Section 1: Individual voting membership in MinneTESOL is open to any person interested in the education of speakers of other languages or dialects.

Section 2: Memberships shall be available to all interested individuals who apply and pay annual dues.

Section 3: The membership year shall be 12 months counted from the time a person registers and pays for membership. Annual dues for membership shall be determined by the Executive Board at least four months prior to the annual conference.

Section 1: There shall be an Executive Board composed of the officers, the Executive Assistant, and the MinneTESOL Journal Editor(s). The Executive Assistant is a non-voting member of the Board.

Section 2: The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the organization between its annual conferences, set the time and place of meetings, and shall perform other duties as specified by these Bylaws.

Section 3: The officers of MinneTESOL shall be a President, Past-President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Third Vice-President, Treasurer, Membership Relations Director, External Relations Director, Secretary, and Regional Officers. These officers shall perform the duties as prescribed by Article III of these Bylaws, and  the Executive Board shall conduct the business of MinneTESOL as prescribed by Article V of these Bylaws.  Though not MinneTESOL officers, MinneTESOL Journal Editor(s) have one vote in Board decisions.

Section 4: The top three board leadership positions are three-year commitments on an upward- rotation. The First Vice-President becomes President after one year, who after a one year term becomes  Past President the following (3rd) year. The Board officers whose primary responsibilities are to organize the fall conference (Second Vice President and Third Vice President) are also on a rotation, for a total of two years served. The Third Vice-President becomes the Second Vice-President after one year, and the Third Vice-President is replaced by election after one year. All other officers shall hold office for a term of two years or until their successors are selected, but no officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. The term of office is from January 1 until December 31 at the end of their respective terms of office.

Section 5: If the President is unable to complete the term of office, the First Vice-President shall complete the term as President and continue the prescribed succession. In such a case a new First Vice-President shall be selected by a majority of the Executive Board to complete the term and duties of the First Vice-President. The person thus selected shall not automatically succeed to the presidency. A vacancy in any office other than that of the President shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 6: At least thirty days prior to the annual conference, a call for nominations will be sent by First Vice-President to the Interest Section and Standing Committee leaders and the general membership. An electronic ballot will be made available to all members prior to the annual conference.  Members may vote electronically or in person at the conference. Candidates must be active members of MinneTESOL and voted in by a plurality (most votes) of the members, to be tallied by the President and First Vice-President.

Section 1: Details of the duties of all Executive Board officers are described in full in the MinneTESOL Handbook.

Section 2: The President shall preside at all Executive Board and general meetings and appoint,  with the approval of a majority of the Executive Board, all Regional Officers. The President shall act as Liaison Officer to TESOL, and shall be responsible for general correspondence of MinneTESOL. This officer co-chairs the Proposal Review Subcommittee. The Past-President assists the President as Co-chair with these duties.

Section 3: The First Vice-President shall assist the President and serve as President in the absence or disability of the President. This person shall serve as a liaison to the Executive Board for all Interest Section and Standing Committees, except the Conference Committee.

Section 4: The Second Vice-President shall serve as Co-chair of the annual conference. The Third Vice-President assists the Second Vice-President as Co-chair with all duties there included.

Section 5: The Member Relations Director shall promote membership enrollment and communicate with members about organizational activities and opportunities and coordinate assigned duties with other Board members. This officer chairs the Volunteer Subcommittee of the annual conference.

Section 6: The External Relations Director shall promote brand awareness by communicating with potential community and business partners, manage organization advertising efforts, coordinate assigned duties with other Board members. This officer chairs the Social Media Subcommittee and assists Exhibitor Relations for the annual conference.

Section 7: The Secretary shall record and submit highlights of minutes of Executive Board meetings to the MinneTESOL website editor.  The Secretary chairs the Program / Mobile Application Subcommittee for the annual conference.

Section 8: The Treasurer works with the Executive Assistant and supervises the financial health of the organization. Both the Treasurer and Executive Assistant have access to MinneTESOL bank accounts and records. The Treasurer chairs the Scholarship / Grant Subcommittee for the annual conference.

Section 9: The Regional Officers shall serve as a vehicle for regional members to communicate their concerns to the Executive Board. The Regional Officers will facilitate any local workshops or seminars held by regional MinneTESOL members. The Regional Officers also assist the Silent Auction for the annual conference.

Section 10: The Executive Assistant is a paid consultant position. The Executive Assistant maintains and updates financial and membership records and reports updates and information to the Board at quarterly meetings and the membership during the annual conference. The Executive Assistant reports directly to the Board and updates the President and Vice-President as needed and assists the Second and Third Vice-Presidents in coordinating the annual conference.

Section 11: All officers should keep records of their duties, electronically whenever possible, and pass along these records with any relevant additions and notes to their successor before or at the first meeting of the year.  Electronic documents should be shared with the Executive Assistant for centralized storage on an ongoing basis.

Section 12: All officers of the Executive Board must be members in good standing of both MinneTESOL and at least 3 members of the Board should be members of TESOL.

Section 1: There shall be one general business meeting held at the annual conference each fall.  The time and place of Executive Board meetings shall be determined by the Board.

Section 2: A special meeting of the general membership may be called by the President or by the Executive Board, or shall be called upon the written request of twenty-five members of MinneTESOL. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least ten days’ notice shall be given.

Section 3: The Executive Board shall meet at least four times a year. Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the President, or may and shall be called upon the written request of three members of the Executive Board. Each of the following areas shall be the focus of the Executive Board meetings: September (conference preparation), November/December (conference debriefing and strategizing for following year), January (budget approval and interest sections), May (publications, membership, conference preparation). Budget, membership, publications, conference preparations and interest sections. Any interested member is welcome to attend any Executive Board Meeting.

Section 4: Whenever possible, Executive Board decisions shall be made by consensus. On issues of importance, the President shall entertain a motion, a second, and a discussion.  Matters will be put to a majority vote.  All voting members of the Board must come to majority decision agreement for passage of a motion or presidential appointment requires approval by a simple majority of voting members. If any member of the Board is not present, that member may vote by proxy, or by e-mail, video conference, or phone.

Section 5: In the event that a matter requires immediate attention between meetings, the President may notify Executive Assistant or other Board member to call the meeting or may open discussion among Board members and call for a motion via email, and business may be conducted without meeting in person. The appropriateness and necessity of an email vote on a particular issue shall be determined by the President. Matters related to the financial or general viability of the organization should be discussed and voted on in person rather than via email.

Section 6: The minutes of the Executive Board meetings shall be available to the members of MinneTESOL through the MinneTESOL website.

Section 1: Details of the duties and funding for all committees are described in full in the MinneTESOL Handbook.

Section 2: The Conference Committee is chaired by the Second Vice-President and the Third Vice-President. It shall be the duty of this committee to plan and develop the annual conference. This committee reports directly to the Executive Board and works in consultation with a liaison from the Minnesota Department of Education.

Section 3: The Advocacy Standing Committee shall be composed of a chairperson and other members. It shall be the duty of this committee to bring to the attention of the members information about socio-political issues which concern the members of MinneTESOL or their students. This committee shall report to the First Vice-President. Formal statements by members speaking on behalf of MinneTESOL (or any group within MinneTESOL) must have such statements approved by the Board.

Section 4: The MinneSLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) Standing Committee shall work to connect and develop those ESL professionals working with SLIFE students across various teaching and learning contexts. This committee shall report to the First Vice-President. Formal statements by members speaking on behalf of MinneTESOL (or any group within MinneTESOL) must have such statements approved by the board.

Section 5: The Early Learning Standing Committee shall work to provide an important forum for discussion, networking, communication, training, advocacy and collaboration to support the success of dual language learners in early learning settings. This committee shall report to the First Vice-President. Formal statements by members speaking on behalf of MinneTESOL (or any group within MinneTESOL) must have such statements approved by the board.

Section 6: Other committees may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board as is deemed necessary to carry out the work of MinneTESOL. The First Vice- President shall serve as a liaison to the Executive Board for all such committees.

In addition, Standing Committees may be established through the following procedure:

A petition is submitted to the Executive Board stating:
The name of the proposed Standing Committee.
The purpose of the proposed Standing Committee.

The petition is signed by at least ten members who wish to form the proposed Standing Committee indicating their interest. Petitions may be collected through email messages.

The Executive Board approves the proposed Standing Committee.

Section 6: Each Standing Committee shall have the option of conducting a session at the annual Fall Conference and also a Spring Workshop for its members.

Section 1: Periodically, the Executive Assistant will update the membership on important events, changes, and other pertinent information. Such updates will happen electronically at least quarterly via email or social media.  The Executive Assistant will coordinate updates to the MinneTESOL website.

Section 2: Journal Editor(s). These editors gather and edit articles and other items of interest and value to the membership, and publish them in the online MinneTESOL Journal. Journal editors report to the Executive Board and have one vote in Board decisions.  The Journal Editors keep the Board updated on the work of the Editorial Board and any questions that may involve financing of the journal.

Section 3: The Technical Editor, with assistance from a website editor(s) as required, shall edit, maintain and update the MinneTESOL Journal website.

Section 1: Members of MinneTESOL, at the time of joining or of membership renewal, shall indicate their area of primary interest in the education of speakers of other languages or dialects from the following: Elementary, Middle/Secondary, Adult, College, Teacher Education, or Retired Teachers.

Section 2: In cooperation with the Conference Committee, each Interest Section listed above shall conduct a session at the annual conference and also organize events and/or provide support for its members.  The IS Leader is also responsible for conveying the concerns of the Interest Section to the Executive Board via the First Vice- President.

Section 3: The Interest Section Leader(s) shall be selected by members of the Interest Section. The Interest Section Leader shall write a brief summary of each workshop for the membership. The Interest Section Leader also helps nominate future board members and selects winners of the MinneTESOL Awards given out at the annual conference.

Section 4: The First Vice-President shall serve as liaison between the Interest Section Leaders and the Executive Board.

Section 5: A new Interest Section must be determined by Board action based on membership need.  Interest Sections reflect members’ work contexts.

Section 1: Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws must first be approved by a consensus of members of the Executive Board or be submitted in a petition to the President not less than sixty days before the annual conference. Such a petition must be signed by at least ten members in good standing. Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the members at least thirty days before the annual conference and posted to the website. To become effective, the proposed amendment must be ratified by two-thirds of those members voting at the time of the annual conference.

Section 1: MinneTESOL shall comply with the requirements of TESOL as an affiliate member.

Section 1: The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the organization in all cases not covered by the MinneTESOL Bylaws and Handbook.