I. Membership

A. Members may be any individual interested in or involved in veterinary education.

II. Leadership

A. The Board will consist of the officers (5) and 6 Governors, elected from the general membership.

B. The Head of the Council on Credentialing will be an ex officio member of the Board.

C. Officers
i. Immediate Past-President – The immediate Past-President serves as a member of the Board. The role is to review and update the Bylaws and chair the Nominations Committee. The term of the immediate past-President is two years and will begin on July 1 immediately after completion of their term as President.
ii. President – The President will be the primary representative of the AVE and will approve agendas and chair all meetings of the Board and of the AVE membership. The President is responsible for nominating Committee members and Chairs. The term of the President will be two years and will begin on July 1.
iii. President-Elect – The President-Elect will work directly with the President so as to be knowledgeable of all business of the AVE. The President-Elect will chair meetings of the Board and the AVE membership in the absence of the President. The term of the President-Elect will be two years and will begin July 1 concurrent with the term of the President. The President-Elect becomes the President upon completion of their two-year term. No one may serve as President-Elect and then President for more than one consecutive term.
iv. Secretary – The secretary will collect agenda items for presentation to the chair, attend all meetings, and manage minutes for all meetings of the Board, the Council, and the AVE membership. Minutes may be transcribed by the secretary or consist of recorded virtual meetings, with permission of all those present, with a synopsis in a written format available. The secretary is responsible for all correspondence of the AVE, both internal and external. The secretary will maintain the membership database and results of certification. The secretary will be responsible for organizing nominations and elections. The term of the Secretary will be two years and will begin on July 1 after the first year of the President and President-Elects’ term. There are no term limits for the Secretary.
v. Treasurer – The Treasurer will be responsible for collection and disbursement of funds for the AVE. The Treasurer will maintain up-to-date records and balance sheets and produce a financial report at each meeting. The term of the Treasurer will be two years and will begin on July 1 after the first year of the President and President-Elects’ term. There are no term limits for the Treasurer.

D. Governors: There will be six (6) Governors. It is desirable for there to be a mix of Governors from various geographic regions and representing various disciplines in veterinary education. Governors will serve a three-year term. No one may serve as a Governor for more than two consecutive terms but an individual may serve as Governor for multiple terms that are not consecutive. Terms will be staggered such that two Governors are selected each year.

E. Inability to complete elected position: Officers and Governors may resign from their elected position or may be removed. Removal requires deliberation and action by the entire Board and must be for cause, with documentation that the actions of the individual are not in the best interest of the AVE; the individual in question cannot vote on a motion to be removed. If the Immediate Past-President is unable to complete their term, it will be left vacant until the current President moves into that position. If the President is unable to complete their term, the President-Elect will take on the role of chair and complete that term. There will be no President-Elect for the remainder of that term and a President-Elect will be elected at the end of that term, such that the former President-Elect will still have an opportunity to complete a two-year term as President. If the President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, or Governor is unable to complete their term and it is more than 6 months from the completion of their term, an off-cycle election will be held to fill the position.

F. Nominations and elections: The President and Immediate Past-President positions are filled automatically. For all other positions, the Immediate Past-President will convene a nominating committee to be made up of three (3) individuals from the general membership. The nominating committee will send out a call for nominations. Members may self-nominate. If there are more than three nominees for any open position, the nominating committee will determine which three candidates will move forward. A ballot may be created with as few as one candidate per open position. Ballots will be sent out to the general membership and will include the name of each candidate and a description of their previous work that makes them suitable for the tasks of the desired position and their goals should they be elected to the position. These descriptions will be written by the candidate, and the Secretary may enact a word limit on candidate descriptions and may remove a candidate from the ballot if they do not provide this information in a timely manner. Ballots will be electronic, and members of the AVE should be given a minimum of 3 weeks to vote. An affirmative vote by plurality (largest number of votes) of members voting by electronic ballot shall be required for election. Variation in this timing for off-cycle elections is at the discretion of the Secretary.

G. Responsibilities: The Board is responsible for all business of the AVE, including strategic planning and ongoing attention to how best the AVE meets its mission, with the exception of activities of the Council on Credentialing. The Board will support standing committees in their work and make final decisions of committee work that is core to the AVE. Officers, Governors, and committee members do not receive compensation from the AVE for their service.

III. Meetings

A. Board – The Board will meet at least quarterly. Meetings may be held using conference software, as a conference call, or in person. The Secretary will send out a request for agenda items prior to each meeting and the agenda will be approved by the President.

B. General membership – The general membership will meet regularly.

IV. Committees

A. Standing Committees are permanent components of the AVE and are described in the Bylaws. Task Forces are temporary components established for a specific, time-limited purpose.

B. Standing Committee members shall be appointed from the active membership each year. Only members in good standing are eligible for committee membership. Committee members will be nominated by the President and approved by the Board.

C. The following criteria shall dictate Committee and Task Force procedures:
i. All terms are for three (3) years unless otherwise specified.
ii. Committee chairpersons will be appointed by the President.
iii. The committee chairperson is typically chosen from among the members of the committee who have been on the committee for the longest period of time (i.e. entering their third year of service).
iv. If a committee member is unable to fulfill their term, a replacement shall be appointed by the President to fulfill the unexpired term as soon as possible after the vacancy occurs.
v. A committee member may be reappointed by the President, but shall not retain seniority.
vi. The Chair of each committee will submit a written annual report to the Secretary. The report shall contain a detailed summary of committee activities during the year, along with any associated recommendations. The report will be reviewed by the Board and made available to members on request.
vii. Ex officio committee members do not have voting rights.
viii. Each committee will draft a Policies & Procedures document as one of their first activities.

D. Continuing Education Committee
i. The President-Elect will be a normal, voting member of this committee during their term.
ii. The Continuing Education Committee shall be composed of at least five (5) members, including the President-Elect.
iii. Duties of this committee shall be to curate, solicit, and promote continuing education, including conferences and online resources.

E. Scholarship & Awards Committee
i. The Scholarship & Awards Committee shall be composed of six (6) members.
ii. Duties of this committee shall be to facilitate education research efforts, convey awards, and advertise and provide grants.

F. Media & Communications Committee
i. The Media & Communications Committee shall be composed of at least five (5) members.
ii. The duties of the committee will be to oversee ongoing development and maintenance of the website and social media presence.

V. Appeals Procedure

A. A member adversely affected by any decision of a committee or officer may petition for a review of the decision. The written petition must be filed with the Secretary and shall include a statement of the grounds for reconsideration and any supporting documentation. The petition must be filed within 30 days of the date on which the member was notified of the adverse decision. Upon receipt of the petition, the Secretary will notify the Chairperson of the appropriate committee and the AAVMC CEO for further discussion. If a decision is required, it will be brought to the attention of the AAVMC Board of Directors. The Secretary will inform the appellant of the decision within 30 days of the original petition.

VI. Council on Credentialing

A. The Council on Credentialing is a separate body within the AVE. The Council shares the website and the Secretary and Treasurer Officers with the wider AVE.

B. Membership
a. The Council’s membership will be exclusively constituted by members of the AVE who have become credentialed as experts in veterinary education and maintain their dues.
b. Members must complete Maintenance of Certification to remain a member of the Council.
c. Annual dues for members of the Council are collected by the Treasurer. The Supervising Committee shall determine the amount of annual dues. Any proposed change in the amount shall be recommended by the Supervising Committee and approved by a majority vote of the Council membership at the regular membership meeting. A written notice of the proposed change must be sent to all Council Members 30 days prior to the annual business meeting.
d. Email reminders of the date for annual dues payment will be sent by the Treasurer. An email notice of pending delinquency will be sent to individual members who have not paid the current year’s annual dues. If dues are considered delinquent, Membership in the Council will become Inactive.
e. Reactivation of Council Membership will require payment of all delinquent dues. Benefits, rights and privileges of active Membership shall be reinstated immediately upon receipt of all outstanding dues.
f. Emeritus Council Membership status may be requested by those no longer actively engaged in veterinary education. Emeritus Members do not pay dues, have voting rights, or require recertification. Emeritus Member status may be conveyed by the Supervising Committee by a simple majority vote.

C. Leadership
a. The Head will be the primary representative of the Council and will approve agendas and chair all meetings of the Supervising Committee and of the Council membership. The Head will represent the Council to the AVE Board, the AAVMC, and the greater AVE membership. The term of the Head will be three years and will begin on July 1.
b. The Supervising Committee of the Council will consist of the Chairs of each of the Committees within the Council.
c. The Head of the Council will lead all meetings of the Supervising Committee but will not vote except in the event of a tie.
d. Inability to complete elected position: The Head and Chairs may resign from their elected position or may be removed. Removal requires deliberation and action by the entire Supervising Committee and must be for cause, with documentation that the actions of the individual are not in the best interest of the Council; the individual in question cannot vote on a motion to be removed. If the Head is unable to complete their term and it is more than 6 months from the completion of their term, an off-cycle election will be held to fill the position.
e. Nominations and elections: For the Head, the President will convene a nominating committee to be made up of three (3) individuals from the Council membership. The nominating committee will send out a call for nominations in mid-April. Members may self-nominate. If there are more than three nominees for any open position, the nominating committee will determine which three candidates will move forward. A ballot may be created with as few as one candidate per open position. Ballots will be sent out to the Council membership and will include the name of each candidate and a description of their previous work that makes them suitable for the tasks of the Head and their goals should they be elected to the position. These descriptions will be written by the candidate and the Secretary may enact a word limit on candidate descriptions and may remove a candidate from the ballot if they do not provide this information in a timely manner. Ballots will be electronic, and members of the Council should be given a minimum of 3 weeks to vote. An affirmative vote by plurality (largest number of votes) of members voting by electronic ballot shall be required for election. Variation in this timing for off-cycle elections is at the discretion of the Secretary.
f. Responsibilities: The Supervising Committee is responsible for all business of the Council, including supervising training programs, approving candidates, granting certification status, and management of appeals. The Supervising Committee will support standing committees in their work and make final decisions of committee work that is core to the Council. The Head and committee Chairs and members do not receive compensation from the AVE for their service.

D. Committees
a. All rules of the AVE for Committees (Bylaws IV, A-C) applies to committees of the Council, except that only Council members may serve on the committees.
b. Job Task Analysis Committee
i. The Job Task Analysis Committee shall be composed of five (5) members.
ii. Duties of this committee shall be to conduct, analyze, and report results of an initial job task analysis and conduct a periodic review and subsequent job tasks analyses.
c. Credentials Committee
i. The Credentials Committee shall be composed of at least five (5) members.
ii. Duties of this committee shall be to certify eligibility of applicants requesting examination and to provide information regarding certification.
iii. Applicants approved and not approved for eligibility shall be notified by the Secretary after review and approval by the Supervising Committee.
iv. Following individual applicant notification by the Secretary, this committee shall be responsible for informing applicants not deemed eligible for examination of areas of deficiency.
d. Examination Committee
i. The Examination Committee shall be composed of up to thirteen (13) members. The Head shall be an ex-officio member of this committee.
ii. The duties of this committee shall be:
1. Preparation, administration, and scoring of all certifying examinations.
2. Report to the Chair results of such examinations and make recommendations to the Supervising Committee on the competency of candidates.
e. Maintenance of Certification Committee
i. The Maintenance of Certification Committee shall be composed of five (5) members.
ii. Duties will be to create and maintain the process for recertification.
iii. Maintenance of Certification
1. All members of the Council who attain Certified status must engage in activities to maintain that status.
2. Certified status must be re-validated every ten (10) years.
3. The Maintenance of Certification Committee will create and revise as necessary the Maintenance of Certification Policies and Procedures and will review credentials.
4. Members who do not maintain their AVE and Council membership or who do not recertify will no longer be able to claim Certified status.