Committee Appointment Regulations and Procedures

The overall purpose/mission of the Committee Appointment Program Committee (CAPC) is to:

• oversee the AAOS Committee Appointment Program (CAP);
• solicit involvement of Fellows in the AAOS volunteer structure;
• recommend to the Board of Directors the charges of and appointments to the various AAOS committees, councils, cabinet(s);
• oversee the evaluation of committee and council/cabinet volunteers.

Definitions

1. Council: An organizational subdivision that encompasses a major functional area of the AAOS. It is created by the Board of Directors, and its existence is not time-limited. A council's function is to plan, organize, direct, and evaluate an entire category of AAOS programs, products, and services. Examples of councils include the Council on Education, the Council on Advocacy, and the Council on Research and Quality.
2. Cabinet: An organizational subdivision that encompasses a major functional area of the AAOS. It is created by the Board of Directors, and its existence is not time-limited. A cabinet's function is to plan, organize, direct, and evaluate an entire category of AAOS programs, products, and services. A Cabinet differs from a Council in that it serves the entire AAOS structure. An example is the Communications Cabinet.
3. Committee: An organizational entity subordinate to a council. (In some cases a committee may report directly to the Board of Directors.) Its members are elected or appointed to investigate, report on, or act upon a particular issue; therefore, its scope is narrower than that of a Council or Cabinet. Its existence is not time-limited. Examples include the Membership Committee, the Annual Meeting Committee, and the Patient Safety Committee.
4. Advisory Board: A group of volunteers that advises the entire AAOS. An example is the Women's Health Issues Advisory Board.
5. Project Team: A group of volunteers working together temporarily until some goal is achieved. Its scope and function are narrower than those of a committee, and its existence is time-limited. A project team may be created by the Board of Directors, Council Chairs, Cabinet Chairs, or Committee Chairs.

For purposes of these regulations and procedures, the term “committee” includes Advisory Boards.

Posting and Appointment Procedure

• Positions on Councils, Cabinets, Advisory Boards, and Committees, as well as volunteer liaison positions, will be posted on the CAP for a period of time and advertised in AAOS Headline News Now and other vehicles available to the AAOS.
• Council and Cabinet Chair Appointments: The Presidential Line will recommend Council and Cabinet Chair appointments to the CAPC.
• Committee Chair Appointments: The appropriate Council Chair will recommend committee chair appointments to the CAPC.
• Committee Appointments: After consultation with the Council Chair, the appropriate committee chair will rank the applicants in order of preference and submit his/her ranking to the CAPC.
• Appointments approved by the CAPC to Councils, Cabinets, Committees, and Advisory Boards must be ratified by the Board of Directors.

Committee Appointments

• Except for new committees starting mid-year and replacements for unexpired terms, terms begin and end at the close of the Annual Meeting.
• Committee appointments are limited to appointment to one committee or one subcommittee unless mandated by the position. For example, a committee chair's appointment to the council may be mandated by the structure of the council. This does not count as far as maximum number of committee appointments.
• The following units/positions are exempt from the “one-committee rule:”
• Judiciary Committee
• Committee on Professionalism
• Bylaws Committee
• Resolutions Committee
• Instructional Courses Committee
• Program Committee
• Nominating Committee
• Political Action Committee (PAC) of the Association
• Elected officers of the Board of Councilors (BOC)
• Elected officers of the Board of Specialty Societies (BOS)
• Advocacy Resource Committee
• Coding, Coverage, and Reimbursement Committee
• Guidelines Oversight Committee
• Project teams
• Liaison positions

** ADDITIONAL EXCEPTIONS ARE RARE AND MUST BE APPROVED BY THE CAPC. **

Terms for Chairs and Members

Council/Cabinet Chairs: Two-year term; renewable for one additional two-year term.

Committee Chairs: Two-year term; renewable for one additional two-year term.

Notes:

• A committee member serving in his or her first term who becomes chair will begin a new term and be eligible for one additional reappointment. This will result in a maximum term on the committee of either six or nine years, depending on the tenure of the committee.
• A committee member serving in his or her second term (i.e., has already served one term on the committee) who becomes chair will begin a new term and will be eligible for reappointment to a second term as chair. This will result in a maximum term on the committee of eight years. For those committees that have three-year terms, there will be a maximum tenure of nine years. This will allow the member to serve either two, three-year terms as a member and one, three-year term as chair; or serve one, three-year term as a member and serve two, three-year terms as chair. For chair positions on the Evaluation Committee and its Subcommittees, these individuals are eligible for a three-year appointment with an additional three-year reappointment for a maximum tenure on the committee as a member/chair of twelve years.

Committee Members: Two-year term; renewable for one additional two-year term.

Notes:

• Committee members serving on a committee or subcommittee have the opportunity to be considered for a chair position only within the committee they are currently serving when the member is in mid-term of their current position. This will allow for experienced members to advance within the committee with the least amount of disruption.
• If a committee member is recommended for reappointment to his/her original committee and also recommended for appointment to a new committee, the member will be contacted to determine committee preference as committee service is limited to one committee or one subcommittee unless the committee is included in the exception list.
• Committee members may not resign from one committee in mid-term to accept an appointment to another committee.
• Once the maximum term of appointment is completed, the members may not be re-appointed to the committee for at least four years.
• Some committee positions are appointed by related organizations, and thus, these are termed “slotted seats” (e.g., the specialty societies' seats on the Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Committee), and the appointing organization will be allowed to determine the tenure of the member.

Exceptions to the two-year terms:

The following positions have three-year terms, renewable for a second three-year term:

• Board of Councilors
• Board of Specialty Societies
• Evaluation Committee and its sub-committees
• Political Action Committee (After serving two, three year terms, members may be appointed for additional terms as determined by the Association Board of Directors.)

The following positions have two-year terms and members are eligible for an unlimited number of terms:

• Committee on Professionalism
• Judiciary Committee

The following committees have five-year terms with no eligibility for reappointment:

• Membership Committee
• Program Committee
• Instructional Courses Committee

The following committee has a one-year term. In order to serve again, an individual must not have served on the previous three Nominating Committees:

• Nominating Committee

Leadership Fellows Program (LFP) Appointments

• Leadership Fellows may apply for open committee positions through the normal CAP process.
• If Leadership Fellows apply through the normal CAP process and are not selected or if there are no open positions on their preferred committee, they may apply for committee positions through the LFP process. They will be asked to submit their first three choices for committee positions and rank their choices in order of preference. The CAPC will then assign LFPs to committee positions, taking into account the LFPs' preferences, but in no case will more than two LFPs be assigned to a committee.
• LFPs will be assigned to a committee for a one-year term and may be re-appointed for an additional one-year term. Subsequent membership on committees will proceed through the routine CAP process.
• LFPs will have full committee membership privileges, including voting rights.
• LFP positions are in addition to the normal composition of the committee.

Liaison Appointments

The AAOS has a number of liaison positions with outside organizations. Some of these positions are appointed directly by the AAOS; others are nominated by the AAOS and may or may not be selected by the requesting organization. Service as a liaison will not prevent a member from serving on other committees. The appointment process for liaison positions is similar to the appointment process for committee positions. Positions will be posted on the CAP. If time permits, recommendations will be made to the CAPC by the Medical Director. Occasionally, a requesting organization does not notify the AAOS in time to allow the routine CAP process to be used. In these cases, positions will still be posted in the CAP System; however, the Abreviated CAP (ACAP) process will be used to recommend nominations to the organizations. For the ACAP process, applicants will be solicited through the CAP System. Applicants will be required to also submit a CV and letter of interest. All materials will be collected by the Medical Director. After materials are reviewed, the Medical Director will prepare an unbiased executive summary of all the applicants. The Council/Cabinet Chairs will review the information and rank the individuals for nomination. Nominations from the ACAP Process will be presented to the CAP Committee as a consent agenda item to formally document the nominations.

Initial Committee Member Terms on Newly Created Committees

For new committees, the initial terms of the members will be staggered to allow for proper rotation. The following procedure for staggering terms should be used, unless terms are otherwise determined by the CAPC:

• Chair:
  The first chair of the committee should be appointed for a two- or three-year term, depending on the term length of the committee; renewable for one additional two- or three-year term.
• Committee Members:
  For the first term of the committee, the number of committee members should be divided equally by two or three. Names from each of the two or three groups should be selected randomly for an initial one-year, two-year, or three-year term (each renewable for one additional two- or three-year term). The selection of terms will be by a staff member not involved with the committee. Names and a number equal to the initial term of service will be pulled from the “hat.” Standing committee term rules apply after the first full two- or three-year term of the committee.

Procedures for Replacing a Council Chair Who Resigns

Occasionally a council chair chooses to resign prior to the end of his or her term. If the tenure remaining is short then he or she should be asked to complete the term. If this is not possible, the Presidential Line will make recommendations to the CAPC for a replacement. The new council chair will finish the un-expired term and then be eligible for two additional two year terms.

Procedures for Replacing a Committee Chair Who Resigns

Occasionally a committee chair chooses to resign prior to the end of his or her term. If the tenure remaining is short then he or she should be asked to complete the term. If this is not possible, then the CAPC will appoint an experienced member of the committee to serve as the interim chair. If there is not an experienced member available, the CAPC will appoint that committee’s previous chair or someone with similar experience to complete the unexpired term of the committee chair. At the end of the original chair’s term, the chair position will be posted on CAP and the appropriate appointment process will commence.

Procedures for Removing Absent or Inactive Committee Members

If a committee member does not attend committee meetings or is not an active participant, the chair should speak privately with the individual to determine if there are scheduling conflicts or other matters that are preventing attendance or participation. If there are, dialogue should take place between the chair and committee member to determine if these issues can be resolved. If not, the chair should recommend that the committee member resign from the committee. If this is acceptable to all parties, then the chair will then submit the resignation letter to the CAPC along with a request that the committee member be replaced. If approved, the open position will be posted on the CAP.

If the committee member refuses to resign, the committee chair should notify the council chair. The committee member will be given an opportunity to communicate, in writing or in person, with the council chair as to whether he or she wishes to maintain the position. Depending on the outcome of this communication, the council chair and committee chair will jointly file an in-depth memo with the CAPC recommending that the member either be retained or be dismissed. If the CAPC approves the recommendation, a letter will be sent to the committee member either notifying him that he is being retained or asking him to immediately step down. If the committee member steps down, then the open position will be posted on the CAP.

When a Chair Chooses Not to Reappoint a Member

If a committee member is nearing the end of his or her term and has not been an active participant, the chair may choose not to reappoint the individual. Since most members are aware that they are eligible for reappointment after one term, the chair should notify the non-participating member that he or she will not be reappointed and provide the reason why. In the event this instance occurs, it is the responsibility of the chair to complete a performance evaluation on the individual that will accurately reflect the job performance and be stored in the CAP system for future reference. The vacant job position should be appropriately posted on the CAP.

Committee Consultants

• Committees and Advisory Boards in need of a consultant(s) should provide the CAPC with a proposal explaining what the consultant(s) will do for the committee.
• Consultants may serve up to six consecutive one-year terms in a consultant role, and must be reappointed on an annual basis.
• Any committee making use of a consultant must provide substantive justification on an annual basis for the reappointment of the consultant.
• Each committee making use of a consultant must provide information on the costs involved.

Duties and Responsibilities of Committee Chairs

• Scheduling and presiding over committee meetings;
• Focusing the committee’s activities on those objectives of the Strategic Plan that are a priority focus of the committee;
• Assigning, monitoring, and following up on members’ assignments;
• Maintaining knowledge of various Academy processes as they relate to committee work;
• ? Assuring that the staff liaison delivers the agenda materials with sufficient “lead time” so that the members have an opportunity to thoroughly review them and be appropriately prepared for the meeting (the AAOS standard is to deliver agenda materials two weekends before the meeting);
• Communicating regularly with the staff liaison regarding committee matters; and
• Assuring that the committee meets its deadlines.

Duties and Responsibilities of Committee Members

• Participating in meetings and conference calls;
• Carrying out specific assignments related to the committee’s work;
• Contributing to the work of the committee; and
• Meeting committee deadlines.

Duties and Responsibilities of Staff Liaisons

Staff liaisons are recommended by department directors and approved by the Chief Executive Officer.

• Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:
• Serving as resource person to the unit, and to other staff members dealing with the unit;
• Holding regular conferences with the chair between the times that the council/committee is in session;
• Coordinating and overseeing arrangements for all meetings;
• Preparing and distributing meeting agenda materials to members prior to the meeting so that members will have sufficient time to thoroughly review the agenda;
• Preparing minutes of the meeting in accordance with standard Academy formats and securing the approval of chair;
• Distributing minutes in a timely and orderly fashion; and
• Assisting in preparation of reports for the Board of Directors.

Ex-Officio Committee Members

As stated in the Academy Bylaws Paragraph 5.9.b: “Only committee or task force members duly appointed or elected who are Fellows or Members shall be entitled to vote within the committee or task force. Whenever a member of a committee or task force specified to be ex-officio, it is specifically understood that an ex-officio member does not have the right to vote unless otherwise specified by the Board of Directors.”