Official Notice to the ACOFP Membership

On behalf of the ACOFP Board of Governors, this is an official notice of the proposed amendments pertaining to the ACOFP Constitution and Bylaws to be considered and voted on during the 2023 ACOFP Congress of Delegates, taking place on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. 

According to the Constitution of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS

Section 1: This Constitution may be amended at any annual meeting of the Congress of Delegates by a three-fourths vote of the total number of credentialed delegates in attendance for voting, provided that the proposed amendment shall have been filed with the Executive Director of the College at least 60 days before the first day of the meeting of the Congress of Delegates and that the Executive Director shall have notified the membership of the College in writing of the proposed amendment at least 30 days preceding the first day of the meeting of the Congress of Delegates. 

According to the Bylaws of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians 
 
ARTICLE XVI – AMENDMENTS 
 
Section 1: Notification 
These Bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting of the Congress of Delegates by a two-thirds vote of the total number of delegates credentialed for voting, provided that the proposed amendment shall have been filed with the Executive Director of the College at least 60 days before the first day of the meeting of the Congress of Delegates and that the Executive Director shall have notified the membership of the College in writing of the proposed amendment at least 30 days preceding the first day of the meeting of the Congress of Delegates.

Proposed Constitution and Bylaws Amendments 

Governance. Over the last several years, the ACOFP Board of Governors has been discussing the need to review our current governance structure. The board-appointed Governance Task Force has conducted assessments, interviewed stakeholders and surveyed committee members. Training on leading practices in association governance has also been provided to the Board of Governors. 

Following this work, five resolutions pertaining to ACOFP’s Constitution and Bylaws were approved at the 2022 ACOFP Congress of Delegates and two resolutions were not approved. The Board of Governors has considered the feedback it received since March, and the following adjustments have been made to the two resolutions that were not approved regarding the Proposed Amendments of the Officer Composition and Terms:

  • Elimination of the Past President and Vice President positions from the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee. (No change—remains in new resolution) 
  • The Vice-Speaker will be added as an ex-officio member. (No change—remains in new resolution)
  • All Governor terms will be three-year terms with a limit of two (2) three-year terms. (No change—remains in new resolution)
  • The Secretary-Treasurer will not automatically ascend and will need to be vetted through the Leadership Development Committee (LDC). (NEW addition for this year’s resolutions)
  • A New-in-Practice Governor will be elected for a single two (2) year term. (NEW addition for this year’s resolutions) 
  • A Governor will be added to the Executive Committee to maintain a 5-member Executive Committee and all members will be voting members. This will provide a rotation for Governors to gain knowledge and experience as a member of the Executive Committee. (NEW addition for this year’s resolutions) 
 
The Board feels this updated structure will increase the diversity on the Board, without increasing the size of the Board, and it ensures new professionals have a voice on the Board. Further, adding a Governor to the Executive Committee/Finance Committee allows Board members to gain experience as they approach the position of President and add another point of view to these committees.  
 
Membership. During the governance assessment, it was noticed that some current membership categories are not included in the Bylaws; therefore, the Proposed Amendments to the ACOFP Bylaws Regarding Membership Classifications Resolution will also be considered and voted on during the ACOFP 2023 Congress of Delegates. 

Please reach out to ACOFP Executive Assistant Annie DeVries at annied@acofp.org or 847-952-5109 with any questions.