Having just passed the pivotal 50 year mark, we are excited to introduce a set of proposed bylaw changes designed to shape the future of our organization for the next 50 years.
The changes are not merely administrative adjustments; they represent a bold vision for the future, aligning with our unwavering mission of empowering the Hispanic community in STEM fields.
Schedule & Eligibility
VOTING TIMELINE
December 29: Ballots sent out by email and/or text message to all eligible voters
December 30: If you have not received your ballot, please first check your spam folder. Then please check the email address we have for you in SHPE Connect, because that’s the email it was sent to. If you still cannot find the ballot, please contact [email protected].
January 18: Voting deadline at 11:59 pm PDT
February 1: Results announced
TOWN HALL SCHEDULE
Click the link to register for the Zoom meeting!
January
If you are unable to attend the meeting specific to your region, please feel free to attend whichever town hall works with your schedule.
Submit questions at any time using this form >
Voting Eligibility
Professional and graduate student members as of October 30, 2024 are eligible to vote on bylaw changes.
If you wish to change your email address for ballot purposes, please update it using this form by December 19 at 11:59pm PT.
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t see your question answered here? Submit questions at any time using this form >
Frequently Asked Questions about the Proposed Governance Changes that are Designed to Benefit the Members, Chapters, and Regions
What changes are proposed to chapters?
No changes.
Will anything change in how chapters govern themselves?
No changes.
Will changes affect local decision making at the chapter level?
No.
What changes are proposed to regions?
No changes.
What changes are proposed to regional officers and roles as they are today?
The regional management duties will shift to new regional support paid staff positions dedicated to the region and its growth. A new Regional Leadership Committee(s) will help guide the creation of the new structure and bring unique needs of the Region.
Would the current elected leaders finish their term?
Most elected leader’s terms end on June 30, 2025. Everyone subject to that date will complete their terms. For the few leaders whose terms in 2026, their term will end early.
How are the new SHPE regional support staff going to be selected?
They will be identified via a merit-based application process used to select all employees on SHPE’s paid staff.
How can I apply or be considered?
As the new proposed position(s) are approved and ready to be implemented through a measured change management process, a job posting will be created and all interested parties can apply including current regional officers. A hiring and selection process as per any other paid staff positions will be undertaken.
What will the new regional staff position be responsible for?
They will be evaluated on the support they give to the chapters, onboarding and chapter management, education of the members related to benefits and volunteering opportunities, development and engagement of the members, professional member engagement, support of local and regional programming. This will evolve as member needs require.
What other leadership opportunities will be available?
Additional leadership opportunities beyond what exists today to support the success of SHPE will be available. Each region will have minimum guidelines with flexibility built in to expand and serve unique needs of the region.
How can I volunteer within my region?
A process will be envisioned collaboratively by the new Regional Leadership Committee to identify and support members wanting to volunteer and support regional success.
What measures are being considered to ensure the rigorous screening process for appointing regional leaders is free from potential bias?
A process will be designed through a transparent and collaborative effort involving current regional leaders, members, SHPE staff, as well as Board representatives. In addition, SHPE has engaged several top consulting firms and legal counsel for direction on adoption of nomination policies both at the Board and in the regions.
Why not appoint a full-time staff member immediately to manage administrative tasks, allowing regional representatives to focus on advocacy and member representation? Additionally, what new leadership roles are being developed to replace the responsibilities currently handled by Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs)?
To clarify, any staff positions are not appointed, they are hired through a rigorous interview and selection process based on skill set, experience, and merit. Several factors have to be considered; budget constraints, transition timing, role clarification, and member input.
Will members still vote?
Yes, all eligible members will still vote when there are decisions to be made that impact them.
Will my membership rights change?
No, all benefits themselves will remain unchanged.
What is the process to be appointed to the Board of Directors?
The Board of Directors has a Nominating Committee that works with the Governance Committee to ensure that nominations and appointments maintain a transparent, open, and clear process.
Has the potential for appointment-based leadership to limit diversity of opinions, ideas, or approaches been evaluated? Additionally, how would the system address instances where a highly passionate and well-supported SHPE member might be overlooked due to limited connections with decision-makers?
The Board already has a makeup that ensures diverse opinions. For example, the Board must include a member with legal background, one with information technology experience, one with enterprise/engineering management, a dean, several students, and early career professionals. The composition of the Board doesn’t change, what will change is ensuring that those who are appointed have the skills to manage this growing and complex organization. This will help ensure that a variety of perspectives are represented and that the organization benefits from a richer pool of ideas and approaches. To do this a transparent nomination process is being developed, with merit-based criteria, mentorship programs, feedback mechanisms, and inclusion and collaboration initiatives.
Compensation for Directors – Could you clarify whether Sections 7.15 and 12.4 of the proposed bylaws permit compensation for directors?
Compensation for Directors is prohibited under current and the new proposed bylaws. The only instance where compensation applies is in the case of the SHPE CEO who is compensated for their role at SHPE (Staff), however this compensation is not for any role they may play at the Board level.
Does the move to Board appointments mean that all elected positions get to stay on the board for the next term?
Most elected leader’s terms end on June 30, 2025. Everyone subject to that date will complete their terms. For the few leaders whose terms end in 2026, their term will end early.
Can I nominate members to serve on the Board, can I serve myself?
Yes, all members at or over the age of 18 may nominate or serve.
Why is the Board asking for a vote on the changes to the bylaws now?
Dedicated support of the members is needed to ensure the continued growth of SHPE. SHPE also desires to better support member and chapter needs, provide for qualified Board members to better run the non – profit, and ensure the organization keeps pace with changing laws, risks and liabilities, which required an operational update. SHPE last updated the current bylaws in 2019.
What will be the process for the vote on the bylaw changes, and what is required for approval?
E-ballots will be sent to eligible members on December 29, 2024. Of those members eligible to vote on October 30, 2024, a two thirds majority in the affirmative is required for the proposed changes to pass.
What if I don’t receive my ballot?
You can both check your junk mailbox and contact the membership department to ensure your contact information and email is up to date.
What happens if the proposed bylaw changes do not pass with the required vote?
SHPE will continue to operate under the current bylaws.
If the vote is affirmative, when would the changes be put into place?
Bylaw changes would be effective immediately. Supporting policies and a focused change management process will ensure a runway for any transition activities required over time.
Where is the money for the staff coming from? What will get less funding to enable us to pay for these salaries?
The SHPE Board of Directors is pursuing options for additional funding that will not impair any current programs, initiatives, and/or benefits.
How did they determine what was needed and who was involved in making the recommendations for making it happen? Did they have focus groups and who was in them or how did they decide who to talk to?
SHPE has regular dialogue with members and has held multiple meetings over the course of the last several years in which the Board heard from you that member needs were no longer being served in a manner that provides for growth in services, membership, nor benefits. None of the conversations were restricted and dialogue has been open to all.
How many members does the organization have?
Approximately 21,000
I would like to serve at my DC chapter but do not know who to contact. Also, we may need a new chapter perhaps for NOVA region in VA but depending on what the DC chapter covers.
Please reach out to [email protected] and we can get you connected to the right people and provide instructions on how to form a new chapter.
The full board will be through an application and selection process? Or just the 6 member positions? Who will form the selection committee?
Each Board position will be subject the same process.
How many regions per staff member?
This is to be determined based upon need and resources.
Are these full-time positions? the regional staff?
Yes. These will be full-time paid employees.
Will the 7 regions change with this new structure?
No. The 7 regions will continue.
How do you start hiring in spring 2025, seems like there is not enough time to develop job descriptions and have the members engaged as stated?
The hiring process will commence once engagement and collaboration with the Regional Leadership Committees begins to work with SHPE staff and leadership.
Will the RGR, RJR, RSR also going to be staff? Or just RVP?
None of the current roles (e.g., RGR, RJR, RSR, and RVP) will be filled by staff. We are creating new staff positions to support the regions.
Leadership positions will remain as a volunteer position or become staff?
Individuals serving on the Regional Leadership Committees will continue to be member volunteers.
If we add a staff per region for example, why would the RVP, RSR, RGR, RJR positions have to go away? Why not have that regional staff member work with the elected regional leaders?
The goal of the Regional Leadership Committee is to build the foundation of collaboration between the regional volunteer positions and staff. The quantity, titles, and duties of the volunteer roles will evolve to meet the needs of the region and amplify the RLC’s impact.
How will the SHPE of Tomorrow Board of Directors cultivate the regional leaders? National leaders?
We will cultivate regional and national leaders through programming like NILA and virtual and in-person panels of past regional and national leaders.
What restricts the Board from hiring staff for the regional committees by the current bylaws?
The current bylaws do not restrict the hiring of regional staff; the bylaws do rigidly restrict the structure of the regional leadership.
What are the salary ranges going to be for these new positions and future board members?
The salary for the new positions will be determined based upon market rate and other evaluation processes. Board members do not receive any salary.
Will we be able to vote on each section of the bylaw change separately? Or will the ballot combine all changes together?
The vote is for all the changes as a single up/down decision.
How was the national Board able to remove student voters for this round of bylaw changes without an open vote?
Student voters were not removed by the Board. SHPE is bound to follow the current set of approved bylaws which state undergraduate members are not eligible to vote on the changes per the current bylaws. Per the bylaws, graduate members are eligible to vote.
What is the plan for regional appointments? Would that be done from national level or a regional selection team would be organized to select these appointees?
The Regional Leadership Committees will be part of the process which identifies individuals for appointment.
Will the full-time regional staff have to live and work in that region or will they have to be in CA office?
The individuals will be sourced nationwide to secure the most qualified individuals. When possible, they will reside in the region they support.
What is the constancy and busy work that staff can provide?
The responsibilities transferred to staff will be determined via a collaborative process involving the Regional Leadership Committees.
Who will be the one determining the salary for these positions? Is this something members get to vote for?
Salary determinations for all staff fall under the decision authority of the CEO.
Who will be assessing the needs per region? Just the current regional leaders and the current Board? This will not be open to members that want to participate in this process of defining this job description if the bylaw changes are approved?
The Regional Leadership Committee which are made up of members from each region will guide this process and have the ability to involve additional members as needed.
Are there other non-profit organizations out there that went through similar bylaws changes that we can learn from? Not sure how others operate to be honest, but wondering if this has been done before, maybe there are lessons learned we can get our hands on, what to avoid, success stories, etc. This might also help better justify the proposed changes, as opposed to going into “unknown territories” or drastic changes.
As a part of the Board’s due diligence, organizations of like makeup and purpose were benchmarked. Advisory firms with deep expertise as well as experience in these matters were also consulted throughout the process.
*Questions relevant to current bylaw initiatives are included and documented in the order they were received. Some were edited for spelling only. Duplicate questions were eliminated or consolidated.