Memorandum of Understanding
John Whitmer Historical Association Board
RE: COVID-19 and Business Meetings
21 May 2020
The JWHA Board recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic requires extraordinary responses.
As a Board, one of our responses includes postponing our annual 2020 conference to protect the health and safety of our membership.
We recognize that this postponement impacts board vacancies and executive committee terms.
To address this impact, the Board interprets our bylaws, and specifically Article V, Section 6, that “in person” may include virtual voting at a virtual conference. The bylaw states:
Article V, Section 6: Proxies, Absentee, and Mail Ballots: “A member must be present in person to vote at a business meeting of the Association. No proxies, absentee votes, or mail ballots shall be allowed.”
This interpretation of Article V, Section 6, shall remain in force as long as a pandemic situation precludes meeting at a physical location, empowering the Board to hold business meetings at any and all virtual conferences.
