It's Election Time!

(Message originally sent on Oct. 21)
Elections for the chapter's initial board of directors will be held at our Nov. 19 meeting, set for 11 a.m.

If you are interested in running for office, please send your name, contact information, position desired, and a statement of why you're interested in running to charlotteaabj@gmail.com by Friday, Nov. 11. Candidate's statements will be posted on this site by the following Tuesday.

Seats on the board of directors are open to working journalists under the current CAABJ constitution and by-laws.

These are the available positions:

President: The president shall preside over all meetings of the CAABJ membership and meeting of the Board of Directors. The president shall have the responsibility of making sure all decisions of the Board of Directors and the membership are carried out. The president, along with the secretary and parliamentarian, shall decide on and carry out the agendas of each meeting. The president also shall serve as spokesperson for CAABJ at the direction of membership.

Vice President: The vice president shall perform the duties as assigned by the president and shall act in the president's stead when the president is unable to perform his/her duties. The vice president will serve as president in the event the president cannot complete his/her term or is removed by the procedure outlined in Article V, Section 2.

Secretary: The secretary shall have the responsibility of keeping a record of all meetings of the Boards of Directors and the membership. The secretary also shall ensure that a proper file is maintained of all CAABJ membership lists, correspondence and action taken by the membership. The secretary shall also be responsible for making sure that meeting notices are sent out five days prior to any CAABJ meeting or meetings of the Board of Directors.

Treasurer: The treasurer shall have the responsibility of maintaining a thorough financial record of all money received and/or spent by CAABJ as a group. No checks shall be issued without the signatures of both the president and treasurer.

Parliamentarian: The parliamentarian shall be thoroughly schooled on Robert's Rules of Order. The parliamentarian also shall have a total understanding of the CAABJ's Constitution and bylaws. The parliamentarian shall be the sergeant-at-arms in all meetings and shall advise the president on proper procedures or running meetings of CAABJ.


I encourage anyone who is interested in running and meets the above qualifications to run for office. Please send any questions about the upcoming elections to charlotteaabj@gmail.com.

Let's Get Moving

(message originally sent on Oct. 21)
At our Oct. 19 chapter meeting, attendees brainstormed various activities that CAABJ could host during the next six months. We named three committees to get some projects going.

If you are interested in helping with one (or more) of these, contact the individual listed as project chair.

CONSTITUTION: The CAABJ constitution and by-laws are in need of updating to make it more in line with our goals and those of national organization (to help with affiliation process). Chair: Melody Freeman, mfreeman@wcnc.com.

MEDIA-ACCESS WORKSHOP: Host a workshop with community organization on how to approach the media. Project chairs: Lena Warmack, lwarmack@charlotteobserver.com; and Dedrick Russell, darussell@wbtv.com.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS, MENTORS: Seek out minority high school students to apply for Knight Ridder Minority Scholarship program, and those interested in having a mentor. Chair: April Bethea, abethea@charlotteobserver.com.


Stay tuned after our Nov. 19 elections for information about future ways to get involved in the chapter.

Thanks!

Don't forget! Send your ideas, questions or concerns to charlotteaabj@gmail.com.