chapter leader training 2017 - script john [slide 1] leader training... · chapter leader training...

of 42

Chapter Leader Training 2017 - SCRIPT John [Slide 1] Welcome to Chapter Leader Training 2017. My name is John Ho. I am a civil engineer from Dallas, and I will be serving as your 2017-18 State President. I am joined today by Joe Rapier, a structural engineer from Lubbock, who will be serving as your 2017-18 State President-Elect. Joe, Trish Smith, Claire Black and I are pleased that you could join us today and we hope that this session will provide you with the tools and guidance you need to be an effective Chapter leader in the coming year. Because our time is limited today, we will only be touching on each topic very briefly. The most important thing for you to take away from this training is that there are a lot of great resources available to help you, including both written documents and an incredible state staff that is always available to provide assistance.

of 42

Before we begin, there are a couple of housekeeping items to cover. First, you have the ability to post questions as we are going through the material and we encourage you to do so. At any time during the presentation, you can simply type and submit your question. Joe and I will do our best to address questions as they come up. If we aren’t able to adequately answer a question during the webinar, we will send a written question & answer summary to all participants after the webinar is concluded. You should also know that the entire presentation is being recorded, and will be posted on the TSPE website for future access by any TSPE member. So everything you see and hear today will be available for reference and/or review at any time. John [Slide 2] Today we will be sharing a brief overview of TSPE as an organization, as well as our four core values and related programs. Then we will spend some time

of 42

reviewing some of the best resources available to you as a chapter leader, including introductions to our great state staff and their respective roles, chapter officer descriptions and an overview of the online resource center. Finally, we will cover some of the most critical topics you will face in the routine operation of your chapter. You definitely want to stick around for that section as there are some things you will learn that will help you keep your Chapter out of serious trouble! When we did this training live we also included officer-specific breakout sessions. These sessions provide a great forum for open dialog and sharing of best practices between chapters and officers. We will have follow up webinars next week to address issues that are generally raised during those sessions. Next Monday we will have a webinar for Chapter Presidents and Presidents-Elect. On Wednesday, we will have a webinar for Chapter Secretaries and Treasurers. And finally, on Thursday we will have a webinar for State Directors. Each of these webinars will be held over the lunch hour from noon to one pm. We encourage each of

of 42

you to attend your respective Chapter Officer follow-up webinar next week. So let’s get started….. John [Slide 3] TSPE’s mission statement sums up what we are all about – promoting and enhancing the profession and licensed practice of engineering. We strive to carry out that mission by the various programs and initiatives that we provide and support. John [Slide 4] TSPE is a three-tier organization. Your annual dues payment buys you benefits and representation at your local chapter, at the state level, and at the national level through NSPE. At the state level, TSPE is divided into 5 regions with each Chapter falling within a designated region. Each of our 24 Chapters is represented at the state level by their own Chapter-elected State Director

of 42

and by a Regional Vice President that is elected by the State Board of Directors. Your State Director and Regional Vice President are your Chapter’s most direct links to the State organization, and your Chapter’s voice at the State level Board Meetings. I would encourage each of you to get to know, and stay in close contact with your State Director and Regional Vice President. You should also get to know the other chapters in your region, and your leadership counterparts in each of those chapters. These relationships will come in handy as you and your chapter deal with statewide issues throughout the year. A list of TSPE state and chapter officers and their contact information is available on the TSPE website. TSPE also has a voice at the National Society. Our NSPE State Delegate, elected by the State Board of Directors, is a voting member of the NSPE House of Delegates, and represents our State’s interests at the national level.

of 42

John [Slide 5] At the state level, there are a number of committees that carry out the work efforts of the many programs and initiatives. If you are interested in the specific work going on for any of these committees or have an interest in serving on a State committee, you can contact the State office or me directly for more information. Getting involved in a TSPE state committee is a great way to engage with other engineering leaders from around the state, to get to know the state organization, and to give back to our great profession. John [Slide 6] TSPE, along with NSPE has distinct core values: Champion, Guide, Advance and Unite. I will now turn the presentation over to Joe, who will touch briefly on each of the core values and the related programs.

of 42

Joe [Slide 7] Thanks, John. First up is “Champion”. TSPE champions the PE License. As an organization TSPE expends a tremendous amount of time and energy working to ensure that all licensed engineers in Texas are protected from the constant assaults on our profession. We do this by working diligently during the legislative session to track and evaluate a lot of legislative material, and then actively support legislation that improves the profession, and speak out against legislation that could harm the profession. Our State L&GA Committee, along with our Legislative Director, Dr. Jennifer McEwan stay on top of any potential issues throughout the session as well as all year long. We also have one engineer, who is a TSPE member, currently serving in the State legislature. Detailed legislative updates are posted to the L&GA page weekly under member login during legislative session.

of 42

One of our most visible activities during the legislative session is PE Day at the Capitol. This day-long event held every other February is an opportunity for TSPE members to come to the capitol and interact with our legislators and educate them about engineering issues. I cannot overstate the importance, or the benefit of face-to-face contact with the legislators and their staff. Our day at the capitol is concluded with an ice cream social that helps TSPE leave a positive impression with the legislative staffs. TSPE relies on grassroots efforts, not only to support and help elect qualified candidates to local and statewide positions, but also to reach out to your local legislators during critical committee reviews and voting opportunities. TSPE will only ask members to reach out when it is critical to do so, and we hope you will all encourage your Chapter members to respond when asked. The State Staff is available to provide a comprehensive presentation on the importance of grassroots efforts and would be glad to do so for one of your Chapter meetings. Just contact the State office to schedule a date.

of 42

Finally, TSPE monitors state agencies that have an impact on engineering such as the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. TSPE is represented at all TBPE quarterly meeting. Joe [Slide 8] The next core value for TSPE is “Guide”. TSPE serves as a guide throughout an engineer’s path. TSPE’s Education Committee has developed a toolbox for members to use when making career day presentations to school groups of various ages and also welcomes feedback and materials shared from any chapters that may have developed their own presentations. Through the Texas Engineering Foundation, the state oversees the awarding of thousands of dollars in scholarships to high school and college students pursuing education in engineering disciplines and coordinates with the Chapters on their scholarship efforts each year.

of 42

And of course, the best known education program of TSPE is MATHCOUNTS. The success of the MATHCOUNTS program depends on strong Chapter participation both at the local and state level. It is essential for Chapters to have a MATHCOUNTS coordinator who will be responsive to the State Committee and the Education Program Manager. And it is equally important for Chapters to develop multiple leaders for their local programs to provide future leadership for the State MATHCOUNTS Committee. Local MATHCOUNTS events also provide a great opportunity to engage affiliates from the local area to participate in Chapter activities as volunteers. We also have student chapters across the state that work with local chapters in their area. Developing relationships with engineering students is critical to keeping those students in an engineering career. Last, not only do we offer ethics training at the TSPE Conference and local chapter events, NSPE members have access to many ethics resources, such as the Board of Ethical Review.

of 42

Joe [Slide 9] We’ve covered quite a bit of material already, so it’s probably time to pause and address some of your questions. (Address questions as appropriate) OR Well, I see that you don’t have any questions yet, so I’ll continue with the presentation. But please feel free to type your questions as they come to mind, and we’ll get to them as time permits. Joe [Slide 10] The third core value of TSPE is “Advance”. TSPE enhances member’s skills for career advancement. The wide variety of opportunities for leadership development is one of the things that sets TSPE high above other professional organizations. Opportunities to network and develop relationships with recognized engineering leaders and hone personal leadership skills by serving on committees

of 42

and as Chapter and State officers is incredibly valuable. TSPE is especially proud of the PE Leadership Institute, a focused leadership development course available only to members. The PELI (PEE-LEE) program was created to provide incredible individual leadership learning in a small group setting over four two-day sessions and one one-day session during the annual conference. Graduates of the PELI program rave about the quality of the sessions and the opportunity to develop and hone leadership skills within a diverse group of engineers from all disciplines, focus areas and career levels. Both John and I are supporters of the program and John is a graduate of the Inaugural class. PELI Class 7 will kick off in the fall and applications are available on the website and the submittal deadline is August 31. Class size is limited to 20 participants. Joe [Slide 11]

of 42

In addition to the upcoming PELI (PEE-LEE) class, TSPE will be offering the fourth alumni session in November open only to PELI alumni. An application for this session will be available on the TSPE website soon. TSPE also holds one-day leadership development seminars across the state in addition to the TSPE Conference held each June. At the TSPE Conference, we host two days of seminars where members can obtain 15 hrs. of pdh’s which meets their annual requirement for continuing education. Joe [Slide 12] TSPE’s fourth core value is ‘Unite’. TSPE unites engineers through networking and promotion of the profession. TSPE members can network in person at chapter meetings and state meetings. Also, through the NSPE communities we can collaborate with engineers from across the nation.

of 42

We promote the engineering profession through a number of outreach initiatives, including Engineers Week, Professional Engineers Day and various State-wide award opportunities. We hope you joined us Wednesday, August 2 for Professional Engineers day and let others know why you became a Professional Engineer on social media platforms using the hashtag LicensedPEDay. Most of you are probably aware of the Engineer of the Year and Young Engineer of the Year awards at the chapter and state-level. We also have the TSPE Excellence Award, available for any individual, chapter, program or group that exemplifies the spirit of TSPE. Visit the website to learn more about the nomination process for any of these awards. Each year TEF also recognizes outstanding members as Distinguished Engineers of the Foundation and provides opportunities for firms, chapters and other groups to recognize noteworthy engineers by making donations to the Foundation. Visit the TSPE

of 42

website and click on the TEF link to learn more about the recognition program. Joe [Slide 13] One of the most important ways that we promote engineering is through encouraging membership in TSPE, which is the only organization that represents the individual licensed engineer. TSPE has recently provided each chapter with a detailed presentation on the importance of membership retention and recruitment. This presentation is great for Chapter leadership and can also be adapted to be a presentation for a full Chapter meeting. If you are interested in having either the State Membership Committee Chair or the State President come make this presentation to your Chapter or your leadership group, contact John directly to coordinate that. Joe [Slide 14] Make sure you are familiar with the various types of membership available in TSPE – including student membership, which is free; graduated dues for

of 42

recent college graduates; discounted enterprise membership for firms that have 5 or more members; and retired and life membership options for the seasoned engineers. If you have questions about any of these membership options, contact Claire at the State office or visit the website for a detailed description of each. Joe [Slide 15] (Address questions as appropriate) OR Well, I see that there are still no questions, so I’ll turn the presentation back over to John, who will give us an overview of our state staff. [transition to Slide 16 while saying this] John [Slide 16] Thank you Joe! As you can see, there is a lot going on at TSPE. Now I would like to give you a quick introduction to the main folks who make sure everything keeps running smoothly – your TSPE State Staff!

of 42

Trish Smith is the Executive Director. Trish has been with TSPE for 20 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role, and anyone who knows Trish understands her passion for this organization. Trish oversees all aspects of our various programs and initiatives, not only for TSPE, but also for TEF and for PACE, which is the Political Action Committee for Engineers. In addition to overseeing the State Staff and managing the State office, Trish is tasked with Chapter and member outreach. She is always willing to work with Chapters on specific issues they may be having, or to schedule a Chapter visit, whether to make a presentation or just meet the members. And one of Trish’s most important, and probably most difficult tasks, is making sure the State leadership stays on track and accomplishes the organizational goals set out each year. As Trish will tell you, running a volunteer organization is both rewarding and challenging! Claire Black is the Deputy Executive Director and she has been with TSPE for 14 years. As you can

of 42

see, Claire has a wide variety of duties. One of her most important responsibilities is overseeing membership management and chapter relations. Claire is the person to talk to anytime you have a question about a membership issue. Claire also oversees event planning for all of the TSPE events during the year, which is a big job that she handles with great skill. Anyone at the State level will tell you that Claire is a database guru and is always available to help Chapters with their membership lists and other data analysis as needed. John [Slide 17] Nancy Rierson is the Education Programs Manager. She has been with TSPE for almost 10 years. Nancy is responsible for the MATHCOUNTS and scholarship programs. Additionally, she coordinates the student chapters and supports the work of TEF and its various education programs. Rachel Minor has been with TSPE two years and acts as our accountant, handling all of the bookkeeping for TSPE, TEF, PACE and

of 42

MATHCOUNTS. She also assists Claire with the membership activities, event registrations and provides general administrative support. John [Slide 18] Last, but certainly not least is Dr. Jennifer McEwan, the Legislative & Governmental Affairs Director. Jennifer is a contract political consultant (lobbyist) for TSPE. She is one of the most highly respected political analysts working in Austin today and TSPE is very lucky to have her working on our side on critical engineering and public health & safety issues. During the legislative session, Jennifer can be found at the capitol in Austin every day, working tirelessly to promote TSPE’s legislative issues. During the interim, she continues to advocate for TSPE as our representative with various state agencies, including the Texas Board of Professional Engineers. She also provides presentations to any Chapter that is interested in the importance of grassroots efforts and the legislative process.

of 42

Now that I’ve introduced you to the state staff, let’s pause again to address your questions [transition to slide 21 while saying this] John [Slide 19] (Address questions as appropriate) I’m going to turn the presentation back to Joe, who will cover important Chapter officer and committee chair & coordinator positions. [transition to Slide 20 while saying this] Joe [Slide 20] Most chapters have already transitioned to their new officers for 2017-18. We understand that it can sometimes be difficult for Chapters to fill all of the usual officer positions and it can be especially hard to fill the committee chair positions. In smaller Chapters, it is not unusual for one person to serve multiple roles or to serve in the same position for several years. We hope that as membership

of 42

continues to improve, you will have more engaged members willing to serve in these roles. In addition to this brief overview of positions, there is a more detailed description of requirements and best practices for each officer position in the Chapter section of the online resource center, which we will review in more detail a little later on. Here’s a look at the most important officer, chair and coordinator positions that each Chapter needs to have covered. Joe [Slide 21] First up is President. The person in this position will serve as the official representative and spokesperson for the Chapter. The President needs to be familiar with all of the Chapter’s committees and programs as well as the Chapter by-laws and constitution. The President is the point of contact to receive all communications for the Chapter and is responsible for appointing committee chairs and ensuring accountability for Chapter officers and committees. At the Chapter level, the President’s level of engagement and commitment can often set the tone for the Chapter year. The State also relies

of 42

on Chapter presidents to provide insight on future leaders coming up in the Chapters. The next critical position is that of State Director. The State Director for each Chapter is also a voting member of the State Board. In order to have a quorum and conduct essential business, it is critical that the State Directors attend the three State Board meetings, which occur in October, March and June each year. This position must be filled by someone who understands the time commitment and is willing to serve on the State Board in this role. Many Chapters fill their State Director position from their roster of active past presidents. The State Director is the direct conduit between the Chapter Board and the State Board and is responsible for conveying important State information to the Chapter and also from the Chapter to the State. Joe [Slide 22] The Treasurer position is critical because this person is responsible for overseeing the financial

of 42

responsibilities of the Chapter, including IRS tax filings and keeping designated funds separately accounted for. Later on during the “Critical Topics” presentation, we will talk more about IRS requirements and other financial lessons that are very important for Chapter Treasurers (and all other officers) to understand. Most Chapters have an active MATHCOUNTS program. It’s a great way to reach out to students and also to provide volunteer opportunities for Chapter members who might not otherwise get engaged. Earlier in the presentation, we mentioned the importance of having a strong Chapter MATHCOUNTS coordinator – not only to make sure that the Chapter MATHCOUNTS event is well organized and volunteer-staffed, but also to ensure the strength and effectiveness of the State MATHCOUNTS program, which is recognized as one of the top gifted education programs in Texas. Currently Texas is the reigning two in a row national champion with the #1 and #2 individuals in the nation. There will be a MATHCOUNTS round table event for Chapter coordinators in Austin on

of 42

September 9th. It is important that Chapter coordinators attend this event to keep up with the changing program rules and opportunities. Joe [Slide 23] The Chapter Scholarship Coordinator ensures interaction with the State on TEF scholarship funding and oversees other Chapter scholarship selections and funding coordination. TSPE needs to track all scholarship activities at the Chapter level, so it is essential that the Chapter Scholarship Coordinator communicate regularly with the State Education Programs Manager. The Chapter Membership Committee Chair is a critically important role for addressing the on-going membership recruitment and retention efforts for TSPE. Through years of experience, we’ve learned that membership recruitment and retention activities are most effective when conducted at the Chapter-level. Chapters are often tempted to assign this critical position to a young member that is new to the organization. While new, young

of 42

members bring great enthusiasm to the organization, it is often hard for them to explain the benefits of TSPE to other new members, because they haven’t had the time to experience the benefits themselves. It can be even harder for these folks to visit with members who are on the delinquent membership list to try to help them see the value of TSPE. The Chair of this committee should be someone who understands the value of TSPE and is committed to reaching out to members. The Chair is responsible for overseeing contact of new members to encourage engagement, and contact of delinquent members to encourage renewal, as well as providing on-going membership outreach feedback to the State Staff. Joe [Slide 24] (Address questions as appropriate) I am going to turn this back over to John to take us through an overview of the valuable digital resources available to Chapter leaders.

of 42

John [Slide 25] Thanks Joe! If you haven’t already visited the TSPE website, I encourage you to do so today. There is a lot of great information readily available on the website. You can find information on all of the TSPE committees and programs; a regularly updated legislative summary; a comprehensive organization calendar; and a career center where you can post job openings or search for available jobs. John [Slide 26] Under the “About” tab, there is a link to all of the Chapters in the state. If a Chapter has an established website, clicking on that Chapter link goes directly to that website. If a Chapter doesn’t already have a website, they can have the ability to edit their page on our site. Please contact Claire at our office for more information. John [Slide 27]

of 42

One of the most important features on the TSPE website is the Resource Center. The link to the Resource Center can be found under the Leadership tab. This resource is only available to members, so you will see that the Leadership tab is only visible when you are logged in to the website as a member. If you aren’t sure or have forgotten your log-in information, contact Claire at the State office and she will get you set up. Once you are logged in and click on the Resource Center link under the Leadership tab, you will find just about every critical document that you will need to help you as a Chapter officer. Here are some examples of valuable resources related to items we have already covered in the presentation as well as the “Critical Topics” we will cover in the next section. John [Slide 28] Under the Chapter Dues Documents section, you can find the required financial worksheet that needs to be completed and submitted to the State

of 42

office at the beginning of each Chapter year, as well as other pertinent documents. If you have not already done so, please get us your officers as quickly as possible so we know who to communicate with in your chapter. Chapters who do not complete their paperwork and return it to the state office by June 30, 2018 forfeit their dues dollars for the year. John [Slide 29] The Chapter Resources section includes two important documents that we strongly encourage Chapter leaders to read – the Chapter Information document, which is a comprehensive to-do guide for Chapters, and the Year in the Life of a Chapter President, which is a really useful tool for current presidents and anyone who is considering this leadership position and wants to know more about the role. This is also where you can find the Installation Ceremony Script and a sample W-9 which are one

of 42

of the most frequently requested documents by Chapters. John [Slide 30] The TSPE Resources section includes the Constitution and Bylaws as well as the Policies. These documents not only provide good information for Chapters on how the State operates, but also provide the guidelines for Chapters that need to update their own governing documents. These are just a few examples of the many documents, guidelines and tools available to you in the Resource Center. We encourage all of you to spend some time reviewing the links in the Resource Center and making sure that all of your Chapter officers and committee chairs are aware of the help you can find here. TSPE adopted its current logo in October 2016 and launched it in February 2017. All use of the old logo needs to be phased out as items are updated.

of 42

There is an available chapter logo available for all chapters if they choose to adopt it. To get a current logo or to find out more information, please contact Claire Black at the state office. John [Slide 31] In addition to all the really great tools available to you on the TSPE website and in the resource center, NSPE maintains a Leadership Toolbox, accessible by logging in to your account at nspe.org. This Toolbox contains a lot of guidance documents and best practice summaries that you may find very useful. It would be worth your effort to spend a little time exploring these resources and sharing them with your fellow Chapter leaders. John [Slide 32] Let’s address any questions you have about Chapter Resources (Address questions as appropriate)

of 42

I am going to turn this next part back to Joe for Critical Topics. Joe [Slide 33] We’ve reached the final section of the presentation, which is titled “Critical Topics”. We are going to briefly cover some of the most important things you need to know as a Chapter leader. When we do this presentation live, this section generally raises the most questions and gets the most positive feedback as being helpful information. We have done our best to anticipate the most common questions and tried to provide the most comprehensive information that we can for the short amount of time we have. However, please continue to post your questions during the presentation. Also, please don’t hesitate to send us questions directly after the presentation or contact the State office for more information. Joe [Slide 34]

of 42

Ok, first up is everyone’s favorite topic – dealing with the IRS! TSPE is designated as a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. It is very important that you understand that every Chapter of TSPE is required to file documentation with the IRS annually. The type of documentation required is directly related to the amount of income the Chapter takes in on an annual basis. If a chapter receives less than $50,000 in gross income they are only required to file an ecard report online with the IRS. Information on this filing is included in the Finance section of the Resource Center. Most general Chapter business is non-taxable and Chapters usually won’t have a tax liability. However, some Chapters may be subject to paying taxes for something called UBIT – Unrelated Business Income Tax. The best example of this is that the income received from sponsorships is not normally taxable but could be when the sponsor’s logo or name is placed on the Chapter website with a direct link to their company. This could be considered advertising, not sponsorship, and those dollars could become taxable.

of 42

Here’s a really important item to learn: the IRS requires the TSPE State Organization to have knowledge of the viability of the chapters chartered under it. In order to meet this requirement, Chapters must submit their list of officers and financial information to the State organization before they receive their chapter dues from the State. This means that your Chapter cannot get its membership dues payment until the required paperwork is received by the State office. When you receive multiple messages from the State office asking your Chapter to please submit this information, it’s not because the State is being picky – it’s because we too are bound by IRS requirements, and this is a big one. This paperwork keeps the state informed as to whether or not a chapter has met its requirements of having officers and of filing its IRS reports. If a Chapter fails to file its tax returns or ecards with the IRS for three years, that Chapter will be deactivated by the IRS. This means the Chapter would no longer exist and would

of 42

have to go through some serious and costly procedures to get reinstated. Finally, here’s a slightly tricky subject that sometimes gets Chapters and individuals in trouble. As a non-profit organization, TSPE is exempt from most income tax liability. BUT…here’s the really important part…..TSPE is not a charitable organization and therefore is not exempt from sales tax. Purchases and rentals and other expenses for member related activities and events are subject to all applicable sales tax. Joe [Slide 35] Contrary to what you just learned about TSPE, TEF is designated as a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit organization by the IRS. This means that purchases made through TEF for education-related programs, such as scholarships and MATHCOUNTS, are sales tax exempt. It also means that donations made to TEF are deductible for the donor as charitable donations.

of 42

If your Chapter is hosting a fundraising event where funds are being raised to support education programs, there are several important things for you to be aware of. First, for the donations to be deductible, the donor must make the check payable to TEF. Chapters can collect and send the donations to TEF, then the State will process and send the money back to the Chapter for use in the designated programs. Second, money that is raised in this manner can only be used for these education programs. The money should be accounted for separately from dues money and other Chapter income. Finally, the IRS requires that a written acknowledgement be sent to the donor for any donation of $250 or higher. It is good practice to send written acknowledgement for all donations, but it is essential that those above the threshold limit be sent to meet IRS requirements. Joe [Slide 36]

of 42

Let’s address any questions you have about this critical topic (Address questions as appropriate) Joe [Slide 37] Let’s detour from the IRS requirements and talk about continuing education credits, or PDH’s. Many chapters offer PDH’s to their monthly meeting attendees as a way to draw participants and encourage membership. This is a great tool for chapters to use – you just have to make sure you are following the rules when it comes to offering PDH’s. Credits are based on actual contact time. A one-hour presentation counts as 1 PDH. A half-hour presentation only counts as 0.5 PDH. You cannot count the time that folks are registering, networking and hearing chapter announcements towards the PDH calculation. Only actual presentation time can be counted for calculating the PDH credit to be awarded.

of 42

Members who actively participate in TSPE can earn up to 5 PDH credits each year. Active participation means serving in an elected officer position or as a member or chair of an active committee. Attendance at chapter meetings does not qualify a member for these PDH credits. The credit can only be claimed after completion of the service year. Members can also receive up to 3 PDH credits per year for active participation in an education outreach program. In this case education outreach means interacting with students at the K-12 or college level and actually talking to them about engineering. This could be speaking at a career day event or making a presentation to college students about the importance of licensure. Volunteering to grade papers or proctor tests at a MATHCOUNTS competition would not qualify for this PDH credit as it does not involve interacting with the students about engineering.

of 42

Joe [Slide 38] Let’s address any questions you have about this critical topic (Address questions as appropriate) Joe [Slide 39] Because TSPE is so involved in the legislative process, we should also talk just a bit about politics and how that can get Chapters in some hot water if not handled correctly. Chapters often like to invite local or state-wide political candidates to speak at Chapter meetings. It is good to stay connected with the political process, but the State Ethics Commission has some rules that need to be followed. If a candidate is already in office, they can speak on issues and topics related to their current position, but cannot speak on their campaign unless all other

of 42

candidates running for the same position were invited to speak at the event. If a candidate is not currently in office or is currently running for a different office, all candidates running for that office must be given the same opportunity to speak. If you make the opportunity open to all candidates and only one or two show up to speak, that is fine. You just have to make the opportunity available for all. Joe [Slide 40] And our final issue in the Critical Topics section is a discussion about PACE, the Political Action Committee for Engineers. Just like most PAC’s, PACE’s purpose is to endorse and support candidates during elections. Each year, PACE issues a list of endorsed candidates that are supportive of TSPE issues. Chapters are encouraged to offer PACE fundraising opportunities to members but you should not solicit donations to PACE from non-TSPE members. Please note – and this is really critical - PACE fundraising

of 42

cannot be carried out or even discussed if there is an elected official in attendance. Additionally, donations to PACE are best if made by individuals, not by firms or by the chapter itself. Only individual donations can be considered hard money that can be given to support candidates. Corporate or chapter funds can only be used for administrative expenses or fundraising efforts. Finally, in accordance with Ethics Commission requirements, only PACE can make endorsements or offer support to candidates. Chapters do not have the authority to do so individually. However, if a Chapter is aware of a candidate that may deserve endorsement or support, the PACE Trustees always welcome input from members and Chapters. Joe [Slide 41] So let’s address your questions related to these Critical Topics or any other questions about the presentation before we wrap up today.

of 42

(Address questions as appropriate) Turn back to John. John [Slide 42] That concludes today’s presentation on Chapter Leader Training. We hope you found this valuable and that you will encourage other leaders in your Chapter to view this presentation when they can. If we weren’t able to get to your questions today, we will follow up with written responses to all participants. Also, please feel free to contact me or Joe, as well as Trish and Claire at the State office, with any additional questions at any time. Please don’t forget that we will be having Chapter officer breakout sessions via webinars next week. Chapter officers should have already gotten an email with the link to connect to these webinars, but if you haven’t, they are on the calendar of our website or you can contact the state office for more information.

of 42

John [Slide 43] Here is the pertinent contact information. Or you can log in to the website to get contact information for any of us. Thanks for your participation today. Good luck with your coming year as a Chapter leader – and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or just have questions!