The executive Board meets monthly (typically the first week of each month) to organize, monitor and assess the progress of current activities. The membership of the executive Board consists of the following elected positions.

• Past-Chair

• Chair

• Chair-Elect

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Councilor (5)

• Alternate Councilor (5)

• Member-at-Large (5)

• Chairs of all standing Committees

• Presides at all meetings

• Files annual report

• Provides leadership

• Appoints committee chairs

• Delegates authority

The Chair presides at all section meetings and at all sessions of the executive Board. The Chair is also responsible for filing the section's annual report in an accurate and timely manner. The supervision, coordination, and overall direction of section activities are the primary and ongoing functions of the section chair. A chair should provide leadership for the section officers and committee chairs and delegate authority and responsibility as broadly as possible. The chair makes all sections standing committee appointments, preferably in advance of taking office. From the chair, the appointees should receive guidance, supervision, and assistance, especially with respect to specific committee assignments.

• Serves as program chair

• Hosts section speakers

• Attends Leadership Conferences

The chair-elect serves as program chair and has the principal responsibility for planning and arranging the section's meeting programs for the year during which he or she will be chair. In addition, the chair-elect frequently serves as the host for section speakers. It is essential that the chair-elect choose speakers of high caliber that reflect the needs and interests of the local membership. Initial speaker planning shall be made at the leadership conference via the ACS speakers list.

• Attends Executive Board meetings

• Brings/represents member views to/at Executive Board meetings

• Communicates actions of the Executive Board to local section members and community

• Liaison during changes in leadership

• Certifies section councilors and forwards biographies to national ACS

• Notifies national ACS of newly elected officers and committee chair appointments

• Maintains charter, historic documents, and official bylaws

• Is responsible for minutes of all meetings

• Forwards all correspondence with national to the appropriate officer or committee chair

• Sends list of candidates and secret ballot to each voting member

• Delivers unopened ballots to the Tellers

• Retains all ballots for at least 90 days

The most essential responsibility of the section secretary is maintaining the membership list and other section records. On a bimonthly basis, the secretary receives a section membership roster from the ACS, which includes a complete alphabetical list of members' names and addresses as well as separate addenda pages detailing address changes, new members, and other section roster amendments to the previous edition.

On or before DECEMBER 1 of each year, the section secretary must certify to the ACS Executive Director the names and terms of office of all section councilors and alternate councilors [ACS Bylaws III, Section 1 (a-4 and e-2)]. This certification is required for both newly elected councilors and alternates and those continuing to serve unexpired terms. The December 1 deadline is necessary to ensure that the complete list of councilors is available for consideration by the incoming ACS president in making committee appointments. The committee selection process is conducted in mid-December, and only certified councilors are eligible for appointment to Council committees. The secretary should submit biographies for re-elected and newly-elected councilors to the national office along with the certification forms. Appropriate forms for certification and biographies are sent in October to each local section secretary. The ACS Records Office will supply additional forms upon request. The section secretary is also charged with certifying the credentials of alternate councilors and/or temporary substitute councilors chosen to represent the section at ACS Council meetings in the absence of the elected councilor(s). Procedures for this certification are sent with the Council agenda to section secretaries approximately six weeks prior to each Council meeting.

The secretary is also the person who possesses documents of permanent importance such as the charter, list of original members, historic documents, and the official set of local section bylaws.

Minutes for all general membership and executive board meetings, and regular section correspondence are also the responsibility of the secretary.

The secretary receives a copy of all official correspondence from the ACS national office and ensures that copies are directed to the appropriate officers and chairs.

• Maintains accurate financial records

• Files IRS forms

• Prepares monthly and annual reports for the executive Board

• Files annual reports with national ACS

• Requests annual allotment for national ACS

The treasurer receives and disburses the section's operating funds and is responsible for accounting for all section moneys, including annual ACS allotments, local membership dues, and program revenues and expenses. The treasurer is expected to maintain accurate financial records for the section and prepare monthly and annual reports on the section's fiscal condition for review by the executive board. The treasurer is also responsible for filing Internal Revenue Service Forms.

In order to receive the annual allocations of the members' national dues for the operation of local sections, the treasurer must make a formal request to the national ACS for payment of funds. A formal request form indicating the allotment amount for the succeeding year will be sent to the treasurer in mid-November. It is to be signed and returned to the national office by December 15.

The annual financial report is to be prepared and returned to the national ACS office by February 15. The appropriate forms will be sent by national ACS in mid-November.

Further information about these and other responsibilities of the local section treasurer is outlined in the Handbook of ACS Local Section Treasurers, available on request from the ACS Office of Local Section Activities.

• Attends National ACS meetings

• Represents the views of the Local Section

• Serves on National ACS committees

• Reports to the Local Section on Council activities

• Attends Executive Board meetings

• Serves a three year term

The Councilor represents the section through attendance and participating in Council meetings, which are convened twice yearly at the Society's national meetings. The Councilor is responsible for keeping the section informed on Society policies, programs, and actions. Councilors are urged to volunteer for service on appointed committees of the Council, where active participation can be of great benefit to the Section and to the Society. Since most committee decisions are made at ACS national meetings, interested sections should work directly with their councilors prior to these meetings to ensure that projects of particular interest receive consideration.

Section officers should ensure that all candidates for councilor seats can and will attend most, if not all, of the Council meetings during their term of office. To help achieve a high level of councilor attendance at Council meetings, national ACS provides partial reimbursement to sections to support councilor travel to national meetings. Details of the reimbursement policy are sent with each Council agenda.

The Alternate-Councilor fills in for the Councilor if the Councilor is unable to attend various meetings or activities. Both Councilor and Alternate-Councilor are positions which have three year terms.

• Attends executive Board meetings

• Represents the general membership

• Serves on ad-hoc or standing committees

A Member-at-Large is elected for a 1- or 3-year term. The duties of Members-at-Large shall include bringing before the Executive Board such items of concern to members of the Section as shall have been brought to their attention, as well as to have a working knowledge of the National and Local Section Bylaws so that they may act as counsel to the Executive Board. The Member-at-Large can also be a committee chair.

High School Chemistry Competition: Each spring, the Education Committee sponsors a high school chemistry competition. The purpose is to select by competitive examination students showing exceptional promise in the field of Chemistry and to recognize the schools and teachers who have trained them. The are two Divisional exams: Division I is for high school students in their first year of chemistry while Division II is for students in AP Chemistry. Both divisions include a one-hour written portion and a one-hour laboratory practical. The Education Committee writes all portions of the exams and solicits teacher/school participation. Invitations to participate are sent in April and the exam is administered in May. Cash awards (1^st - $100, 2^nd - $75, 3^rd - $50) and plaques are awarded for top individual performances in each division. Plaques are awarded for top team performances.

National Chemistry Week. Plans activities and arranges events to highlight the importance of chemistry to the general public during National Chemistry Week.

As soon as possible after section elections (and by December 1), the secretary should notify the ACS Executive Director of newly elected local section officers and committee chair appointments. Prompt reporting of the names and addresses of these individuals ensures that all official correspondence and other communications from the national office staff are directed to the proper local section personnel.