Definition of Bylaws. These Bylaws constitute the code of rules adopted by the Joliet Area Young Professionals (herein referred to as JAYP) for the regulation and management of its affairs.

Purposes and Powers. The Mission of JAYP is to identify and satisfy the needs of professionals ages 21-40 in the greater Joliet area. The organization will work to provide networking, educational programs, and community service, while acting in unity with the goals and philosophies of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Structure. JAYP will be a division of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry and will be represented on the Chamber Board of Directors by the President.

Net Earnings. No part of net earnings of JAYP shall insure to the benefit of any private member or individual, and it is to provide further that no substantial part of its activities shall involve the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation.

Members. JAYP shall have one class of members (“General Members”), consisting of any individual between the ages of 21 and 40, who shares in the goals of JAYP upon payment of dues. General Members must satisfy the following criteria:

Meet such other criteria applicable to General Membership, as the Executive Board may deem appropriate from time to time.

Voting Rights of General Members. General Members are entitled to one vote in person at the Annual Meeting for the election of the JAYP Executive Board and/or for any subject properly submitted for vote at any meeting of the General Membership.

Membership Dues. All General Members shall be required to pay annual dues to maintain status as a Member in Good Standing. The dues structure shall be as follows:

Qualifications of Board Members. Each Board Member shall be a JAYP General Member in good standing and shall be age forty (40) or younger at the end of his or her term of office.

Term of Executive Board. Each Board Member elected shall hold office for a term of one (1) year, provided that nothing shall be construed to prevent re-election of a Board Member. Each Board Member shall hold office for the term which he or she was elected and until a successor is elected and seated. Elections will be held at the annual meeting of the members. Board Members shall be eligible to run for two consecutive one-year terms.

Removal of Executive Board Members. Board Members will be removed immediately if said member no longer meets the Membership criteria set forth in §2.1. A Board Member may also be removed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Board for failure to attend three (3) consecutive of any four (4) meetings of the Executive Board in one (1) calendar year.

Vacancies. Vacancies in the Board shall be filled by appointment made by recommendation of the Nominating Committee and approved by the remaining Board Members. The Member filling the vacancy will complete the said term of office.

Action by Consent. Any action authorized by law or these bylaws, may be taken without a meeting of the Board, if consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by a Members entitled to vote, and filed with the Secretary of JAYP as minutes.

Power to Amend Bylaws. Upon a majority vote, the Board shall have the power to make and amend any bylaw or bylaws, including the fixing and altering of the number of Board Members, provided that the Board shall not make or alter any bylaw or bylaws fixing the qualifications, classifications or term of office of any Member or Members of the then-existing Board.

Power to Appoint Other Officers and Agents. The Board shall have the power to appoint other officers and agents as the Board may deem necessary for transaction of the business of JAYP.

Roberts Rules of Order. All meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order. The Secretary or any other person appointed by the President shall serve as Parliamentarian.

President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of JAYP and shall preside over all meetings of the Board and of its Members. He or she shall have general and active management of the business of JAYP and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board are carried to effect. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all standing committees and shall have the general powers and duties of supervision and management usually vested in the office of President of a corporation and perform, in general, all duties incident of the office of President and such other duties as may be required by law or by these bylaws, or which may be assigned by the Board. The President shall also serve as an ex-officio member of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board of Directors. The President shall serve a one (1) year term, and may serve an unlimited number of non-consecutive full-year terms.

Vice-President. The Vice-President shall perform the duties and exercise the power of the President during the absence or disability of the President. The Vice-President shall be a voting member of all standing committees. It is anticipated that the Vice-President will assume the role of President at the end of the President’s term. In the event that the current President cannot complete the term as President, the Vice-President shall serve as President for the remaining term.

Secretary. The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Members and of the Board, and shall preserve in the books of JAYP true minutes of the proceedings of all meetings. He or she shall give all notes required by statute, bylaw or resolution and shall perform any other duties as may be delegated by the Board. In the Secretary’s absence, the President may delegate the duty of minutes taking.

Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for working in conjunction with the designated Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce staff for all accounting transactions. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the development, oversight and maintenance of the organization budget.

Social/Entertainment Committee Chairperson. The Social/Entertainment Committee Chairperson shall recruit committee membership and annually develop a calendar of social events for JAYP. He or she shall inform the Board and Communications Chairperson of all events planned by the committee at least thirty (30) days prior to said event.

Professional Development/Education Committee Chairperson. The Professional Development/Education Committee Chairperson shall recruit committee membership and annually develop a calendar of professional development / educational programming for JAYP. He or she shall inform the Board and Communications Chairperson of all events planned by the committee at least thirty (30) days prior to said event.

Volunteerism/Community Affairs Committee Chairperson. The Volunteerism/ Community Affairs Committee Chairperson shall recruit committee membership and annually develop a calendar of volunteerism / community affairs programming for JAYP. He or she shall inform the Board and Communications Chairperson of all events planned by the committee at least thirty (30) days prior to said event.

Membership Recruitment/Retention Chairperson. The Membership Recruitment/ Retention Chairperson shall recruit committee membership and annually develop programs to recruit and retain General Membership for JAYP. He or she shall inform the Board and Communications Chairperson of all new members recruited by the committee at least thirty (30) days after their recruitment.

Communications Chairperson. The Communications Chairperson shall recruit committee membership and communicate to the Board and General Membership via newsletter and website information about JAYP and the calendar of events. He or she shall update communications every thirty (30) days.

Members at Large. There shall be seven (7) Members at Large. The Members at Large shall serve on at least one standing committee.

Immediate Past President. The President from the previous year shall serve on the Board as Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President will not have voting rights but rather serve in an advisory role.

Nomination of Officers. The Nominating Committee shall request nominations from the General Membership to fill all elected positions sixty (60) days prior to the Annual Meeting. The consent of any nominee must be obtained before his or her name is placed in nomination.

Notification of Nominees. The Nominating Committee shall inform the General Membership of the proposed slate of nominees at least fifteen (15) days prior to the Annual Meeting.

Eligibility of Nominees. The nominee for the office of President shall have at least one (1) year of experience on the Executive Board. Nominees for the office of Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social/Entertainment Committee Chairperson, Professional Development/Education Committee Chairperson, Volunteerism/Community Affairs Committee Chairperson, Membership Recruitment/Retention Chairperson, and Communications Chairperson must have experience as a Member at Large or standing committee member or have work experience relevant to the office. If no such person is available, then the Nominations Committee may nominate a candidate form the General Membership.

Election of Officers. A final slate of nominees for the elected positions, including those in Article IV, shall be prepared by the Nominating Committee and presented to the General Membership at the Annual Meeting. Each General Member is entitled to one vote in person for the entire slate of nominees as posted by the Nominating Committee.

Appointments. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of five (5) Members in Good Standing. The Nominating Committee shall recommend, for appointment by the President, all Committee Chairs outside the Committee Chairs elected at the Annual Meeting. The President shall also appoint, for the year subsequent to his or her term, the Chairs of any existing Ad Hoc Committee and Task Force and the liaisons to any community project funded by JAYP.

Place of Meetings. Any and all meetings of the Members and of the Board shall be held within the geographical region served by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Annual Meetings of Members. The Annual Meeting of Members shall be held within the month of October or November.

Purpose of the Annual Meeting. The purpose of the Annual Meeting of the General Members shall be to elect the Executive Board and fill vacancies on the Board and to transact other business, which may properly come before the General Membership.

Notice of the Annual Meeting of Members. At least fifteen (15) days prior to the date fixed by §6.2 of this article for the holding of the Annual Meeting of members, written notice of the time and place of the meeting and the slate of nominations for officers shall be mailed to each member and posted on the JAYP website. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States Mail addressed to the member at his or her address as it appears on membership records.

Delayed Annual Meetings. If, for any reason, the Annual Meeting of the Members is not held on the designated day, the meeting may be called and held as a Special Meeting, and the proceedings may be there as at an Annual Meeting, provided that Notice of meeting shall not be less then seven (7) days.

Special Meetings of the Members. A Special Meeting of the Members may be called at any time by the President or by a majority of the Board. The method by which the meeting may be called is as follows:

Upon receipt of written notification setting forth the date and objectives of the proposed Special Meeting, signed by the President or by a majority of the Board, the Secretary shall prepare, sign and mail a notice requisite to the meeting.

The notice may be signed by the stamped, typewritten or printed signature of the Secretary.

Notice of Special Meetings. At least seven (7) days prior to the date fixed for the holding of any Special Meeting of members, written notice of the time, place and purposes of the meeting shall be mailed to each member and posted on the JAYP website. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States Mail addressed to the member at his or her address as it appears on membership records. Business not mentioned in the notice shall not be transacted at the meeting.

Quorum of General Members. Presence in person of members representing one-third (1/3) of Members in Good Standing of JAYP shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the General Membership.

Quorum of the Executive Board. Presence in person of the Executive Board representing one-third (1/3) of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board.

Standing Committees. There shall be five (5) Standing Committees: Social / Entertainment, Professional Development / Education, Communications, Volunteerism / Community Affairs and Membership Recruitment / Retention. Each Committee will have a Chairperson who will serve as a member of the Executive Board.

Ad Hoc Committees. The Board may appoint Ad Hoc Committees as becomes necessary to conduct the business of JAYP, and shall determine their term, function and powers.

Committee Membership. Each Standing Committee shall have at least five (5) members.

Social/Entertainment Committee. The purpose of the Social/Entertainment Committee shall be to arrange social and entertainment events for JAYP.

Professional Development/Education Committee. The purpose of the Professional Development/Education Committee shall be to arrange professional development and educational programming for JAYP.

Volunteerism/Community Affairs Committee. The purpose of the Volunteerism/ Community Affairs Committee shall be to arrange volunteer and community outreach programming for JAYP.

Membership Recruitment/Retention Committee. The purpose of the Membership Recruitment/Retention Committee shall be to recruit and retain general membership for JAYP.

Communications Committee. The purpose of the Communications Committee shall be to maintain communication with the General Membership, the membership of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the general public. The committee shall develop a marketing plan and maintain a calendar of events for JAYP.

Young Professional of the Year. At the Annual Meeting, the President shall present an award for the Young Professional of the Year as selected by the Executive Board.