The proposed changes laid out in the accompanying copy of the NOWA Constitution and Bylaws are the final version that the NOWA Board of Directors has recommended for your approval.

The great majority of the proposals are for housekeeping purposes – to correct grammatical or style errors, for example, or to describe a passage’s intent with more clarity.

 Two of the proposals, however, are a bit more substantive, and the board wishes to call them to your attention. One would reduce the number of board members to six from nine, and the other would eliminate the position of second vice president, a position that no one currently holds.

The board decided to sponsor both proposals after lengthy discussion that focused on the current size of NOWA’s membership and on the difficulty of recruiting members to participate in NOWA’s governance. The board believes that a modest reduction in the required numbers of officers and board will make the government leaner and more agile, and better able to respond readily to the organization’s needs.

A two-thirds “yes” vote is required to adopt all changes.

Please renew your membership by February 1st so you can vote on this important matter. We’ll get the electronic ballots distributed very soon.