Bylaws

Article 1.0 NAME

The name of the society shall be the American Baseball Biomechanics Society.

Article 2.0 HISTORY

The American Baseball Biomechanics Society (ABBS) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in February 2020. In early February, Dr. Glenn Fleisig emailed an interest form to dozens of people considered involved with baseball biomechanics. Forty-four people responded with interest in joining the society, including 10 who expressed strong interest to be involved in the society’s formation. On February 27, 2020, a conference call was conducted among the 10 people with strong interest: Anthony Brady, Dr. Glenn Fleisig, Ben Hansen, Dr. Bryson Nakamura, Dr. Gretchen Oliver, Dr. Hillary Plummer, Dr. Jonathan Slowik, Dr. Matt Solomito, Ethan Stewart, and Megan Stewart. The society’s name was selected on that conference call. Dr. Robert Shapiro joined this founding group shortly thereafter.

Article 3.0 PURPOSE

Provide valid, valuable biomechanical information to baseball players, coaches, teams, and organizations. To set standards for sports biomechanics evaluations and analyses within a baseball setting.

Article 3.01 Diversity

The ABBS is committed to creating a culture within the society that encourages and values diverse and inclusive participation; building both a membership and a leadership of ABBS that are reflective of the communities that we represent, study, and service.

Article 4.0 MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Society shall consist of the following classes: member, fellow, student member, and affiliate member.

Article 4.01 Member

Membership shall be open to any individual who is interested in the application of biomechanics in baseball.

Article 4.02 Fellow

The Fellow award of the American Baseball Biomechanics Society recognizes substantial scholarly and service contributions to ABBS and baseball biomechanics. The nomination and award criteria and processes will be established by the Board of Directors at a later date, after the society has been established long enough to have suitable candidates.

Article 4.03 Student Member

Student membership shall be open to individuals who are attending institutions of learning as an undergraduate or graduate, but are not concurrently employed anywhere as a full-time employee. A student member has all the privileges of membership except holding an elected office.

Article 4.04 Affiliate Member

Affiliate membership shall be open to international and national governing bodies and societies that are interested in cooperating with the Society to achieve objectives. An affiliate member shall have the privilege of appointing one delegate to attend and vote at meetings of the Society.

Article 4.05 Emeritus Member

Emeritus Members shall be those members of the Society who are designated Emeritus Members by the Executive Board of the Society. Emeritus Member is reserved for long-standing members of the Society who have made substantial contributions to the Society and the field of baseball biomechanics. To be designated an Emeritus Member, the member must be retired from professional employment. Emeritus Members have all privileges of membership.

Article 4.06

The membership year is one calendar year.

Article 4.07

Only members in good standing may vote, stand for election or appointment to office.

Article 5.0 ADMINISTRATION

The Executive Council shall consist of 6 officers, who together with up to 8 Directors shall constitute the Board of Directors of the Society.

Article 5.01

The Executive Council shall be: President, Secretary General, Treasurer, Vice President of Conferences and Meetings, and Vice President of Social Media. The sixth officer position on the Executive Council will alternate annually between the President-Elect or the Past-President.

Article 5.02

The Officers and Directors shall serve for three-year terms except the President, who shall serve for one year as President-Elect, two years as President, and one year as Past-President.

Article 5.03

The Directors are eligible for re-election on completion of their term of office for up to a maximum of 6 consecutive years. The 6-year term limit does not apply to the terms served as an officer.

Article 5.04

Open positions for Officers of the Executive Council (President-Elect, Secretary General, Treasurer, Vice President of Conferences and Meetings, and Vice President of Social Media) shall be filled by an annual election among the Society membership. Then, at least 30 days following the Officer election, there shall be a second election held among the Society membership to fill open positions for Directors. If there are multiple open Director positions with different term lengths (see Article 5.08 regarding vacancies), the longest term shall be filled by the candidate receiving the most votes, the second-longest term shall be filled by the candidate receiving the second-most votes, and so on.

Article 5.05

Newly elected Officers and Directors will take office during the Annual Business Meeting.

Article 5.06

The first set of Directors and Executive Board members, consisting of the founding group, was approved at the initial Annual Business Meeting. In order to ensure continuity, the first set of Directors and Executive Board members except for President, were assigned terms of 2, 3 or 4 years. Subsequent Directors and Executive Board Members serve 3-year terms.

Article 5.07

If for some reason one of the Officer positions is not filled by election, then the newly elected Board of Directors may appoint someone to the position.

Article 5.08

Vacancies on the Executive Council of the Board of Directors occurring outside of the standard election cycle may be filled by appointment by the Executive Council. Appointees shall serve only for the duration of the terms of the previous incumbents. It is preferable for the appointee to be a current Officer of Director. However, if the appointee is an Officer or Director, they must forfeit the remainder of their own term.

Other vacancies on the Board of Directors (i.e., non-Officer Directors) occurring outside of the standard election cycle may be filled temporarily by appointment by the Executive Council. Appointees shall serve only until the next Annual Business Meeting, upon which a newly elected candidate will fill the seat (see Article 5.04 regarding annual elections).

Article 5.09

The Executive Council and the Board of Directors shall meet at least once annually.

Article 5.10

Other meetings or conference calls of the Executive Council and the Board of Directors may be called by the President or upon the written request of five (5) Officers and/or Directors.

Article 5.11

If required to act prior to the next Board of Directors meeting, the Executive Council has the power to act with the full authority of the Board. They must then fully report such actions at the next Board meeting.

Article 5.12

The Executive Council shall be empowered to appoint ABBS members to represent the Society at special gatherings and events.

Article 5.13

Upon written request, any member of the Society may attend meetings of the Board of Directors, and may participate in the discussions, but only Directors may propose or second motions and vote.

Article 5.14

The Board of Directors shall establish the dues for various categories of membership.

Article 6.0 DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Article 6.01 President

The chief executive officer, the President, generally shall supervise the affairs of the Society and perform all duties incident to the office and those prescribed from time to time by the Executive Council and Board of Directors. This includes internal workings within the society as well as external interactions with other societies, organizations, companies, sponsors, individuals, and the media.

Article 6.02 President-Elect

The President-Elect shall serve one year in this position, before assuming the position of President. The term of President-Elect shall coincide with the final year of his/her predecessor’s final year as President. The President-Elect shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties, and in the absence of the President, shall perform the duties of that office. During this term, the President-Elect shall be the chairperson of the Elections Committee.

Article 6.03 Past-President

The President shall serve as Past-President for one year, immediately upon conclusion of his/her term as President. The Past-President shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties, and in the absence of the President, shall perform the duties of that office. During this term, the Past-President shall be the chairperson of the Elections Committee.

Article 6.04 Vice President of Conferences and Meetings

The Vice President of Conferences and Meetings shall function as the Chairperson of the Conferences and Meetings Committee, which is responsible for planning, coordination and implementation of conferences, clinics, tutorials, workshops and meetings. If an Annual Symposium, or similar, occurs in a given year, the Vice President of Conferences and Meetings shall have the overall responsibility for the Annual Symposium and shall function as Co-Chairperson of any local Symposium Committee, together with the local Symposium Chair. The Vice President of Conferences and Meetings may delegate the required responsibilities of the Conferences and Meetings Committee to each committee member as appropriate.

Article 6.05 Vice President of Social Media

The Vice President of Social Media shall function as the Chairperson of the Social Media Committee, which is responsible for publicizing the activities and accomplishments of the Society and its members through social media. The Vice President of Social Media is also responsible for publications among ABBS members, such as the ABBS website and blog, as well as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter posts. The Vice President of Social Media may delegate the required responsibilities of the Social Media Committee to each committee member as appropriate.

Article 6.06 Secretary General

The Secretary General shall be custodian of the official documents and records and shall maintain the files of the Society, including the membership roster, which shall be maintained jointly with the Treasurer. The Secretary General is also responsible for recording meeting minutes and notifying members of all elections and Society events. The Secretary General shall also be a member of the Elections Committee.

Article 6.07 Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the society and shall maintain appropriate bank accounts and financial records of the Society and shall jointly maintain the membership roster with the Secretary General. The Treasurer shall ensure that all expenditures are proposed to the Board of Directors and made in accordance with the approval of the Board. The Treasurer shall prepare a fiscal year-end audited financial statement, to be utilized in required annual submissions to the IRS.

Article 6.08 Directors

The needs and interests of the Society shall determine the function of the Directors.

Article 6.09 Executive Council

The role of the Executive Council is to act quickly when urgent matters arise and it is impractical to convene the full board. The Executive Committee is accountable to the full board and should submit meeting minutes, including a record of votes to the Board of Directors.

Article 7.0 STANDING COMMITTEES

Committees named in these Bylaws shall be designated as Standing Committees and shall function on a continuing basis. They shall carry out duties, and report as hereinafter specified.

Article 7.01

Unless provided otherwise, the Chairpersons of Standing Committees shall select the members thereof, and shall report to the Executive Council, Board of Directors, or Annual Business Meeting as appropriate. After each Annual Business Meeting, Committee Chairpersons shall evaluate the composition of their committee and make any appropriate changes.

Article 7.02 Standing Committees

The Standing Committees shall be: Elections, Social Media, Conferences and Meetings, and Bylaws.

Article 7.03 Elections Committee

The Chairperson shall be the Past-President / President-Elect. The remaining committee members will be the Secretary General and two Directors, selected by the chairperson. The Committee shall receive and solicit nominations for any open Officer and/or Director positions to ensure that all positions on the Board of Directors remain filled. A description of the duties of each open position as well as the year of term expiration shall be included in the Election Announcements / Calls for Nominations. The Committee shall attempt to provide at least two nominations for each position. The slate of nominees shall be submitted each year to the Secretary General, and the Committee shall oversee the elections per the rules and procedures detailed in Article 5.

Article 7.04 Social Media Committee

The Chairperson shall be the Vice President of Social Media and shall include at least two other members appointed by the Chairperson. The Social Media Committee shall be responsible for publicizing activities and accomplishments of the Society and its members on social media, as well as communications among members of the Society.

Article 7.05 Conference and Meetings Committee

The Chairperson shall be the Vice President of Conferences and Meetings and shall include at least two other members appointed by the Chairperson. The Conferences and Meetings Committee shall be responsible for arranging, when appropriate, the Annual Symposium conference venue and hosts, review conference abstracts, and establish the conference agenda. The Conferences and Meetings Committee shall be responsible for engaging and coordinating with similar, parallel organizations or societies to enhance the growth of the baseball biomechanics field. To the extent necessary, the Conferences and Meetings Committee will be responsible for securing the location of the ABBS Annual Business Meeting.

Article 7.06 Bylaws Committee

The Chairperson shall be appointed by the President, and shall be one of the Directors. The Chairperson shall include at least two other members appointed by the Chairperson. The Committee shall review the Bylaws in relation to the current structure and functioning of the Society and propose appropriate amendments to improve the Society.

8.0 QUORUMS AND VOTING

A quorum for meetings of the Executive Council shall be five (5) officers.

Article 8.01

A quorum for meetings of the Board of Directors shall be one third of the incumbent Directors plus one (1).

Article 8.02

A quorum for the Annual Business Meeting shall be the lesser of 25% or 25 duly qualified members in good standing.

Article 8.03

Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern proceedings at all meetings of the Society. If the rules of order are in conflict with the Bylaws, the latter shall prevail.

Article 9.0 ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING OF ABBS

The Annual Business Meeting of the Society may be held in conjunction with the holding of the Annual Symposium and/or in conjunction with a meeting of any other Society or baseball-related organization (e.g., Major League Baseball). Upon approval from the Board of Directors, the Annual Business Meeting of the Society may also be held as a standalone meeting.

Article 10.0 AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS

The Bylaws may be amended or revised with approval of 2/3 majority of the members voting in an email poll or 2/3 of the members present at the Annual Business Meeting providing a quorum is achieved.

Article 10.01

All amendments and/or revisions to the Bylaws must be provided to members one month prior to voting.

Article 10.02

The email voting period is defined as 30 days from the posting of the email to all members.

Article 10.03

Proxy votes from members will be accepted at Annual Business Meeting voting, provided that the Secretary General receives such votes two weeks prior to the commencement of the Annual Meeting.