Constitution

Article i: Name
The name of the society shall be the International Society for Zinc Biology.

Article ii: Purpose
The purpose of the International Society for Zinc Biology is to encourage development and dissemination of knowledge of zinc in biology.

Article iii: Membership
Membership in the International Society for Zinc Biology shall be open to scientists and others from any nation who share the stated purpose of the Society, and who have educational, research, or practical experience in zinc biology; or in an allied scientific field.

Article iv: Officers
The officers of the Society shall be a President, a President-Elect, a past President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The President-Elect shall serve two years as such, followed by two years as President and two years as past President. The President, President-Elect, and past President must always be different persons; e.g., the president cannot succeed him/herself. The Treasurer and Secretary will be elected every two years without restriction with respect to terms. A Vice-Secretary and Vice-Treasurer shall work with the incumbent Secretary and/or Treasurer. The Vice-Secretary and Vice-Treasurer should attend the meetings of the Board and be informed of Board proceedings, but shall not vote until they become Secretary and Treasurer, unless they are already serving Board members.

Article v: Board of Directors (Board)
There shall be a Board of Directors responsible for the fulfillment of the scientific and business obligations of the Society. The officers and five elected members shall constitute this Board. The elected Board members shall be chosen by the membership of the Society for two-year terms. An elected member of the Board shall be eligible for re-appointment for a second full two-year term, and then shall not be eligible for reelection to the board until one year after the expiration of a second two-year term.

Article vi: Communications
Communications of the officers and Board with the members will ordinarily be by electronic mail and website. Members shall be responsible for keeping the Society Secretary apprised of changes in their electronic and other institutional addresses.

Article vii: Affiliations
The Society is empowered to affiliate with other scientific organizations. Proposals for affiliation may be initiated by individual members of the Board or by a petition to the Board signed by 5% of the regular members of the Society.
To become effective, such proposals must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board and must be ratified in a mail ballot by a two-thirds majority of those members of the Society voting by a minimum of 10% of members.

Article viii: Bylaws
The provisions of the Constitution of the International Society for Zinc Biology shall be carried out in accordance with the current Bylaws of the Society.

Article ix: Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments may be initiated by individual members of the Board or by a petition to the Board signed by 5 % of the regular members of the Society. Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board, and must be announced by communications.

Article x: Dissolution
Dissolution of the Society for any cause shall be initiated by individual members of the Board or by a petition to the Board signed by 5% of the regular members of the Society. Such motion or petition must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board, must then be discussed at a subsequent business meeting of the Society and must finally be ratified in a mail ballot by two-thirds of those members of the Society voting.
Dissolution must be in accordance with applicable regulations of the 1965 Internal Revenue Code, Section 506, or any amendments thereto. All funds and other assets of the Society, including any rights to funds, present or future, contingent or actual, shall be irrevocably assigned and transferred to any successor society, which has among its principal purposes the encouragement, development and dissemination of knowledge in the biological or physical sciences, and has qualified as an exempt organization under Section 501 of the 1956 Internal Revenue Code. Such activities or any amendments thereto need not be the only purpose of the successor society.
The selection of the successor society must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board and named in the Board’s minutes and its Articles of Dissolution, and must be named in the motion of petition for dissolution and must be included in the mail ballot submitted to the membership for ratification.

Bylaws

Article i: Membership
The Society shall consist of Regular Members, Honorary Members, Emeritus Members, Early Stage Researchers, and Student Members.
It can admit to membership applicants eligible under Article iii of the Constitution. Applicants for membership (apart from Honorary Membership) must complete a Society membership form and submit it to the Membership Committee for approval. Applications will be evaluated by a Membership Committee consisting of five Regular Members appointed by the Board. If the Membership Committee does not approve an applicant may petition the Board to override the Committee’s decision; a two-thirds majority vote by the Board is necessary to override.
Honorary Membership is bestowed upon scientists and others who have distinguished themselves in the study of zinc biology, and are expected to contribute by advising and supporting members on scientific oversight and the Society on financial matters, including funding and donation campaigns.
Honorary members are expected to contribute the Society by providing scientific guidance to members as well as advising on financial matters including funding and donation.
Honorary Membership may be proposed on a candidate’s behalf by any member of the Society and must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board. Honorary Members are exempt from dues.
Emeritus members are members who are retired from active service but wish to continue participating in the Society.
Early Stage Researchers are scientists up to 5 years after receiving PhD, terminal doctorate degree or equivalent.
Students pursuing a course of study in zinc biology or in related sciences can be admitted to student membership (for a period not exceeding five years).
Changes in membership status must be approved by the Membership Committee.

Article ii: Meetings
The International Society for Zinc in Biology is authorized to hold scientific meetings, international, national, and regional, including internet-based conferences/webinars.
There shall be held a business meeting ordinarily in connection with a major scientific meeting of the Society. If the business meeting cannot be held in conjunction with a major scientific meeting of the Society or an affiliated organization, the membership shall be contacted electronically regarding the matters to be considered, their responses collected, and the results conveyed to the membership.
Twenty per cent of the regular members shall constitute a quorum for the business meeting. The purposes of the Business Meeting are to consider changes in annual dues, prospective changes to the Constitution and Bylaws, and other concerns of the membership. Parliamentary procedures to be followed in the Business and Board meetings shall be those specified in “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised”; the chair shall be held by the president or his/her designee.

Article iii: Dues
The fiscal year of the Society shall run from July 1 through June 30 of the subsequent calendar year. Membership will be by calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Membership dues may be changed no more frequently than annually by the Board, subject to approval by a majority vote of the members at the annual business meeting. Current annual dues are $100 US for regular and $60 for Early stage researcher (ESRs). Students are free of charge.< br />

Definition of ESRs and Students:
ESRs include PhD students and post-docs until 5 years after receiving the PhD, terminal doctorate degree or equivalent.
Students include Enrolled Bachelor and Master students.

Annual dues are payable by January 31 for next two year. Prior to July 1, members will be reinstated upon payment of dues; if in arrears on that date, they will be dropped from membership. Members admitted prior to July 1 will be billed for dues for the current calendar year; members admitted after July 1 will begin paying dues and receiving privileges on the following January 1.< br /> Members who have not paid shall be notified even after the due. Membership is on hold without payment during time of unemployment, or family leave. The other reasons for non-payment should be negotiable.

Article iv: Publications
The International Society for Zinc in Biology is empowered to publish or to enter into agreements with others to publish such journals and other publications (abstracts, reviews, newsletters, etc.) as may be authorized by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board and a two-thirds majority vote of the members by electronic ballot. Changes in agreements concerning publishing in such journals or other media may be authorized by a majority vote of the Board.

Article v: Duties of Officers
It shall be the duty of the President to preside over the business meeting of the Society, to serve as chair of the Board, to appoint and charge, with the approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board, the Chair and members of all committees and to carry out other activities usually pertaining to the office.
The President-Elect shall serve in the place of the President in his/her absence. The President-Elect will automatically succeed to the presidency when the office becomes vacant. The Secretary of the Society shall carry out other duties that usually pertain to this office, including taking minutes of Society business and Board meetings.
The Board shall appoint a Webmaster as a member of Advertisement/Publication Committee to oversee the operation of the Society’s web site.
The Vice-Secretary shall work closely with the incumbent to become familiar with the duties of the office.
The Treasurer of the Society is responsible for overseeing the Society’s finances, including budget and reserves, and reporting to the Board on the Society’s financial status. The Treasurer shall report in writing annually to the Board the Society’s financial status, and shall record and discharge the Society’s financial transactions in accord with generally accepted financial and accounting practices. The Vice-Treasurer shall work closely with the incumbent to become familiar with the duties of the office. The Treasurer also shall explore new venues for raising revenue to support the activities of the Society.

Article vi: Duties of the Board
The duties of the Board shall be to determine the policies for the good of the Society and the science it represents in accordance with the Constitution and to implement the execution of these policies as provided in these Bylaws. The Board shall temporarily fill any unscheduled vacancies on the Board or officers as may occur, until the next business meeting. It shall elect a Membership Committee, Advertisement/Publications Committee and a Meetings Committee, each with 5 members and a designated Chair. Committee members shall serve for two years at least, and replacements shall be appointed by the Chair when members of the committee retire at the end of each fiscal year.
The Advertisement/Publications committee shall be responsible for managing advertisement and publications of the Society. It shall appoint all editors and editorial boards; such appointments shall be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of Board.
The Meetings Committee shall help plan the Society’s scientific meetings; it shall emit a recommendation of the Society’s expenditure for said meeting for the Board's authorization with the approval of a two-thirds majority vote of Board members, and must be consulted upon by the meeting organizers for the purpose of selecting plenary speakers, symposia and other matters pertaining to the organization of a successful meeting.
The Board shall also appoint a Membership Committee, which manages membership applications, confirms payment status, and reminds members of fees due, with support from the Secretary, Treasurer, and Webmaster when necessary.
All Committee chairs must report to the Board on the activity of the Committee on a regular basis through electronic means, and to the general membership during the Business Meeting. The Board, via electronic communications, shall annually consider changes in dues, amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws, and proposals for affiliation, and set the agenda for the coming year.
Newly elected Board members and officers who have not yet taken office are expected to participate in said communications, but may not vote.
Resignation of position(s) on the ISZB Board or associated committees shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing.

Article vii: Petition to the membership
The secretary shall, upon signed petition by at least ten percent of members, transmit a document prepared by the petitioners to the entirety of the membership by electronic or other means. The intent of this article is to provide a means for views on matters of special interest to the society dissenting from those of the majority to be heard.

Article viii: Election and terms of Officers and of Board
Announcement of offices to become vacant shall be made by the President to the membership of the Society. The membership shall, upon a call made by the President, nominate ISZB members in good standing to fill those vacancies. Nominations for Secretary and Treasurer shall be made the year prior to the end of the term of the incumbent. Each Nomination must contain a written statement by the nominating member that the nominee is willing, if elected, to serve his/her position as described in this document.
The final list of nominees for positions of office, for election by electronic ballot, shall be sent to the Society members no later than March 1 and the ballots must be returned to the secretary before March 15. The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. The election of Board members shall follow the same schedule as for the election of officers. Nominations to the Board are also made by petition. Each petition must contain a written statement of willingness by the nominee, if elected, to serve his/her position as described in this document. Those receiving the highest number of votes shall have priority for the longer terms among the vacancies. All officers and board members shall take office once the final votes are tallied and the results announced to the membership, but no later than April 1.
All current officers shall continue their duties until relieved by their successors. The Secretary-Elect and Treasurer-Elect shall begin learning the duties of the offices immediately upon notice of election. Interim vacancies on the Board (including those created by inability to serve and by election of a Board member to an office) shall be filled in the order of votes received by those on the slate but otherwise failing of election at the last regular election. Interim vacancies in the offices of Treasurer or Secretary shall be filled by the Board until the completion of the next regular election. An interim vacancy in the presidency shall be filled by advancement of the President-Elect; however, in the event that there is no President-Elect to advance, the Board shall elect one of its number as Acting President to serve until completion of the next regular election.

Article ix: Amendments to the Bylaws
Amendments to the Bylaws shall be made according to the same procedure as amendments to the Constitution.

Article x: Forming with other groups
The Board may form within the Society a Group of members charged with the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of a specific area of zinc biology. Accompanying the petition shall be the bylaws of the proposed Group. The senior officer of the Group shall be elected by the members constituting the Group, and will be known as Group Chair. This Chair shall report the activities and needs of the Group to the Board of the Society. The Board will consider on a yearly basis termination of any group not maintaining 50 regular members or not presenting a scientific program at the Annual Meeting.

Article xi: Regional chapters
The Board may form within the Society a Regional Chapter of members charged with the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of zinc biology within that region. Accompanying the petition shall be the bylaws of the proposed Regional Chapter and a statement of its aims. The senior officer of the Regional Chapter shall be elected by the members constituting the Chapter and shall be known as the Chapter Chair. This chair shall report the activities of the Chapter to the Board of the Society when and where they suggest. Any Regional Chapter may be dissolved at the discretion of the Board.