Kinesiology is the academic discipline which involves the study of physical activity and its impact on health, human performance, society, and quality of life.
Article 1 – Name of Organization
Article 2 – Purpose
Article 3 – Membership
Article 4 – Board of Directors
Article 5 – Officers
Article 6 – Executive Committee
Article 7 – Committees
Article 8 – Dues
Article 9 – Fiscal Policies
Article 10 – Amendments
Article 11 – Meetings and Business
Article 12 – Conflict of Interest
Article 13 – Nondiscrimination
Article 14 – Operating Code
Article 15 – Voting and Elections
The name of the organization shall be the American Kinesiology Association.
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The purpose of AKA is to promote and enhance kinesiology as a unified field of study and advance its many professional applications.
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Section 1 Categories of Membership
Membership in the American Kinesiology Association shall be limited to academic units within higher education
Section 2 Scholarly/Professional Society Affiliates
Scholarly/Professional Societies may be invited to join the American Kinesiology Association as Affiliate members upon approval by the Board.
Section 3 Membership Requirements
The Board of Directors may establish such requirements for membership as it deems appropriate.
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The Board of Directors will consist of 15 members including the officers.
Section 1 Term of Board of Directors
Board of Directors’ terms are 3 years in duration with staggered 3-year terms so that one-third of the Board of Directors changes each year.
Section 2 Board of Directors Membership
The Board of Directors will select new members with the intent of inclusion/representation of institutional size, structure, location, sub-discipline, and level of program.
Section 2(1) Nominations for the Board of Directors
The Standing New Board Members Screening Committee is responsible for soliciting nominations for new Board of Director members and presenting a slate of recommended nominees to the Executive Committee for review and presentation to the Board for a vote. Nominations may come from member departments, scholarly/professional societies, and the current Board of Directors. Attempts will be made to include at least 5 individuals who are members of affiliated organizations.
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The Officers of the organization shall be President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Director, and the Business Manager. The Business Manager and Executive Director serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the Board of Directors and are not counted as one of the 15 Board of Directors.
Section 1 Eligibility to Serve as an Officer
Candidates for officer positions of President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer must be current members of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee will serve as the Ad-Hoc Nominating Committee for the selection for new Officers. Following solicitation of nominees, the Executive Committee will recommend a slate of Officers for the upcoming terms to the Board of Directors for a vote.
Section 2 Election of Officers
One year prior to the completion of the officer terms, the Board of Directors will elect the incoming officers who will attend all Board of Director meetings and participate in the meetings of the Executive Committee as non-voting members.
Section 3 Terms of Office
The President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer shall serve terms of two years.
Section 4 Executive Director
The Board of Directors shall advertise for and employ an Executive Director who is to conduct the day-to-day activities of the organization.
Section 4(1) Selection of the Executive Director
Candidates for the position of Executive Director will be initially screened by the Executive Committee. A slate of candidates, generally a list of at least two, will be submitted for review by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors must vote on selection of the Executive Director. Appointment to the position of Executive Director must carry a majority of the votes submitted by the Board of Directors.
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The Executive Committee consists of the President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, the Executive Director, and the Business Manager. The Executive Director and Business Manager are ex-officio, non-voting members of the Executive Committee.
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The Association recognizes two types of committees—Standing Committees and Presidential Committees (Ad-hoc).
Section 1(1) Constitution of Standing Committees
All standing committees consist of 3-5 members. Members of Standing Committees must be faculty members in an AKA member department. The Standing Committee Chair must be a member of the AKA Board of Directors. All members of the New Board Member Screening Committee must be AKA Board members. All standing committees report to the Executive Committee.
Section 1(2) The Standing Committees are:
1) Advocacy Committee – responsible for promotion of the organization to academic, governmental, public, and private agencies at student, faculty, administrator, and institutional levels.
2) Education Committee – works with institutional membership leadership to provide resources and opportunities for enhancing the quality of leadership and understanding of issues relevant to the field.
3) Governance Committee – reviews the association by-laws, committee structure, and general organization of the Association and makes recommendations to Board for change where needed.
4) Information Collection and Development Committee – identifies data to be collected for peer comparisons, national reports and other uses and oversees data collection procedures.
5) Publications Committee – creates electronic reports for dissemination, oversees Kinesiology Today, occasional white papers, position statements, reports, journals, etc.
6) Relationships/Liaisons and Membership Committee – Oversees efforts to expand and solidify membership base. Identifies scholarly/professional societies appropriate for affiliating with the Association, works with the Education Committee to plan cooperative ventures with affiliate organizations and works with other professional, university, public, governmental, and private agencies to further the purposes of the Association.
7) New Board Members Screening Committee – responsible for soliciting input on potential AKA Board of Directors members from a) current AKA Board of Directors; b) AKA Affiliates, and c) AKA Members. Following screening of nominees, the New Board Members Screening Committee recommends individuals to the Executive Committee. [See Article 4, Section 2 (1).
Section 2 Presidential Committees (Ad-hoc)
Presidential Committees may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. The terms of Presidential Committees expire on the subsequent December 31 of the year appointed unless renewed or extended by official action.
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The Board of Directors sets the yearly dues.
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All receipts and disbursements shall be managed by the Business Manager. Expenditures up to $500.00 can be approved by the Executive Director. Amounts above $500 but less than $1000 must be approved by the Association President with review by the Business Manager and/or the Executive Director. Amounts above $1000.00 must be approved by the Executive Committee.
An audit of Association funds is to be conducted in January of odd numbered years. The audit is to be conducted by two members of the Board of Directors who are not members of the Executive Committee, one member of the Executive Committee, and the Business Manager (ex-officio).
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Amendments to the By-Laws can be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. Voting can be in present or by electronic communication.
Notification of amendments shall be made in written or electronic formats at least 14 calendar days prior to a vote on the adoption of amendments.
Proposals to amend may only be initiated by the Board of Directors or by petition presented through the Board of Directors signed by at least 8 (eight) members. Amendments may be acted on only after written or electronic notice to the members of the Board of Directors at least 14 calendar days prior to the vote.
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Not less than once per year, the Board of Directors will convene to conduct the business of the association. Board of Directors members will be expected to provide a portion of their expense to attend the annual meeting. Business affairs may be transacted either by mail or electronic ballot or at the annual meeting by a quorum. A quorum is considered 2/3 of the Board of Directors. Voting by proxy is prohibited.
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At the beginning of any meeting Board of Directors members and committee members shall disclose any conflict of interest. If a conflict of interest exists with any issues on the agenda, the member will abstain from voting and participating in the discussion. The minutes of the meeting shall reflect the disclosure made.
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The officers, Board of Directors, and employees of this corporation shall be selected in a non-discriminatory manner. The AKA is committed to diversity in conducting its professional functions.
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The association may adopt operating codes for the conduct of its affairs that are consistent with the By-Laws. Operating Codes are to be approved by the Executive Committee. Operating codes shall be acted upon only after 10 calendar days of notice. Notice may be made in written or electronic formats. Voting may be completed in written or electronic forms.
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Unless specified otherwise in the By-Laws, all votes of the organization require a majority vote of the Board of Directors. In the case of elections, if no candidate receives a majority vote on the first ballot, the top two candidates and all ties will be included in a subsequent run-off.
Last Update: 07/22/09
