be held at such times and places as designated by the Chair of ATI. Special meetings of the Board can be called by the written request of three of the Board members.
IV.5. The Board shall meet by telecommunications or in person at least once every two months. The Board shall meet in person at the AGM.
IV.6. No Officer or Director shall receive compensation for their service on the Board of ATI.
IV.7. Vacancies in the Board shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining Officers and Directors then in office even if such number is less than a quorum for the conduct of Board business or by the sole remaining Officer or Director.
IV.8. All Officers and Directors who become Board members by the above paragraph shall serve until the next Annual General Meeting of ATI by which time a person(s) shall be elected by mail-in ballot to serve the remainder of the original term(s)
V. POWERS OF THE BOARD
V.1. All corporate powers of ATI shall be controlled by the Executive Board according to the Articles of Incorporation, the Bylaws of ATI and the laws of the State of Maryland. All decisions regarding ATI by the Board shall be decided by a majority vote.
V.2. Without limiting the general powers the Board shall have the following powers and duties:
V.2.1. To select and remove all agents and employees of ATI, to prescribe powers and duties for such agents and employees as in accordance with the law and the goals and objectives of ATI.
V.2.2 To fix the compensation of such persons and acquire from them security for faithful service.
V.2.3. To conduct, manage and control the affairs and business of ATI.
V.2.4. To make policy and promulgate rules and regulations to facilitate ATI's goals and objectives, and reasonable methods of operation and self-governance.
V.2.5. To borrow money and incur indebtedness for the purposes of ATI and for that purpose to cause to be executed debentures, deeds of trust mortgages, pledges, hypothecations or evidence of debt, and securities.
V.3. A quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of the Board.
V.4. The Board may take action without a formal meeting if all the members of the Board individually or collectively consent to such in writing. This written consent shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board.
VI. OFFICERS
VI.1. ATI shall have five officers: Chair, Assistant Chair, Executive Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by ATI.
VI.2. Officers will be elected by ballot for terms of two years by the membership of ATI by mail-in ballot.
VI.2.1. Terms shall begin at the close of business of the Annual General Meeting in which elections were held and continue through to the close of business of the second Annual General Meeting following the election.
VI.2.2. Outgoing Officers shall remain in service as consultants to the newly elected Officers until January 1 following the elections, except for the outgoing Chair who shall remain ex-officio for one year.
VI.2.3. Three of the five officers elected at the first membership meeting of ATI shall serve until the close of the third Annual General Meeting following their election.
VI.3. Members may hold only one office at a time and serve no more than two consecutive terms.
VI.4. An officer may resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Chair or the Executive Secretary.
VI.5. An officer may be removed by 4/5th majority vote of the Board. Due process must be given before the Board votes on the removal of the officer.
VI.6. An officer may be removed by a majority mail-call-vote of the entire membership.
VII. DIRECTORS
VII.1 The Executive Board of ATI may have Directors as designated in IV.2. Directors shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by ATI.
VII.1.1. each Director shall serve as liaison to a committee and/or project as specified by the Board.
VII.2. Directors will be elected by ballot for terms of two years by the membership of ATI by mail-in ballot.
VII.2.1. Terms shall begin at the close of business of the Annual General Meeting in which elections were held and continue through to the close of business of the second Annual General Meeting following the election.
VII.2.2. Outgoing Directors shall remain in service as consultants to the newly elected Directors until January 1 following the elections.
VII.3. Members may hold only one Director position at a time and serve no more than two consecutive terms.
VII.4. A Director may resign at any time by giving written notice of resignation to the Chair or Executive Secretary.
VII.5. A Director may be removed by 4/5th majority vote of the Board. Due process must be given before the Board votes on the removal of the Director.
VII.6. A Director may be removed by a majority mail-call-vote of the entire membership.
VIII. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
VIII.1. THE CHAIR
VIII.1.1. Shall preside at all meetings of the membership and of the Board.
VIII.1.2. Shall be responsible for general supervision of the affairs of ATI.
VIII.1.3. Shall keep the Executive Board fully informed of the business of the organization and shall freely consult with them concerning the activities of ATI.VIII.1.4. Shall have the power to sign alone in the name of ATI all contracts authorized by the Board, unless the Board specifically requires an additional signature(s) on any such contracts.
VIII.1.5. Shall perform any other duties assigned to the Chair by the Board from time to time.
VIII.2. THE ASSISTANT CHAIR
VIII.2.1. Shall assist the Chair in fulfilling the duties of Chair enumerated above with the exception of V.1.1.
VIII.2.2. In the absence or disability of the Chair the Assistant Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair and when so acting shall have the powers and responsibilities of the Chair.
VIII.2.3. In the event the Chair resigns or is unable to complete the term the Assistant Chair shall assume the office of Chair.
VIII.2.4. The Executive Board shall appoint a person to serve until the close of next Annual General Meeting any office left open by the Assistant Chair becoming Chair.
VIII.3. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
VIII.3.1. Shall be responsible for the recording of business at the Annual General Meeting, meetings of the Board, and maintaining a record of all proceedings of ATI in general.
VIII.3.2. Shall keep the Board informed of all pending items of business.
VIII.3.3. May designate an ad hoc Secretary at individual meetings to record the business of such meetings and submit those minutes to the Secretary for certification and placement in the records of ATI.
VIII.3.4. Shall make the minutes of any meeting available upon request to the member of ATI within thirty (30) days of the adjournment of the meeting.
VIII.3.5. Shall perform any other duties that may be assigned by the Board from time to time.
VIII.4. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
VIII.4.1. Shall be responsible for all the official external correspondence of ATI.
VIII.5. THE TREASURER
VIII.5.1. Shall keep and maintain adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions of ATI including accounts of ATI's assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements and gains and losses.
VIII.5.2. Shall maintain all records necessary for verification of the financial condition of ATI.
VIII.5.3. Shall report the financial condition and current fiscal activities at each meeting of the Board.
VIII.5.4. Shall be responsible for filing all appropriate financial reports and forms according to local, state and federal laws.
VIII.5.5. Shall have the authority to sign all checks for disbursements.
VIII.5.6. Shall supervise deposit of all moneys in the credit of ATI in such depositories as may be designated by the Board.
VIII.5.7. Shall see that the books are audited once a year.
VIII.5.8. Shall be board liaison to the membership committee.
VIII.5.9. Shall perform any other duties that may be assigned by the Board from time to time.
IX. MEETINGS OF THE MEMBERSHIP
IX.1. The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held the first weekend of November each year unless another date is set by the Board and the members notified at least thirty days in advance.
IX.2. Notice of the Annual General Meeting must be sent to all members no fewer than forty-five (45) days before the Annual General Meeting.
IX.3. Twenty-one members of ATI shall constitute a quorum at the Annual General Meeting.
IX.4. The Annual General membership meeting shall be held no fewer than forty (40) nor more than sixty (60) weeks after the previous Annual General membership meeting.
IX.5. Every member in good standing is entitled to one vote at a meeting of members, where voting is the means of decision making used. A member is determined to be in good standing (paid their dues) by the chair of the membership Committee and this information must be received by the Executive Secretary and the chair of the Nominations Committee seven days before the Annual General Meeting or the counting of mail-in ballots.
IX.5.1. Members may authorize another person or persons to act for them by proxy.
IX.5.2. Every proxy must be signed by the member and presented to the Executive Secretary for validation.
IX.5.3. Proxies are valid only on the dates specified on the proxy.IX.5.4. A proxy is revocable at the pleasure of the member executing the proxy.
IX.5.5. A member may hold up to ten proxies provided that no more than five proxies are authorized by members who reside in the country in which the membership meeting is held.
IX.6. A Special General Meeting of the Association may be called whenever the Executive Board deems it to be necessary and shall be called on the requisition in writing of at least twenty-one members or ten percent (10%)of the membership, whichever is greater.
IX.6.1. A requisitioned Special General Meeting shall be called for a date not later than six weeks after the receipt of the requisition. Notice of the matters to be discussed or the motions to be moved at the Special General meeting shall be given by the members requiring the meeting in the requisition to the Executive Board and in every case not less than fourteen days notice shall be given to the membership of the convening of the Special General Meeting and the agenda thereof.
IX.6.2. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the members of ATI shall constitute a quorum at the Special General Meeting.
IX.6.3. The provisions of section IX.5. shall apply to Special General Meetings.
X. COMMITTEES
X.1 Ad Hoc Committees may be established at the discretion of the Board. An ad hoc committee may become a standing committee by approval of the Board and then approved by a majority vote of the membership.
X.2. All committees shall have a minimum of three members, including the chair and a liaison member from the Executive Board, except the Nominations Committee.
X.3. The committee chairs will be elected by mail-in ballot and the remaining members shall be appointed by the Chair, except in the case of Ethics and Complaints (see X.4.2 and X.4.3). All members will abide by the rules of that committee.
X.3.1 The term for Committee Chairs shall be two years, no more than two terms to be served consecutively.
X.4. ETHICS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
X.4.1. There shall be an Ethics Advisory Committee responsible for:
a) Promoting standards as laid down in the Code of Ethics.
b) Offering support and advice to those alleging unprofessional behavior by a member.
c) Encouraging dialogue and supporting all parties in a dispute.
d) Protecting Members from unnecessary damage to reputation.X.4.2. The Committee shall consist of:
a) Five Teaching Members, at least two of each gender, and none of whom are members of the Executive Board.
b) One other person who is a non-voting co-opted member from outside ATI who is chosen by the Executive Board for integrity, fairness, and special expertise.X.4.3. Elections to the Ethics Advisory Committee shall be held annually for terms of two years at the AGM or by mail-in ballot. In the first year, two members shall be elected for terms of one year.
a) Appointment may be made by the Executive Board where there occurs a casual vacancy in the Committee. The person so appointed shall hold office until the next annual election when a person shall be elected to serve the remainder of the original term.
X.4.4. The quorum for dealing with a complaint shall be a full complement of six, otherwise quorum shall be four.
X.4.5. Responsibilities and Procedure of the Committee:
X.4.5.1. The function of the Ethics Committee is advisory not punitive.
X.4.5.2. The intent of the committee is conflict resolution and to this end the committee:a) Hears complaints from Members or the community at large on perceived violations of the Code of Ethics.
b) Informs the Member immediately and fully of the complaint against her/him.
c) Fully investigates the nature of the complaint.
d) Serves as an advisor to any and all parties.
e) Mediates between parties if requested.
f) Encourages dialogue and resolution of conflict among all parties involved.
g) Exercises discretion in cases of complaint.X.4.5.3 Though the primary intent of ATI is inclusiveness, there may be certain ethics violations which require more stringent measures than mediation.
X.4.5.4 If after thorough and thougtful consideration, the ethics advisory committee determines that a member who has violated the Code of Ethics is unable or unwilling to adhere to the Code of Ethics in the future, that member may be expelled from membership.
X.4.6. Appeals: The Member complained against has the choice to abide by the decision of the Committee ora) has the right of appeal to the Executive Board and after that the further right of appeal to a General Meeting of the Members, or
b) has the right of appeal directly to a General Meeting of the Members.
X.5. membership
X.5.1. The purpose of the membership committee is to:
a) Prepare accurate materials about ATI in order to inform potential members of the goals and objectives of ATI
b) Solicit, accept and process membership applications
c) Maintain with the help of the Administrative Assistant a listing of all members, a record of their dues, current addresses and telephone numbers
(d) Be responsible for the printing & circulation of the annual membership Directory
X.6. COMMUNICATIONS
X.6.1. The purpose of the Communications committee is to:
a) Develop and implement means for communication amongst the members
b) Develop and implement means of informing the public about the Alexander Technique and ATI
c) Coordinate the ATI web site and all ATI publications except the membership Directory
X.7. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
X.7.1. The purpose of the Professional Development Committee is to:
a) Define the distinct theory and body of knowledge that constitutes the F. Matthias Alexander Technique and to distinguish it from other means of improving human use and functioning.
b) To objectively delineate the practice of the Alexander Technique as defined in section X.7.1.a, including the use of the technique by individuals, the teaching of the technique and the training of teachers.
c) Upon adoption of a) and b) by the membership, shall develop a means to evaluate the competencies of teachers.
d) To continually review the state of research as it furthers our understanding of the basic principles, make this material available to the membership and from time to time as it becomes necessary in light of such development to present updates of a), b), and c).
X.8. VISION/MISSION
X.8.1 The purpose of the Vision/Mission Committee is:
a) To develop a mission statement to guide the evolving growth and direction of ATI
b) To see that this evolving vision/mission is part of the social and organizational fabric of ATI.
c) To serve as an advisory body to the Board and committees with regard to vision/mission
X.9. NOMINATIONS
X.9.1. The purpose of the Nominations Committee is to:
a) Prepare a list of candidates for any elected offices of ATI and to present those candidates to the membership
b) Prepare ballots and tally votes for such electionsX.9.2. Nominations must be open at least ninety (90) days before the ballots are sent out for any mail-in elections.
X.9.3. Board members are prohibited from serving on the Nominating Committee.
XI. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
XI. The rules contained in Robert's Rules Of Order Newly Revised shall govern ATI in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules ATI may adopt.
XII. BYLAWS
XII.1. Bylaws may be amended by two-thirds of the votes at an Annual General Meeting.
XII.2. Bylaws can be amended by a majority of the votes of the total membership of ATI listed by the Secretary.
End of ATI Bylaws
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