SWPA Governance & Bylaws

SWPA is governed by an Executive Council consisting of the president, past-president, and president-elect, elected state representatives, elected student representatives, and an appointed secretary-treasurer. In addition, SWPA is served by a support staff consisting of a bookkeeper,  a program chair, a convention manager, a historian, an elections commisioner, and a webmaster.

The President-Elect will succeed automatically to the presidency upon the expiration of his/her term. The President will serve a one-year term. The Past President shall be the most recently retired President.

State Representatives are nominated and elected by the voting members from the particular state for terms of two years.  The representatives from the nine states serve staggered terms, with those from Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas being elected in one year, and those from  Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, and Tennessee being elected in the alternate year. The two student representatives, one graduate and one undergraduate, are nominated and elected by the voting members and will serve one year terms.

The Presidents Council (President, Past President, and President-elect) meets via teleconference several times a year in order to maintain the organzition of SWPA in good standing.  The Executive Council meets once a year at the annual meeting (a face-to-face meeting), but also participates in teleconference meetings as called for by the Presidents Council.

For more details regarding the goverance of SWPA, please refer to our bylaws (.pdf document).