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In accordance with our
By-Law #4: The President General The President General serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Society, he manages the business and affairs of the National Society, appoints all Committees and Committee members, including but not limited to those mentioned in this bylaw, except as otherwise provided for in this Constitution and these Bylaws, he serves as Chairman of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors, he/she serves as a member of each Standing Committee as set forth in these Bylaws and shall have authority to fill any vacancy which may occur in any General Office, the Executive Committee, the Chairmanship of any Committee and members of Standing Committees subject to the approval by the Board of Directors at its next meeting. The President General shall prepare a report on the state of the National Society and present it to the Executive Committee and to the members at the Annual Meeting By-Law #5: Vice-Presidents General Section 1. There shall be one (1) Vice-President elected from each of the following Regions of the National Society: (a) New England District composed of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont: (b) North Atlantic District composed of the states of New York and New Jersey; (c) Mid-Atlantic District composed of the states of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia; (d) South Atlantic District composed of the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; (e) South Central District composed of the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico; Oklahoma and Texas; (f) Great Lakes District composed of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin; (g) Central District composed of the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; (h) Rocky Mountain District composed of the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming; (i) and Western District composed of the Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Section 2. The President General shall appoint a Vice-President for an International District composed of all of the remaining territories outside of the above-named Societies including but not limited to representatives from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, North and South America. Section 3. It shall be the responsibility of each Vice-President General to promote the interest and activities that further the objectives of the National Society within their respective Districts. among the Regional societies in his/her District. In addition, the Vice-President General shall visit each of the Regional societies in his/her District at least once annually. He/She shall also endeavor to visit the various Chapters in his/her District during his/her term of office. He/She shall encourage the enrollment of new members as well as perform such additional duties within his/her District as may be assigned to him/her/her by the President General, the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors. The Vice-President General shall report on the activities of his/her District at January Board Meeting and at the Annual Meeting of the National Society. A copy of this report shall be available to any member of the Society upon written request to the Executive Director. By-Law #6: Secretary General The Secretary General shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee, he/she shall serve as the Secretary of all National Society meetings, including those of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and such other meetings of the National Society as may be required in the conduct of the Society’s business, he/she shall be responsible for the minutes of all such meetings and shall insure that copies of the minutes are distributed to the appropriate officers of the National Society in a timely manner, he/she shall insure that copies of the minutes are placed in the Society’s archives for future reference. The Secretary General, or at his/her direction, the Executive Director, shall provide notice of meetings, votes, orders and/or proceedings and provide copies of proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws and resolutions to General Officers, members of the Board of Directors, President and Secretary of each District Society to their address of record at National Society headquarters. Such notice shall include the reason or reasons for the proposed action and shall be made by U.S. Postal Service mail, in which case, replies, if required, shall be made to the Executive Director, and postmarked within ten (10) days of the postmarked date of such solicitation, or by teleconference or by electronic mail. Electronic mail replies, if required, shall be in the hands of the Executive Director within ten (10) days of such solicitation. If a ballot is required on a matter submitted on behalf of the Board of Directors, it shall include a proviso that those voting may request that the matter be postponed until the next meeting of the Board of Directors. A postponement shall be mandatory if twenty-five (25) percent of those voting request such postponement. In the event the President General is unable to attend scheduled meeting due to such reasons as inclement weather, disability, resignation, death or other reasons, the Secretary General shall act in his/her stead until the President General is available or a new President General is duly elected or installed. The Secretary General is responsible for the safekeeping of the National Society seal. The Secretary General shall report on the activities of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors at the January meeting of the National Society and to the delegates and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. A copy of his/her report shall be available to any member upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of all reports of the Secretary General shall be placed in the archives for future reference. By-Law #7: Treasurer General The Treasurer General shall serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the National Society. He/She shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer General’s duties include, but are not limited to, providing financial advice and counsel to the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, Committee Chairmen and when called upon to do so by an elected member of the First African Families Foundation Board. The Treasurer General’s duties also include oversight responsibility for the collection and deposit of National Society dues and their disbursement to insure the efficient, economical operation of the National Society as well as responsibility for insuring that such funds are deposited in the name of the National Society in such accounts and depositories designated by the Board of Directors. He/she shall also be responsible for insuring that such funds are disbursed by electronic funds transfer directly from the corporation bank account(s) and only if required by any two (2) authorized officers of the Society, except that the Executive Director shall be authorized to sign, without another signatory., The authorized signatories shall be the President General, Secretary General, Treasurer General and the Executive Director. The Treasurer General shall be responsible for insuring that the Executive Director and such other members, employees and officers of the Society as shall be determined by the Board of Directors, shall be placed under bond for the faithful performance of their duties in an amount specified by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer General shall be responsible for insuring that all funds, securities and negotiable instruments are deposited or held in safekeeping or in a safe deposit box with one or more banks, trust companies or places as shall be designated by the Board of Directors and shall be subject to the joint control of the President General, Secretary General, Treasurer General and the Executive Director, any two (2) of whom shall have the power to issue instructions to the bank or trust company that is serving as depository to sell, invest, reinvest or otherwise dispose of such assets. No officer of the Society shall receive any commission, financial or other consideration nor shall such officer or officers personally profit from such transaction. The Treasurer General shall be responsible for communication with the Independent Audit Committee and the outside auditing firm retained by the Society. The duties of the Treasurer General are such that an individual who holds this office shall have experience in accounting, banking and/or financial management prior to his/her election as Treasurer General. The Treasurer General shall report on the financial matters of the Society to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors at the January meeting of the National Society as well as to the Executive Committee, delegates, and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. A copy of the Treasurer General’s report shall be available to any member upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of this report shall be placed in the archives of the Society for future reference. By-Law #8: Auditor General The Auditor General shall possess financial expertise. He/She shall at least semi-annually make an internal examination of all financial books and records of the Society and report his findings and recommendations to the Directors. He/She shall chair the Audit Committee and shall see that the duties of the Audit Committee, including engaging and overseeing the services of outside accountants, are performed. By-Law #9: Attorney General The Attorney General serves as legal advisor to the National Society. He/She shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee. The Attorney General shall render legal opinions on National Society matters upon request by the President General and shall report on legal matters of concern to the President General. He/She shall make a detailed report on such matters to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors at the January Meeting of the Society as well as the Executive Committee, delegates, and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. He/She shall perform such duties as provided elsewhere in the Constitution and Bylaws. A copy of the Attorney General’s reports shall be made available to any member of the Society upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of the reports shall be placed in the archives for future reference. The Attorney General shall be a licensed attorney-at-law in good standing in any state in the United States. By-Law #10: Genealogist General The Genealogist General shall examine all applications for membership in the Society and shall approve those applications found to be in accordance with the policies, criteria and procedures established by the Genealogy Committee and the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws. In the event there is an appeal of the Genealogist General’s decision concerning an application for membership in the Society, the Genealogist General shall re-examine the application and then report his/her findings with evidence supporting his/her position to the President General within thirty (30) days from the time the appeal was submitted. The President General may, before rendering an opinion on the matter, seek advice and counsel of the Genealogy Committee. This committee shall respond to the President General within thirty (30) days from the date the matter was referred to them. The decision of the President General concerning the application shall then be communicated to the applicant and/or the member who appealed the decision of the Genealogist General. The Genealogist General shall be the custodian of all approved applications for membership in the Society and is charged with the responsibility of ensuring their safekeeping. The Genealogist General shall report on the status of all applications received, approved, and pending at the January Meeting of the National Society as well as the delegates and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. The Genealogist General shall review noteworthy problems encountered with membership applications with the Executive Committee and shall recommend warranted corrective action. A copy of these reports shall be available to any member of the Society upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of the Genealogist General reports shall be placed in the archives of the Society for future reference. By-Law #11: Registrar General The Registrar General shall be the custodian of the membership data of the National Society, and he/she shall advise an applicant when he is approved for membership in the Society. He/She shall maintain a complete roster of the names, National numbers, addresses, dates of birth and dates of admission to the National Society, resignations, discontinuance as an active member due to non-payment of dues as well as deaths (including the dates of death). The Registrar General shall make a detailed report on the Society’s membership to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors at the January meeting of the Society as well as the Executive Committee and to the delegates and members at the Annual Meeting. A copy of the Registrar General’s report shall be made available to any member of the Society upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of the reports shall be placed in the archives of the Society for future reference. By-Law #12: Historian General The Historian General, oversees the history programs of the National Society. He/She is responsible for establishing and maintaining a relationship with the History Departments of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other prominent universities in order to promote the teaching of African American history in the Universities and various school systems. He/She shall assist Regional Society Historians engaged in the search for information about African American historical sites, war graves and memorabilia in their respective geographical areas. The Historian General selects the compatriot, whose research and writings have made a significant contribution to the preservation of the history of seventeenth and eighteenth Americans of African descent and their descendants. The Historian General is responsible for the collection, preservation and retention of historical materials deemed within the scope of the objectives of the National Society. He/She is also responsible for periodically writing an update of the history of the National Society. The Historian General shall endeavor to obtain the SOFAFEA badges of prominent members of the Society of the First African Families of English America following their death for display on a “Wall of Badges” at the Society’s website. The Historian General shall report his/her activities to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors at the January Meeting of the National Society as well as to the Executive Committee, delegates, and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. A copy of these reports shall be available to any member upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy shall be placed in the archives of the Society for future reference. By-Law #13: Librarian General The Librarian General shall be the custodian of the books, manuscripts, maps, microfilm, pamphlets, magazines and all other such printed material in the National Society’s Library. He/She may solicit donations, gifts, property exchanges and may purchase additions for the Library collection provided prior approval is obtained from the Executive Committee. He/She is authorized to reject materials deemed unsuited for the National Society’s Library and is authorized to sell books which are deemed unsuited for the Library. The Librarian General shall make a report about Library matters to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors at the January meeting of the Society as well as to the Executive Committee and delegates and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. A copy of the Librarian General’s report shall be made available to any member of the Society upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of the reports shall be placed in the archives of the Society for future reference. By-Law #14: Surgeon General The Surgeon General shall advise the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of any health matter(s) which may be of concern to the National Society’s membership. In addition, he may with the approval of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors make available and conduct special health screenings for members at the January meeting of the Board of Directors and/or at the Annual Meeting. The Surgeon General shall report on health matters or concerns to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors public events and conferences meetings of the Society as well as the Executive Committee, delegates and members at-large at the Annual Meeting. A copy of the Surgeon General’s report shall be made available to any member of the Society upon written request to the Executive Director. A copy of the reports shall be placed in the archives of the Society for future reference. The Surgeon General shall be a licensed physician of Medicine or Osteopathy. By-Law #15: Chaplain General The Chaplain General shall be a regularly ordained minister and shall open and close meetings of the National Society with such services as are usual and proper on such occasions. The annual Memorial Service shall be planned in consultation with the Chaplain General. By-Law #16: Unilateral Actions. No Officer shall have authority to expend, or authorize the expenditure of, funds of the Corporation in excess of the Corporation’s budget without the approval of the Directors, except for use of reserve funds when an urgent need of the Corporation arises, or for minor, routine administrative costs of equipment. By-Law #17: Officers Not Employees. The Officers, when acting in that capacity, including serving on Committees, are not employees of the Corporation.
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