WPFN By-Laws

Article I Name

The name of this organization shall be the Women's Public Finance Network (WPFN) of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada.

Article II Purpose

The purpose of GFOA’s WPFN is to foster women in public finance careers through education, networking, and mentoring opportunities.

Article III Facilitating Objectives

The goals of the organization shall be accomplished by:

A. Promoting WPFN within GFOA and to state and local GFOA organizations and their members.

B. Using WPFN’s newsletter and virtual forums to disseminate information of interest to our members.

C. Maintaining annual mentoring program for Women’s Public Finance Network members.

D. Offering networking events to connect members and educational programming to provide professional development opportunities for members.

Article IV Membership

WPFN shall consist of the following categories of membership: active and associate. The membership rights and privileges have been defined in the GFOA Bylaws. Membership is obtained by submitting a membership interest form to GFOA.

1. Active Members. Any persons having responsibility in any aspect or function of public finance as well as all other elected or appointed public officials of any unit of local government, or state and provincial government, or federal government, of the United States and Canada who have membership in the GFOA is eligible to for active membership.

2. Associate Members. Any representative of a non-profit or for-profit corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship or other persons having membership in the GFOA but who is not eligible for active membership.

Article V Officers, Elections, Term of Office and Duties

Section One: Officers

The officers of the WPFN shall be active members composed of President, President-Elect, and Vice President.

Section Two: Duties of the Officers

A. The President shall:

  1. Oversee WPFN programs and activities, including available resources,
  2. Preside over annual business meeting,
  3. Develop the annual business meeting agenda and program in coordination with other WPFN Officers and GFOA staff,
  4. Communicate program objectives to the GFOA Executive Board and staff,
  5. Appoint WPFN Committee Members, and
  6. Execute other duties as required.

B. The President-Elect shall:

  1. Perform the duties of the President in their absence and other duties as may from time to time be assigned to them by the President, and
  2. Develop the annual meeting agenda and program in coordination with other WPFN Officers and GFOA staff.

C. The Vice President shall:

  1. Perform the duties of the President or President-Elect in their absence and other duties as may from time to time be assigned to them by the President, and
  2. Develop the annual meeting agenda and program in coordination with other WPFN Officers and GFOA staff.

Section Three: Standing Committees

A. Communications Committee. The Communications Committee shall identify content, develop messaging, and disseminate information about upcoming events, available resources, and educational opportunities with current and prospective WPFN members.

B. Programming and Education Committee. The Programming and Education Committee shall provide at least an annual professional education opportunity for members. The committee shall also coordinate networking opportunities for women in the field.

C. Mentorship Committee. The Mentorship Committee shall oversee the Women’s Public Finance Network’s mentoring program, including development of resources for mentors and mentees and promotion of the mentoring program.

D. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by a current or past female member of the GFOA Executive Board who is a member of the public sector. In addition to the Nominating Committee Chair, the Nominating Committee shall consist of one of the outgoing President and two other general members of GFOA’s Women’s Public Finance Network.

E. Other Committees. The President may create special committees or task force with the advice and approval of WPFN Officers, and shall appoint the committee or task force chair and members.

Section Four: Nomination, Election, and Term of Office

A. Nomination. The Nominating Committee shall review applications for Vice President and recommend a nominee for the Vice President position at the annual meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor by the WPFN membership. Any member present may make an additional nomination from the floor, with the consent of the person who is being nominated. A motion and a second must be made from the floor for any nominee to advance to election.

B. Election. Election requires a majority vote of WPFN members present. Elections shall be done by voice vote.

C. Term. The Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting to serve a one-year term. The term shall commence every year at the end of the annual business meeting of the Women's Public Finance Network. Officers are to automatically ascend upward in rank as officers starting at the Vice President position each year; the President-Elect will ascend to the President position and Vice President will ascend to the President-Elect position.

Section Five: Vacancies

A. Vacancies of Officers.

  1. Any officer may be declared disqualified by motion of WPFN Officers if the person holding the position is unable to adequately perform the duties of the position. The vacancy will be deemed valid by majority vote of WPFN Officers.
  2. In the event of a vacancy in the position of President, the President-Elect shall assume the office, duties, and responsibilities of the President.
  3. In the event of a vacancy in the position of President-Elect, the Vice President shall assume the office, duties, and responsibilities of the President-Elect.
  4. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Vice President, the vacancy will be filled by appointment of the President, with majority vote of WPFN Officers.

B. Vacancies of Committee Chairs.

  1. Any committee chair may be declared disqualified by motion of WPFN Officers if the person holding the position is unable to adequately perform the duties of the position. The vacancy will be deemed valid by majority vote of WPFN Officers and Committee Chairs.
  2. Vacancies in the chair position of any committee may be filled by appointments of the President.

Article VI Meetings

A. Annual Business Meeting. The annual business meeting shall be held during the Annual Conference of the GFOA. The purpose of the meeting is to provide WPFN membership an annual report of WPFN’s activities, elect WPFN officers, and consider amendments to the bylaws.

B. Officers Meetings. WPFN Officers and GFOA staff will meet monthly to discuss activities of WPFN. Officers meetings may be held by conference call. GFOA staff shall record and maintain meeting minutes.

C. Regular Meetings. WPFN Officers shall determine the number of regular meetings. Regular meetings may be held via conference call. GFOA staff shall record and maintain meeting minutes.

D. Committee Meetings. Committee meetings may be held by conference call by committee chairs.

Article VII GFOA Support

Section One: Staffing

A. Participation in Officers Meeting. GFOA will provide staffing and services to support the activities of the Women's Public Finance Network. The GFOA staff representative will participate in monthly Officers meetings for the purpose of discussing issues of concern and WPFN activities.

B. Coordination of WPFN Activities. GFOA will provide staff support to WPFN in developing and coordinating WPFN activities during GFOA’s annual conference and other programs and meetings throughout the year.

C. Meeting Minutes. GFOA staff shall record and maintain official meeting minutes.

D. Annual Report. GFOA staff will prepare an annual report for the President to review and report to WPFN members during the annual meeting.

Section Two: Communication

GFOA will provide communication with the membership through the GFOA newsletter, conference publicity materials or any other GFOA publication.

Article VIII:  Bylaws

A. Review. These bylaws shall be reviewed annually by WPFN in conjunction with GFOA staff.

B. Amendment. These bylaws may be amended at the annual business meeting by a majority vote of all members present, provided that the proposed amendments shall have been prepared in writing and distributed to the members 14 days in advance of the meeting.

 

Approved by the Membership on June 11, 1995.

Amended: May 18, 2003
Amended: May 7, 2006
Amended: May 19, 2019
Amended: June 5, 2022