CONSTITUTION
(Revised: January 15, 2021)
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this association shall be “Overseas Chinese Environmental Engineers & Scientists Association” (also known as OCEESA), hereinafter referred to as the Association.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
The purposes of OCEESA shall be:
- To enhance the advancement of environmental science, technology, and management
- To provide education, training, and information exchange for members and other environmental and related professionals
- To establish data base for environmental resources
- To assist sustainable environmental trade and business
- To promote informed environment policy and decision making
ARTICLE III: COMPOSITION OF THE ASSOCIATION
The Association shall be composed of members. It shall have officers and staff for conducting necessary administrative activities.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
OCEESA membership shall include four classes: 1. regular members, 2. life members, 3. student members, and 4. honorary members.
Section 2.
The OCEESA Executive Council or its designees will review and approve membership applications.
Section 3.
Regular members of OCEESA shall be those of Chinese descent who are interested in and supportive of the purposes of the Association, and who are working in environmental engineering and science, and other related professions. Other professionals who is interested in and supportive of the purposes of the Association may join as a regular member upon approval by the Executive Council. Regular members are entitled to all membership privileges.
Section 4.
Life members shall be those who have paid one lump sum of life membership dues at the time of life membership application or any time as a regular paying member. Life members are entitled to all membership privileges.
Section 5.
Student members shall be students of Chinese descents studying in environmental engineering and science and other related fields at an institute of higher education. Student members shall be entitled to all membership privileges except voting right and serving on the Board of Directors.
Section 6.
Honorary members shall be those who are not OCEESA members but have made significant contributions in the advancement in environmental field such as, but not limited to environmental engineering, environmental science, humanity, and growth and development of OCEESA. Honorary members are entitled to all membership privileges except voting right and serving on the Board. Honorary members are nominated by OCEESA members, and reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.
Section 7.
All regular members, life members, student members shall pay dues as prescribed in the By-Laws.
Section 8.
Voting privileges shall be limited to members in good standing and as described in Article IV with each member having one vote.
ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Section 1: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The administration of the Association shall be managed by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) when the general membership meeting is not in session, subject to the limitations of Constitution and By-Laws and the laws under which the Association is incorporated. The Board shall be composed of twelve (12) members (the “Directors”). A thirteenth Director shall be added with the extension of the sitting of President’s board directorship if it is to expire before his/her presidency.
Section 2: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The Executive Council executes administrative functions, Association activities and required responsibilities. It shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary/Treasurer, and the immediate past President.
ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS
Section 1.
The officers of OCEESA shall consist of a President, a Vice President, and a Secretary/Treasurer (the “Officers”). The Officers shall be a member of the Board and elected according to the procedures described in the By-Laws for a two-year term.
Section 2.
The duties of Officers of CCEESA are listed below:
- The President shall be the chief officer of OCEESA, shall have general authority for active management of the business of OCEESA and shall see that all resolutions of the Association are put into effect.
- The Vice President shall assist the President in managing the business of OCEESA. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties and exercises the power of the President.
- Under the direction of the President, the Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for all official correspondence, publication, admission, and finances of OCEESA, shall keep all official files and documents, and shall perform such other duties assigned by the President.
Section 3.
No officer of OCEESA may serve consecutive terms of the same office.
ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES
Section l.
The President shall appoint, as necessary, advisors, chairman and/or members of standing and ad hoc committees on matters such as admission, nomination, publicity, international affairs, communications, and other programs of OCEESA.
Section 2.
Officers of OCEESA may make recommendations to the President for the selection of chairmen and members of subcommittees on matters related to their duties and responsibilities of their offices. The President shall approve or reject the recommendations.
Section 3.
The President may appoint an Executive Director/Editor-in-Chief of OCEESA Journal under the terms and conditions set by the President to assist Executive Council in administrative functions.
ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS
Section 1.
General membership meeting: OCEESA shall hold annual meetings and other meetings to fulfill its purposes. The time and place of all meetings shall be selected by the Executive Council as described in the By-Laws.
Section 2.
Board meetings: The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a year at a date to be determined by the Board of Directors A simple majority of the Board membership shall constitute a quorum. Special Board meeting can be held at the request of the President or majority of the Board members.
Section 3.
Executive Council meeting: The President shall call the Executive Council meetings as necessary to conduct association business.
ARTICLE IX: LOCAL CHAPTERS
Section 1.
Upon the request of not fewer than 10 members of OCEESA residing within the area defined in their request, the Executive Council may establish a Local Chapter.
Section 2.
Local Chapters shall be governed by the Constitution, By-Laws, Rules, and Policies established by the Executive Council of the Association.
Section 3.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) shall be established between the OCESSA Executive Council and the local Chapters.
ARTICLE X: POLICIES
Section 1
OCEESA will operate in a non-political, non-partisan, and non-sectarian manner.
Section 2.
In the event of dissolution of OCEESA, the Executive Council shall, with the approval of the two-thirds majority of the membership, after paying debts, distribute the remaining assets to any of the organizations with like purposes or to organizations formed and operated exclusively for literary, and educational purposes as shall, at that time, qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or under any section amendatory thereof, supplemental thereto, or substituted therefor. Any such dissolution shall be accomplished pursuant to the laws under which the Association is incorporated.
ARTICLE XI: BY-LAWS
The Executive Council shall make such By-Laws not in conflict with this Constitution as may be necessary for the proper government of the Association. Such By-Laws shall require the approval of the membership by a majority vote.
ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended, altered, or repealed at the general membership meetings by a two-thirds majority vote of those Active Members, as defined in the By-Laws, present and voting, provided that no amendment is contrary to the provisions set forth in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and provided that prior written notice of the proposed changes has been given in the notice of said meeting prior to the general membership meeting. The request for the proposed changes with written endorsement of at least ten per cent (10%) of the Active Members as describe in the By-Law I, shall be filed with the Secretary of OCEESA before the date of the notice of the said meeting.
Section 2.
The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended, altered or repealed, for all practical purposes, may be subject to ratification by simple majority vote following the ratification procedure. The procedure of conducting this ratification shall be determined by the Executive Council.
(Original: 1980)
(Revised: January 15, 2021)
BY-LAWS
(Revised: January 15, 2021)
BY-LAW 1. MEMBERSHIP DUES, ACTIVE MEMBER, AND HONORARY MEMBER NOMINATION AND SELECTION
Section 1.
The membership year shall be from January 1 to December 31, inclusive.
Section 2.
Dues for various classification of membership are determined by the Executive Council and approved by the Board.
Section 3.
Active Members are Regular Members and Life Members, who paid the current membership dues as described in By-Law 1, Sections 1 and 2.
Section 4.
Honorary Member Nomination Procedure and Selection Criteria
- Nomination procedure:
- A Nomination letter highlighting the significant achievement of the nominee should be submitted to the OCEESA President. The letter has to be signed by at least three OCEESA members in good standing.
- One page biography of the nominee should be attached with the nomination letter.
- Election to Honorary Membership shall be at the Board meeting with two thirds approval.
- The elected Honorary member shall be recognized at the OCEESA annual meeting or other appropriate occasion and announcement.
- Selection Criteria:
- “Significant contributions in the improvement of the environment” include but not limited to the following:
- Research: as indicated by referred journals, presentations, patents, etc.
- Design and practices: as demonstrated in the environmental design for achieving substantial efficiency enhancement or cost savings
- Policy and strategies: as demonstrated by environmental quality improvement as the results of implementation of such policy or strategies
- OCEESA development and growth: as demonstrated by extraordinary service to OCEESA or by providing financial or technical support to OCEESA, resulting in significant OCEESA development and growth
- Community service: as demonstrated by exceptional environmental contribution that significantly improves the quality of life of a community.
- Not more than one Honorary Member can be elected in any calendar year.
- Unless otherwise noticed by the applicants, applicants not selected will be automatically put in the selection pool for next two years. After that the applicant needs to be re-nominated.
- The ratio to membership cannot exceed one Honorary Member to every 20 active OCEESA members.
BY-LAW 2. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 1.
Newly elected Directors shall take seats on January 1 for a three-year term. For operational necessity, the election timelines may be adjusted by the Executive Council.
Section 2.
A Nomination Committee shall nominate four or more Director candidates for four seats each year. The Executive Council will serve the Nomination Committee and the President serves as the committee chair. The nominations shall be announced and sent to members. All nominees shall be Active Member, as described in By-Law 1. Directors can be re-elected with no term limit.
Section 3.
Any additional nominations can be made from the OCEESA members, but each nomination from the members must be seconded by at least three members, in accordance with the procedure that is used by the Nominations Committee to nominate other candidates.
Section 4
From these nominations, the Executive Council shall make up a ballot placing the names of the candidates in alphabetical order on the ballot, which shall be sent to each Active Member. No nominee shall have his/her name placed on the ballot whose consent to serve has not first been obtained by the Nominations Committee.
Section 5.
Members may vote for up to four candidates for the Director seats.
Section 6.
All ballots must be returned following procedures in election announcement to be counted.
Section 7.
The four candidates receiving the four highest numbers of votes shall be declared elected. In case of a tie between candidates for the last seat, a run-off election will be held to determine the winner. In case of a second-time election tie, a special Board meeting shall be called by the President to resolve the issue.
Section 8.
Resignation of a Director is allowed with written notice to the President. His/her vacant seat of the remaining term shall be filled by a qualified member nominated by the President and approved by the Board.
Section 9.
The Officers shall be members of the Board and are elected from among the Directors for a two-year term. The beginning of the term of each Officer shall be the same. Any Officer’s vacancy for the remaining term shall be appointed by the Board.
Section 10.
The election results of new Directors and Officers shall be available to all OCEESA members by proper notification or announcement.
Section 11.
Any Director or Officer who should fail to properly perform his/her the duties or should act in a manner tending to bring discredit to the OCEESA may be removed from the Board of Directors or office by a two-thirds majority vote from the Board. Due notice of the anticipated action shall be given at least one month in advance of this voting, at which time the accused shall have full opportunity to be heard. If the President is the officer whose removal is being considered, he/she shall not preside over the Board meeting during the consideration of this item of business. Any Director or Officer removed under the provisions of this Section shall have the right to appeal to a duly constituted OCEESA meeting, at which a two-thirds majority vote is required to reverse the decision by the Board.
BY-LAW 3. ANNUAL MEETINGS
The OCEESA annual meetings may be scheduled at a date determined by the Executive Council, and shall be properly announced to OCEESA members in advance.
BY-LAW 4. OCEESA JOURNAL, WEBSITE, AND AFFILIATION
Section 1.
OCEESA Journal shall be the official publication of the Association. It shall be published at least twice a year or quarterly if possible. Journal editor-in-chief is appointed by the President and shall be responsible for the review, editing and publication of the OCEESA Journal. The Executive Council shall be responsible for the soliciting and contributing to the writing of manuscripts and OCEESA news items for publication in the OCEESA Journal and Website.
Section 2.
OCEESA Journal (ISSN 1072-7248) is published by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce (Technical Reports-Project No. L8301001). The information can be found in the National Technical Report Library (NTRL), NTIS, U.S Department of Commerce. OCEESA does not accept subscription of OCEESA Journal from non-members.
Section 3.
OCEESA is one of the Chapters of the Chinese Institute of Engineers USA (CIE-USA). OCEESA joined CIE-USA on November 5, 1988. OCEESA supports and participates the activities of CIE-USA. OCEESA operates independently in administration from CIE-USA.
(Original: 1980)
(Revised: January 15, 2021)