Wiki Chapter President Terms

Rhonda Buckholtz CPC

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Local Chapter Officer
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A suggestion was made to us to allow chapter presidents to serve a 2 year term instead of the 1 year term they now serve and we would like your thoughts on this. Would this help or hinder your chapter?
 
With the "President-Elect" post in one of our local chapters, the President ends up serving 2-year terms by being "President" the year subsequent to serving as "President-Elect."

I think, perhaps, that would be best decided by each individual chapter, as only the members know whether such a move to expand the service time would benefit the specific dynamics of each chapter.
 
I think that may be a good idea, but I agree with Kevin - It may depend on the chapter.

On a slightly different note, has the 2-year term been considered for other positions? Having served as Education Officer for 07, I know I had several ideas that I was able to implement, due to timing (paritally due to the fact that the position was created late). It seems to me that this position could benefit from a 2-year term to allow people the time to implement news ideas and make all the necessary connections for certain opportunities.
 
As a current Chapter President, I can see the logic of a two year term. There are only so many things you can accomplish during one year. However, because you serve a year as the President- Elect, then the year as President; it is already a 2 year commitment. Requiring a two year term of the president turns it into a 3 year commitment. We have a large chapter and struggle to fill the offices each year. I think it would be difficult for our chapter to find anyone willing to commit to a 3 year term.

Stacey E. Wright, C.P.C.
Chapter President Salt Lake AAPC Chapter
 
I don't think that the terms should be made longer. Although, I feel that people should be able to be re-elected for additional terms with limits a two or three year limits. This way, any position can be held by the same person to allow time for changes, but not too long. There also needs to be more of a push for people to participate in the meetings. In our chapter there is a small group of people that do most of the work and a large group that does very little.
 
In regard to our newer, smaller chapter situation, we did not have a President-Elect for 2007 and we able to get the AAPC okay for our current President to serve again for 2008. In 2007, all of our officers were volunteers, not elected, and the same goes for our 2008 group...3 of the 4 officers are serving again this year, due to lack of response from our group. If our President did not renew her position, we would no longer have a chapter. I am the 2007 Education Officer and volunteered for the 2008 President-Elect, just so we could continue, hoping our elections will be brighter in the future. At this point, we'll be set at least thru 2009.

I do think this should be a chapter-by-chapter decision (due to circumstance) and maybe the AAPC could think of a few more "perks" for officers, to help get more people interested in these positions. The discounted conferences are great, but a lot of us can not spend the money it takes to travel to these great places.

:) Debbie Tollum, CPC
AAPC Lynnwood, WA Chapter Education Officer
 
A limit on an officer's term allows different people to have the opportunity to participate in the local chapters. It also limits the consistency for the chapter. There are too many pros and cons to discuss here, but here are a few things we might want to consider.

With any new position, it takes awhile to become familiar with how things work, what works well, what doesn't, etc. Consistency over several years is important to improving and growing a chapter. You also need to have new involvement, fresh ideas, and energy to accomplish this. Following this thought, perhaps the best combination includes both experienced and new blood.

Asking people for a two-year commitment is a lot to ask, however if someone is willing and would like to commit to a second term, they should be considered for a second term and go through the nomination and election process. The membership will decide if the person is appropriate for the chapter.

Thanks and Happy Coding
 
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