At the annual meeting of CMHACY in May of 2018, a decision was made to merge the CMHACY organization with a recently formed non-profit affiliate of CMHACY, created for the purpose of being able to collect tax-deductible donations. At this same meeting, the “membership” designation of CMHACY was also determined to be less effective when managing the efforts of the merged corporations. To ensure an open and transparent process of electing Directors of the CMHACY Board, the CMHACY Bylaws were rewritten to describe the protocols to be followed on an annual basis.

Below presents more detailed information for persons who are interested in serving CMHACY as either a Director or a Friend of the Board.

What are the qualifications for a Director of the Board of CMHACY?

To be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors, an individual must have attended at least one CMHACY conference, be a “stakeholder” in the public mental health system in California, and be at least 18 years of age.

What are the duties of a Director of the Board? 

As outlined within the CMHACY Bylaws, a Director shall perform the duties in accordance with the law and in good faith, in a manner that the Director believes to be in the best interest of the Corporation.   Specifically, the duties include:

1. Establish and reaffirm the mission, purpose and scope of the corporation;
2. Establish policies, guidelines, and objectives for the corporation;
3. Perform any and all duties imposed on them collectively or individually by law, by the Articles of Incorporation of this Corporation, or by these Bylaws;
4. Appoint and remove, employ and discharge, and, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, prescribe the duties and fix the compensation, if any, of all officers, agents and employees of the Corporation;
5. Adopt, review, and approve annual budgets, operating budgets and govern financial affairs in a responsible and financially sound basis in accordance with law and established policies;
6. Establish and appoint such committees, subcommittees and/or affiliated entities, as permitted by law and as the Board deems necessary. Prescribe powers, duties, and charters for those committees, subcommittees, and/or affiliated entities, in accordance with established policies and the laws of the State of California;
7. Select, appoint, and remove officers of the Corporation as prescribed by law and established policies;
8. Supervise all officers, agents and employees of the Corporation to assure that their duties are performed properly. Establish goals and objectives for the paid administrator hired or contracted by the Board and periodically evaluate his/her performance;
9. Exercise any or all powers accorded to the Corporation under law including, without limitation, Section 5140 of the California Corporations Code;
10. Participate in planning and working at the annual CMHACY conference.
11. Meet at such times and places as required by the Bylaws; and
12. Register their addresses with the Secretary of the Corporation. Notices of meetings mailed or electronically sent to them at such addresses shall be valid notices thereof.

How many Directors of the CMHACY Board are required? 

The CMHACY Bylaws specify the number of Directors to be not less than 5 and not more than 15. At least two Board slots shall be reserved for nominees from Parent and Caregiver stakeholders, and at least two Board slots shall be reserved for nominees from Youth stakeholders.

Who are the Officers of the Board?

The Officers of CMHACY shall be President, Secretary and Treasurer. These persons shall be selected from among the Directors.

How long are the terms of office?

The term of office for each Director shall be three years. Directors may hold the position for up to three consecutive terms for a total of 9 years. After 9 years of service, Directors must take off one year and can then be considered again for another term. During the one-year absence, the Director may serve as a Friend if appointed by the President.

Is there any compensation for serving as a Director?

Directors shall serve without compensation except that they may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as Board members.

NOMINATION PROCESS FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 CMHACY will post notice on its website, via email, and use other social media avenues to publicize that a vacancy or vacancies on the Board has occurred or will occur. This vacancy or vacancies shall be noticed at least two months in advance of the annual conference. Nominations may be made prior to the Conference online, or onsite on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the Conference. The Bylaws outline the ways to begin the process of seeking a Board of Director position:

1. Any Board member or Friend of the Board may submit to the Nominating Committee for consideration a candidate or candidates who meet the qualifications for Board membership. That person or persons must also submit the Board of Directors Nomination form, which can be accessed on the CMHACY website.
2. Any individual who meets Board membership qualifications for a seat on the Board may nominate himself or herself by submitting the Board of Directors Nomination Form, which can be accessed on the CMHACY website.

How is an individual’s name submitted to the CMHACY Nominating Committee? 

Interested persons should go to the CMHACY webpage and access the Board of Directors Nomination Form under the tab marked “CMHACY Nomination  Form”. The form is to be completed online and submitted electronically. Nominations may also be made onsite at the annual Conference on the online form as well. 

What is the cut-off date for nominations to be submitted? 

The preferred cut-off date for submission of nominations is one month prior to the convening of the annual conference, usually in mid-April (Monday, April 15, 2019). Final nominations are due the second to the last day of the Conference at 8 am (Thursday, May 16, 2019) to ensure that Conference attendees still have the chance to nominate and vote during the Conference.

After submitting the Nominations Form, what is the next step in the process? 

The Nominating Committee of the CMHACY Board will review all nominations forms for completeness of information, stakeholder representation, and the nominee’s responses contained within the application.  Candidates whose forms meet the criteria will be placed on the ballot for the straw poll, described below.

How does the straw poll work? 

Participants at each conference shall have the opportunity to participate in a straw poll, casting a ballot for the number of nominees needed to fill the current vacancies on the Board of Directors.  The results of the straw poll will be announced at the conference.  The results will identify the candidates who received the most votes.  The top candidates who will move on to the next phase of the process will be comprised of two nominees more than the number of open Board seats.

What is the next step for the top candidates? 

The top candidates will be interviewed by a Selection Committee composed of at least three Board members and two non-Board members appointed by the President of the CMHACY Board.  The Selection Committee shall take into consideration the results of the straw poll, as well as the requirement to assure that at all times there are two Board slots filled by a nominee from Parent and Caregiver stakeholders and two Board slots filled by a nominee from Youth stakeholders. The Selection Committee will present their recommendation to the full Board for election. then be vetted by the Board’s Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall report the results of the vetting process to the Board of Directors.

When does the election occur? 

Candidates for election to the Board of Directors will be elected at the first meeting of the Board after the annual CMHACY conference. Election to the Board of Directors will also take place at other Board meetings as needed to fill vacancies resulting from resignation or removal of a Director.

FRIENDS OF THE CMHACY BOARD 

Who are Friends of the Board? 

Friends of the Board are individuals who are committed to the purpose and goals of CMHACY, who have an interest in the proceedings of the organization, who can positively contribute at Board meetings and to conference planning, and who are willing to lend their expertise and experience. They represent the many diverse stakeholders who make up the CMHACY conference attendee pool. Friends are appointed to the Board at the discretion of the CMHACY President.

Applying for Friend Status 

Interested persons should apply with the online Friend Application below.  Applicants will be vetted by the Board of Directors at the next Board meeting, after which the President will make the final decision regarding the appointment.  Applicants will be notified of the President’s decision following the Board meeting.