SWPA Officer Guidelines (Elected and Appointed)

Guidelines for Elected Officers of SWPA 

President: The President shall preside at all Presidents' Council meetings, Executive Council meetings and the Annual Business Meeting, and exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Association The President will present a Presidential Address at the SWPA annual convention and additionally, work with the other officers to arrange for the major invited speakers for the annual convention. The President shall receive a complementary room at the convention hotel during the year s/he is current President of the association.
 
Past President: The Past President shall serve as an advisor to the President, and participate in the President's Council meetings, Executive Council meetings and the Annual Business Meeting. The Past President shall preside over the judging of the Graduate Student Research Competition or delegate this responsibility with the approval of the President's Council if unable to serve in this capacity (both of the abstract submissions to determine finalists, and of the presentations at the convention to determine the winners). In communication with the President, the Past President shall coordinate the nomination process for the elected officers.
 
President Elect: The President Elect shall participate in the President's Council meeting, Executive Council meetings and the Annual Business Meeting, and offer support and advise to promote the healthy development of the organization. The President Elect shall preside over the judging of the Undergraduate Student Research Competition or delegate this responsibility with the approval of the President's Council if unable to serve in this capacity (both of the abstract submissions to determine finalists, and of the presentations at the convention to determine the winners).
 
State Representatives: State Representatives shall participate in the Executive Council meetings and the Annual Business Meeting, and serve as liaisons for members in their state. They should promote the image of the organization and encourage participation in the annual convention. They should be available to bring state members' ideas, concerns, or questions to the attention of the Executive Council.   In the second year of their term, they should organize an invited research symposium for the annual convention. Participants in these symposia may present research presented elsewhere, and they will not receive travel compensation or honoraria.

Student Representatives: Student Representatives shall participate in the Executive Council meetings and the Annual Business Meeting, and serve as liaisons for student members at large. They should promote the image of the organization and encourage participation in the annual convention. They should be available to bring student members' ideas, concerns, or questions to the attention of the Executive Council.

Guidelines for Appointed Officers of SWPA 

Secretary / Treasurer: The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be to keep the records of the Association and the Council; to record meeting minutes and to conduct official correspondence;  to receive applications for membership and to approve memberships, other than those requiring approval of the Executive Council (Associative memberships). The Secretary-Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds of the Association and shall have authority to disburse these funds for purposes authorized by the Council, as well as by the membership voting at the Annual Business Meeting. A record shall be kept of all money received and all disbursements made. An annual report of the financial status of the Association for the previous year shall be submitted to the membership at the Annual Business Meeting. The Secretary / Treasurer shall receive a complementary room at the convention hotel during the year s/he is current Secretary / Treasurer of the association.

Registration Manager: The duties of the Registration Manager shall be to issue all programs of meetings and prepare all name badges for attendees; to manage the registration area of the annual convention and handle onsite registrations; and to work with the Secretary-Treasurer to smoothly handle membership / dues issues. The Registration Manager will be provided a room at the annual convention.
 
Bookkeeper:   The bookkeeper will work with the Treasurer in the preparation of treasurer's reports.
 
Program Chair: The Program Chair shall coordinate the review of abstracts, send notices of acceptance and rejection of presentations, plan the program for the annual convention, and create a printer-ready document in a timely manner to have it ready for the annual convention and for posting as a .PDF on the SWPA web site.   As needed, the Program Chair will also create any necessary errata program updates to have available at the registration desk at the annual convention. The Program Chair shall receive a complementary room at the convention hotel during the year s/he is current Program Chair of the association.
 
Convention Manager: The Convention Manager shall be in charge of all local arrangements for the Annual Meeting and it shall work in coordination with the Program Committee in the preparation of the Program. The Convention Manager shall receive a complementary room at the convention hotel during the year s/he is current Convention Manager of the association.
 
Web Master: The Web Master's role is to coordinate the planning, maintenance, and accessibility of Web site content in a way that ensures good usability of the web site. This individual is also responsible for creating some original Web site content. Understanding of a variety of Web development languages is required. The Web Master shall make timely changes based on input from the President's Council, and with approval of the President's Council, make ongoing improvements based on current best practices. The Web Master shall receive a complementary room at the convention hotel during the year s/he is current Web Master of the association.

All officers shall provide a recent picture and short personal statement to be placed on the SWPA web site contacts page.   This web page shall be updated in a timely manner following the annual convention when new officers are installed and updated as necessary if mid-year officer changes occur.