PRSA recently enacted a new set of bylaws following intensive research by a dedicated task force of public relations professionals and association governance experts. The PRSA Board of Directors established the task force to examine current theory and best practices to modernize PRSA’s governance structure and make the Society a nimbler and stronger organization. The first complete rewrite of the bylaws since PRSA was founded over 60 years ago, the draft was presented to the PRSA member Assembly for deliberation on a slate of changes proposed in the draft.
Among the new provisions adopted by a majority vote of the Assembly are:
- Conferring greater flexibility on the PRSA Nominating Committee for proposing candidates to serve on the Board of Directors, including the ability to convert District-representative Board seats to at-large Board seats when no candidates have been identified from a particular District.
- Establishing a "Leadership Assembly" to focus on issues of concern to the profession, changing the nature and purpose of the PRSA Assembly. Delegates will now identify and raise issues of importance for discussion by the Assembly and Board of Directors, while retaining their current legislative powers to approve bylaw changes, Chapter dissolutions and dues structures.
- Providing for participation of the president and chief operating office of PRSA as a nonvoting, non-deliberating, ex-officio member of the Nominating Committee for the purpose of providing historical context to the nominating process.
- Adopting procedures to solicit and obtain input from the Board of Directors on candidates for future Board service, to allow directors and officers to run for multiple terms of office, and to require previous experience on the PRSA Board for those seeking an officer position.
- Expressly allowing proxy voting by Assembly delegates and other PRSA members to guarantee member representation at the Assembly.
Additional details can be found in the bylaws area of PRSA’s Web site, www.prsa.org, as well as in a Q&A in the PRSA publication “PR Strategist and Tactics Online.”
