Spark Society Bylaws
ARTICLE I: NAME AND OBJECT
The name of the Society is The Spark Society.
The object of the Society is to create opportunities for cognitive psychologists and cognitive scientists from underrepresented groups.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
Members shall be interested in the field of Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, or an allied field.
Other than the membership fee, there is no difference between the two types of members (e.g, student members, members).
Founding Members are Jean E. Fox Tree, Alejandro Lleras, Ayanna Thomas, and Duane Watson.
ARTICLE III: GOVERNING BOARD
The Governing Board shall supervise the affairs of the Society, subject to the articles herein. Members of the Board shall, at all times, act in the Society’s best interests.
The Governing Board shall normally consist of nine regular members. Two members will be appointed to serve as President and Secretary-Treasurer. Appointments must align with roles as specified by the Articles of Organization filed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Seven members shall be elected for staggered terms of between one and three years each; members shall be limited to serving three consecutive terms, but may seek re-election again after a two-year “stand down”. Three of the seven regular positions shall be reserved for “early-career” members who are no more than 7 years post-PhD at the time of the election. One position will be reserved for a student member.
The Executive Director of the Society shall serve with the Governing Board in an ex officio capacity, thus being a 10th member.
Two additional board positions may be reserved for two founding members of the society. The two founder positions will serve in an ex officio capacity, thus being the 11th and 12th members.
The Governing Board shall hold a business meeting once a year, and will also conduct meetings, as needed, in person or via other formats. Meetings of the Governing Board will normally be convened by the President. If the President cannot attend a meeting of the Governing Board, the meeting shall be convened by a Board member designated by the President. Meetings shall adhere to Roberts Rules of Order.
The Governing Board may establish standing committees of the Society as needed and shall solicit members of the Society to serve on these committees.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS
The Society's officers consist of the President, Past President, Secretary-Treasurer, and the Executive Director. The terms of the President and Secretary-Treasurer shall be three years. The President may serve two consecutive terms. There is no limit on the number of consecutive terms that may be served by the Secretary-Treasurer or Executive Director.
The members of the Governing Board shall elect the President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Society. These two officers must be current members of the Governing Board at the time of the election. The election of officers is to take place at the business meetings scheduled to occur closest to the termination of each officer's term, or electronically if a meeting is not scheduled within 12 months of the termination of an officer's term.
Upon appointment of a new President, the former President will assume the office of Past President. If the offices of the President or Secretary-Treasurer are vacated or vacant, the Governing Board will directly elect a current member of the Governing Board for the remainder of the vacated term of that office. If a President is reappointed to a second term, the standing Past President likewise will continue for a second term.
The President shall preside over all meetings of the Board. The Past President will assume the responsibilities of the President when necessary. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Board and circulate these minutes electronically to all Board members following each meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer shall take primary responsibility in performing financial transactions and in maintaining the financial records of the Society, and shall present to the Board, a report of the Society's financial position at the end of each calendar year, at each meeting, and at the request of the Executive Director, President, or the Board. The Secretary-Treasurer and Executive Director shall work together to prepare a financial agenda for the Society to be presented to the Board for revision and/or approval.
The President may appoint a Parliamentarian at any meeting of the Governing Board. The role of the Parliamentarian is to enforce adherence to Roberts Rules of Order.
The Executive Director shall be a regular member of the Society who has been elected by the Governing Board to serve a term of four years. The Executive Director is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Society, including but not limited to maintaining the membership roster, annually soliciting membership renewal, ensuring the distribution of any Society publication as directed by the Board, and conducting elections of Governing Board members and officers on the schedule specified above. The Executive Director shall keep the financial records of the Society jointly with the Secretary-Treasurer.
The Executive Director may be compensated for work on behalf of the Society. The nature of this compensation is to be decided by the Governing Board. The Executive Director is the only officer of the Society who may be thus compensated on behalf of the Society.
ARTICLE V: ELECTIONS
The Executive Director shall monitor the terms of the members of the Governing Board, and at least four months prior to the expiration of each term shall solicit from all regular members of the Society, nominations of regular members who might be willing to be considered for that position.
A vacancy on the Governing Board shall be filled by a person who has accepted a nomination and has received the highest number of votes from all regular members of the Society. In the case of an election to fill more than one vacancy, vacancies shall be filled by those receiving the highest number of votes, starting with the person with the highest total and proceeding through the next highest totals in order until all vacancies are filled.
Normally, elections to the Board will be conducted in early November, with terms for all Board members and officers beginning January 1.
Governing Board members will be elected by a vote of the Society membership. Governing Board members shall serve three-year terms unless specified otherwise during the election, with terms staggered within each group.
Prior to the election, nominations will be sought from all Society members for a period of at least ten days. Any member may be nominated (including self-nominations). Nominees will be asked to provide information to appear on the ballot, including name, affiliation, and a candidate statement. All nominees who provide the necessary information will appear on the ballot, subject to confirmation of eligibility by the current Executive Committee.
All Society members are eligible to vote in elections on all ballots. Voting shall be conducted by electronic ballot.
Voters will rank the candidates on each ballot. From each ballot, one Executive Committee member will be chosen using instant runoff voting with zero elimination and backward tie-breaking.
ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS
ARTICLE VII: DUES
There is a small membership fee to support the operation of the society. The Governing Board shall determine the amount of annual membership dues. The membership fee will be charged on an annual basis and is $10.00 for student members and $25.00 for non-student members.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these Bylaws may be made by majority action of the Governing Board
ARTICLE IX: SEAL
The Board shall set policy for, and approve the design and use of, the official logo of the Society, student caucus, meetings, and publications.