Constitution of the
International Association for Conflict Management

REVISED: April 6, 2022

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this association is the International Association for Conflict Management, henceforth called IACM or the Association.

 

ARTICLE II - DURATION

The period of duration of the Association is perpetual.

 

ARTICLE III - MISSION

IACM fosters an exchange of information and ideas about social conflict from all disciplines and across all levels of society.

To fulfill this mission, the Association will have the following activities:

1. Conduct an annual conference.
2. Publish a journal.
3. Publish a newsletter and other publications as needed to promote the Association and the annual conference.
4. Recognize, via awards, meritorious contributions to theory, research, and practice that corresponds with IACM content areas.
5. Conduct other activities to further the mission of the organization by the Board of Directors and other members of the Association.

 

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Any person who pays annual dues may be a member of the Association.

Section 2. Members will have access to Association publications. Members are entitled to participate in and vote at the annual business meeting of the Association and on all Association election ballots. Members have the right to vote on amendments to the Constitution, as stipulated in Article XVII.

Section 3. Termination of Membership. A membership shall terminate on the occurrence of any of the following events:

1. Resignation of the member;
2. Expiration of the period of membership without renewal;
   1. In the event that the member fails to renew his/her membership prior to the expiration date, the member may still reinstate the expired membership by way of renewing online. The one-year period will begin upon the date of reinstatement.
3. Violation of the Association’s policies, rules, and expectations for appropriate conduct (heretofore referred to as the “Policy”)
4. Termination of membership under the Constitution based on the good faith determination by a majority vote of the Board, or a committee or person authorized by the Board to make such a determination that, regardless of the time or place of the infraction, needn’t occur during Association operations, the member has violated the Association’s policies, rules, and expectations for appropriate conduct, or that the member has failed in a material and serious degree to observe the reasonable expectations of membership conduct, or has engaged in conduct materially and seriously prejudicial to the Association’s purposes and interests.

Section 4. Suspension of Membership. A member may be suspended, under Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution, based on the good faith determination by the Board, or a committee or person authorized by a majority vote of the Board to make such a determination that, regardless of the time or place of the infraction (needn’t occur during Association operations) the member has violated the Policy, or that the member has failed in a material and serious degree to observe the reasonable expectations of membership conduct, or has engaged in conduct materially and seriously prejudicial to the Association’s purposes and interests. A person whose membership is suspended will not be considered a member during the period of suspension and will not be afforded membership rights as so defined in the Constitution.

Section 5. Procedure for Expulsion, Termination, or Suspension of Membership. If grounds appear to exist for suspending or terminating a member under Art. IV, Sections 3 or 4 of the Constitution, the following procedure shall be followed:

1. The Board will give the member at least 15 days prior notice of the proposed expulsion, suspension, or termination, including the reasons for the proposed expulsion, suspension, or termination. Notice will be given by any method reasonably calculated to provide actual notice. Notice given by mail will be sent by certified or registered mail to the member’s last address as shown on the Association’s records.
2. The members shall be given an opportunity to be heard, either orally or in writing, at least five (5) days before the effective date of the proposed suspension or termination. The hearing shall be held, or the written statement, considered by the Board, or by a committee or person authorized by the Board to determine whether the expulsion, suspension, or termination should occur.
   1. The member will have such options for contact, whether orally or written, designated in the certified or registered mailing.
3. The Board, committee, or authorized person will decide whether the member should be suspended, expelled, or terminated from membership. The decision of the Board, committee, or authorized person will be final.
4. Any action challenging an expulsion, suspension, or termination of membership, including a claim alleging defective notice, must be commenced in accordance with the respective statutes of limitations of the State of Illinois.

 

ARTICLE V - GOVERNMENT

The ultimate authority of the Association resides in its members, who will exercise their authority at the Annual Business Meeting and through electronic communications. Decisions governing the Association will be made by the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS

Section 1. The elected officers of the Association will consist of President, Past-President (every other year) or President-Elect (every other year), and four Members-At-Large. The ex officio officers will include the Treasurer, Secretary, Program Chair for the upcoming conference, NCMR Journal Editor, and Chair of the Advisory Council. All officers will be members of the Association. The elected and ex officio officers will constitute the Board of Directors. The number of elected officers must be greater than the number of ex officio officers.

Section 2. Only the elected officers will serve as voting members of the Board of Directors. Ex officio officers are non-voting members of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. The President is the Chief Officer of the Association. He or she will serve for a term of two years. The term begins at the close of the annual Business Meeting and ends at the close of the Business Meeting at the annual conference.

Section 4. The President will be responsible for assuring that the Association achieves its mission consistent with the Association's Constitution.

Section 5. The President will convene and preside over meetings of the Board of Directors and the annual Business Meeting. This responsibility includes preparing an agenda for these meetings.

Section 6. The President will appoint the Treasurer and Secretary, with majority vote of approval by the Board of Directors.

Section 7. The President will appoint members to standing or special committees as needed.

Section 8. The President-Elect will serve a term of one year on the Board of Directors before becoming President. The President-Elect's term begins at the close of the first Annual Business Meeting after his or her election and ends at the close of the next Business Meeting when he or she becomes President.

Section 9. The Past-President or the President-Elect will serve as Acting President in the absence of the President.

Section 10. In consultation with and approval by the Board of Directors, the President-Elect will appoint a Program Chair and, at the President-Elect’s discretion, a Local Arrangements Chair for each of the two conferences during which the President-Elect will serve as Association President. The terms of office for each Program Chair and Local Arrangements Chair will be one year.

Section 11. The four elected Members-At-Large will serve two-year staggered terms, beginning at the close of the first Annual Business Meeting after their election.

Section 12. No elected officers may succeed themselves in the same role as a member of the Board of Directors.

Section 13. The Past-President will serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors for one year after the conclusion of his or her presidency.

 

ARTICLE VII - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. The Board of Directors will be the policy-making body of the Association and so all activities will be under their authority.

Section 2. The Board of Directors will meet at least four times during the year: once right after the conference at which the new Board is in place, once right before the next conference, at least once between September and November and at least once between January and March during the year (virtually or in person). The President may convene other meetings of the Board as needed.

Section 3. The Board of Directors will use Roberts Rules of Order (latest revised version).

Section 4. A majority of the elected officers will constitute a quorum for Board meetings. Issues that require a vote shall be decided by the majority of the elected officers in attendance. A majority in favor is required for a motion to be passed (a nonvote or an abstention is counted as a non-yay vote).

 

ARTICLE VIII - TREASURER AND SECRETARY

Section 1. The Treasurer will be appointed by the President, with approval by the Board of Directors, for a renewable three-year term. A Treasurer Designate will be appointed one year prior to the end of the Treasurer's term in office.

Section 2. The Treasurer, in consultation with the President and the Executive Director, shall do the following:

1. Develop an annual budget for the Association;
2. Manage the finances and investments of the Association and oversee the handling of the Association Treasury;
3. Receive and dispense funds from the Association Treasury;
4. Report on the annual budget of the Association at the Board of Directors and Business Meetings that are held at the annual conference.

Section 3. Every 3 years, the Treasurer will initiate audit procedures. An audit will be performed by a licensed CPA.

Section 4. All Association revenues, including dues and registration fees, will be deposited in the Association Treasury.

Section 5. Any single allocation or multiple allocations exceeding $10,000 over 30 days not previously approved by the Board in its review of the budget must be approved by the voting members of Board of Directors. Policies for disbursing funds from the Association Treasury shall require the approval of the Board of Directors. All other expenditures will be reviewed by the Finance Committee.

Section 6. If a request for an expenditure or disbursement is denied, and the matter cannot be resolved satisfactorily, or if there is uncertainty about the appropriateness of an expenditure, a member of the Finance Committee can ask the President to call a meeting of the Board of Directors, where the issue shall be resolved by a majority vote of the voting officers on the Board of Directors.

Section 7. The Secretary will maintain the records and files of the Association. These documents include records concerning the association membership, minutes of the Annual Business meeting, minutes from the Board of Directors meetings, newsletters, and all other written records of importance to the association.

 

ARTICLE IX: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Section 1. The Executive Director (ED) is not a mandated position. This position may be filled and removed as the Board of Directors deems necessary by way of majority of the Board and is under the supervision of the IACM President. The responsibilities of the ED are dependent on having a filled ED position.

Section 2. The ED is not a member of the Board of Directors but attends the Board of Directors meetings. The ED is an ex officio non-voting member of the Executive Committee. The ED is a voting member of all other committees to which the ED is appointed.

Section 3. The ED provides continuity and institutionalized knowledge across variations of the board and provides guidance and support across the respective roles of the board members.

Section 4. In consultation with the Executive Committee, the ED solicits and negotiates conference contracts for the selected site(s).

Section 5. The ED is bound by all spending policies and procedures as set forth by the Constitution and subsequent resolutions. The ED works directly with the President, Treasurer, and Finance Committee to ensure proper spending and investment procedures in accordance to such respective policies.

 

ARTICLE X: STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. The Executive Committee will comprise the President, Past-President or President-Elect, Treasurer and Secretary. The President will chair the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will make decisions in representation of the Board and the Membership in between Board of Directors meetings. The Executive Director will serve as an ex officio non-voting member on this committee.

Section 2. The Finance Committee will comprise the President, Past-President or President-Elect, the Treasurer, and the Executive Director. All Finance Committee members may vote on this committee. The Finance Committee oversees the financial decisions and budget of the Association and consults with the Treasurer and Executive Director about day to day operations and investments.

Section 3. The Nominations Committee will comprise the President, two Members-At-Large, and the Advisory Council Chair-Elect. The President will chair this committee. The Nominations Committee will prepare the slate for elections each year.

Section 4. The Communications Committee will comprise the President, the Secretary, and the Executive Director. The Communications Committee oversees the Association Newsletter and any other communication with the Association Membership.

Section 5. Advisory Council (AC).

1. The Advisory Council (AC) is composed of past presidents of the Association who completed a full term in office. A full term in office is continuous service as IACM President-Elect, President, and Past-President and that begins and ends at the IACM annual conference.
2. The AC serves as counsel to the current President and the Board of Directors on legislative and administrative matters related to the history, traditions, practices, and the constitution of the Association. 
3. Three members of the Advisory Council will serve as leaders of the Advisory Council as AC Chair-Elect, AC Chair, and AC Past-Chair in staggered three-year terms.
4. The position of Advisory Council Chair-Elect will be determined by an election among members of the Advisory Council and the candidates will be AC members who volunteer for the role.
5. The Advisory Council Chair will do the following:
   1. Serve as an ex officio, non-voting member of the IACM Board of Directors.
   2. Serve as liaison to the IACM Board and report back to the full Advisory Council on Board business and Association matters as needed.
   3. In consultation with the Advisory Council, appoint ad-hoc committees to investigate and opine on problems and opportunities that may arise. 
   4. Convene the Advisory Council in a meeting during the IACM annual conference. This meeting will include the IACM Executive Director and IACM President who will give independent, informal reports on the association and answer AC queries.
   5. Conduct an election for the position of Advisory Council Chair-Elect. This election will occur during the AC meeting at the IACM Annual conference. Only AC members who attend the meeting in person (or virtually if that option is available) will vote. 
6. The Advisory Council Chair-Elect will serve on the IACM nominations committee and make suggestions for the nominations for IACM officers and the IACM achievement awards. 
7. In the absence of the Advisory Council Chair, the AC Past-Chair will serve as Chair; in the absence of both AC Chair and Past Chair, the Chair Elect will serve as Chair. 
8. An Advisory Council Past Chair must wait at least one year before serving again as AC Chair-Elect.

Section 6. The Publications Committee comprises a Chair plus two IACM members. Each year, the IACM President appoints one member to a three-year term; in the third year, the member serves as chair. The Publications Chair reports to the IACM President and works in collaboration with the NCMR Editor.

The Publications Committee is responsible for the following:

1. Oversees IACM publications policies.
2. Monitors and updates publications policies and distributes it to the NCMR Editor and any other relevant parties.
3. Develops and implements a plan to promote NCMR and any other IACM publications.

 

ARTICLE XI - NOMINATION AND ELECTION PROCEDURES

Section 1. Elections for two Members-At-Large will be conducted each year prior to the annual conference of the Association. A President-Elect will be elected every other year, prior to the annual conference of the Association.

Section 2. The Nominations Committee will collect nominations each year for two Member-At-Large positions and every other year for the President-Elect position. Members of the Nominations Committee will solicit nominations at the Annual Business Meeting, via communication with the Association Membership, and via the Fall Association Newsletter.

Section 3. All nominees must be members of the Association.

Section 4. The Nominations Committee will present a slate of candidates to the Board of Directors by December 1. At least four Members-at-Large candidates will be included on the election ballot each year, and at least two President-Elect candidates will be included on the ballot every other year.

Section 5. The Ballot will be sent to Association Members whose membership is active as of December 1 of the year the ballot is prepared.

Section 6. The election will be conducted by electronic ballot in December or January. The electronic ballot will include a brief biographical statement indicating each candidate's qualifications and a description of the responsibilities associated with each position.

Section 7. Voting will be open for 15 days from the date the electronic ballot is sent to the Association Membership.

Section 8. The President-Elect and Members-At-Large who receive the plurality of their respective votes will be declared the election winners.

Section 9. The election results will be announced in the Spring Association Newsletter and at the annual Board of Directors and Business Meetings.

Section 10. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be conducted between the two candidates who are tied.

Section 11. For sufficient cause, the Board of Directors may remove any officer of the Association from the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may remove an officer with two‑thirds approval of the voting officers; procedure will be according to Roberts Rules (revised).

 

ARTICLE XII - IACM FELLOWS

Section 1. The Association will have IACM Fellows to recognize the long term contribution of Association members to scholarship and practice in conflict and negotiation.

Section 2. The Committee of Fellows will elect its own chair.

Section 3. Each year, IACM Fellows will be nominated and elected according to procedures established by the Committee of Fellows. The Committee of Fellows will present newly elected IACM Fellows to the Board of Directors for approval. New Fellows will be announced at the Annual Conference.

 

ARTICLE XIII - ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Section 1. The Association shall hold an annual conference. The location of the Annual Conference shall alternate, as much as is practical, between North America and regions other than North America.

Section 2. In consultation with the Executive Director, and with respect for the preferences of the President-Elect (when there is a President-Elect), the Executive Committee will make recommendations for upcoming conferences to the Board of Directors.

Section 3. The Program Chair will

1. be responsible for developing and implementing the academic program of the Annual Conference.
2. send an electronic version of the call for papers to all Association members in September for the upcoming Annual Conference.
3. assign reviewers, collect reviews, and determine the selection of conference poster sessions, presentations, symposia, workshops, debates, and roundtables, as needed.

Section 4. The Program Chair, Local Arrangements Chair, and President will preside over the annual conference.

Section 5. The Association will recognize annually meritorious contributions to the study and practice of social conflict that epitomize the goals and mission of the Association.

Section 6. The Awards Committees will be appointed by the President. Each committee will comprise at least three Association members. The Chair of each Awards Committee will announce the recipients of the awards at the Association's Annual Conference.

Section 7. The Committee of Fellows will have one panel session allocated at the Annual Conference.

 

ARTICLE XIV - ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING

Section 1. The Annual Business Meeting of the Association will take place during the Annual Conference. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to apprise the membership of the state of the Association, its activities, and its financial status. All members have the right to attend, participate in, and vote at the Business Meeting.

Section 2. The President will run the Business Meeting. Roberts Rules of Order (latest revised version) will be used for conducting business.

Section 3. Oral or written reports will be presented at the Annual Business Meeting by the President, Treasurer, Program Chair, NCMR Editor, and by others as needed.

 

ARTICLE XV - PUBLICATIONS

Section 1. The Association will publish a newsletter, which will include Association information and other material deemed appropriate by the Communications Committee.

Section 2. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research (NCMR) is the official journal of IACM.

Section 3. The NCMR Editor will be recruited by the Executive Committee and must be approved by majority vote of the Board of Directors. The NCMR Editor serves for a three-year term, which can be renewed in part or whole.

Section 4. The selection of the NCMR Associate Editors and Editorial Board members will be at the discretion of the NCMR Editor. Paid positions for NCMR must be approved by majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 5. NCMR expenses must be approved by the Finance Committee.

 

ARTICLE XVI - CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Section 1. In any instance when a member of the Board of Directors provides a service to IACM, that Board member must recuse him- or herself from the discussion and Board decision about such services. In any instance when the Board of Directors selects the services of a member the Board of Directors that includes monetary compensation for said services, the Board of Directors must perform and demonstrate due diligence related to such decision.

Section 2. At no time will the Executive Director run for elected position or serve as a voting member on the Board of Directors.

Section 3. While occupying the role of Executive Director, at no time will that person be considered for or serve in any other position on the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE XVII - AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Section 1. Petitions to amend the Constitution will be considered if submitted by the Board of Directors or by at least 5% of the Association membership.

Section 2. Proposed amendments must specify the sections of the Constitution proposed for revision or removal, the exact wording of the addition or revision, and the rationale behind the proposed amendment.

Section 3. Amendments may be voted on via electronic ballot, with a 14-day voting period. Discussion of proposed amendments should take place at the annual Business Meeting.

Section 4. Amendments will be ratified if at least two-thirds of votes received support the proposed changes.

Section 5. Association membership will be notified of the proposed amendments no less than 30 days prior to the vote taking place.

 

ARTICLE XVIII - FINANCES

Section 1. Non-profit. The Association will not engage in any activity that would be inconsistent with the status of an educational and charitable organization as defined in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or any successor provision.

Section 2. Dissolution. Upon dissolution or liquidation all assets of the Association will be distributed to an organization as designated by the Board of Directors, provided that such organization qualifies under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Dissolution can only occur with a 2/3 approval of the voting membership.

Section 3. Fiscal year. The annual accounting period of the Association will be the calendar year.

Section 4. Use of Income and Assets. The Association will not divert any part of its income or assets to any member, spouse, director, officer or employee by lending any part of its income or assets, by paying any compensation in excess of reasonable allowances for salaries or other compensation for personal services actually rendered, by making purchase of security or other property for more than adequate consideration for money’s worth, or by engaging in any other transactions that either directly or indirectly result in such diversion of its income or assets. The Association will not make any accumulation of its income unreasonable in amount or duration or use any income for purposes other than the objects identified herein or invest income in any manner that would jeopardize its objectives.