This
announcement is to inform the PATH Intl. membership of proposed
bylaw amendments by the board of trustees and bylaws review
committee. These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds majority
vote of the voting members present and voting at the PATH Intl.
Annual Meeting, that will take place Friday, November 5, 2016
in Williamsburg, VA at 7:30 a.m., provided that full text of
the proposed amendments shall have been delivered to each
voting member in the notice of the meeting.
There are several bylaws amendments to be voted on at this
year's annual meeting. The first four are simple, clarifying
changes to articles pertaining to board member nominations and
term limits. They are as follows:
1.
"Nominations for Trustees shall be made by
majority vote of the Board of Trustees, from the slate prepared
by the Governance Committee. The nominated Trustees shall be
voted upon by the voting members. in
accordance with a written policy and procedure of PATH
International as the same may be amended from time to time."
Article VI-Section 2, second sentence
2.
"These additional Trustees shall
serve for the remainder of the meeting year, shall be
voting members and shall hold office until the next duly
constituted annual election. The service of this appointee from
the date of appointment through ratification at the annual
meeting shall constitute the first year of service of the
appointee's term. Article VI-Section 2, last sentence
3.
"Board Vacancy - any vacancy existing on in the
Board of Trustees or any office, created
by the departure, for any reason, of the person currently
serving on the Board of Trustees or in any office, may
be filled by the Board of Trustees at any regular or special
meeting upon recommendation by the President and approval by
the board of trustees. The person chosen to fill the vacancy for the
remainder of the meeting year, shall
be a voting member and shall hold office until the next duly
constituted annual election. The service of this appointee from
the date of appointment through ratification at the next
membership meeting shall constitute the first year of service
of the appointee's term." Article
VI-Section 12
4.
"The governance Committee shall prepare and submit for
approval to the Board of Trustees a slate of nominees to serve
for vacancies on the Board of Trustees." Article
VIII-Section 7, fourth sentence
The
fifth item requires a bit more explanation as it pertains to
the addition of an article associated with the creation of a
credentialing council.
This amendment is driven by the strategic vision, developed
with member input, to increase the professionalism of the field
and bring a greater legitimacy to PATH Intl. credentials. As
part of this goal, PATH Intl. began the trek to applying for
NCCA accreditation of the PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic
Riding Certification in order to validate the quality of PATH
Intl. standards and certifications.
While certification organizations are rooted in protecting and
serving the public, membership organizations serve a select
group of individuals or profession. Members join to advance
themselves and their profession.
It can be difficult to effectively serve the needs of these two
varying populations as PATH Intl. has been doing to date.
Therefore, certification organizations need to have the
autonomy and independence to focus on serving the public. While
some organizations spin off new, separately incorporated
certification bodies, PATH Intl. has chosen to keep the
credentialing arm of the organization within the current
structure. This independent credentialing division within PATH
Intl. will have autonomy in running the certification programs.
Think of it as a dotted line between the PATH Intl. Board of
Trustees and the credentialing arm.
This will certainly require a revision to the current staff and
volunteer organizational charts and requires a bylaw change
that the membership will vote on at the 2016 PATH Intl. Annual
Meeting. These changes can be thought of as building a firewall
between the PATH Intl. membership and education programs and
the association's certification program to ensure that the
certification program is operating with autonomy and in the
best interest of the public. To
learn why bylaws change votes happen at the annual meeting,
click here.
Following is the wording of the amendment addition:
ARTICLE IX
CREDENTIALING COUNCIL
Section 1. Purpose - The
purpose of the Credentialing Council is the development and
operation of voluntary certification programs for individuals
who provide equine-assisted activities and therapies for
individuals with special needs and the development and
operation of a voluntary accreditation process to recognize
centers.
Section 2.
Autonomy - The PATH Intl. Credentialing Council
has responsibility for all essential activities of PATH Intl.
Certification and Accreditation. Policies and procedures with
respect to certification and accreditation will be set by the
Credentialing Council. The Credentialing Council will operate
independently of the PATH Intl. Board of Trustees or the
membership. The Credentialing Council has authority over all
certification and accreditation decisions including, but not
limited to: establishing eligibility and recertification
requirements, establishing policies, disciplinary
determinations, exam development, exam administration, exam
scoring, and selection of subject-matter experts (SMEs). An
annual report to the Board of Trustees will be provided. The
Board of Trustees, if it wishes, may appoint a board member as
a non-voting liaison to the Credentialing Council. The Council
may form work groups, committees, task forces, or appoint
liaisons as necessary.
Section 3.
Structure - The Credentialing Council functions
as a division within PATH Intl. The PATH Intl. Board of
Trustees retains general governance authority over the
Credentialing Council; however the Credentialing Council
functions autonomously with respect to certification and
accreditation.
Please click
here to see the full PATH Intl. Bylaws with the proposed
amendments included for context. If you have questions or
comments regarding these amendments and additions, please
contact PATH Intl. CEO Kathy Alm.
We look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting on Friday,
November 5th in Williamsburg, VA.
Sincerely,
Arlene Alen, Chair of the PATH Intl. Bylaws Committee
Julie Broadway, PATH Intl. Board of Trustees President
PATH Intl. Bylaws Committee members:
Scott Carver, Cynthia Joyce, Georgia Bay, Brandan Montminy,
Gary Warren
