IMGS Bylaws

All persons interested in mammalian genetics are eligible for active membership. Conditions for membership and membership fees shall be determined by the Secretariat and shall be revised as appropriate. Additional membership categories may be established by the Secretariat.

All Officers and Secretariat members shall be members of the Society. The Officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice-president who is also President-Elect, and the Past President. At the end of their term of service, the Vice-President shall automatically become President and shall serve for two years in that capacity and for two years thereafter as Past-President. The Past-President, the President and Vice-President, six other members elected by the Society, and two selected Verne Chapman Young Scholars shall constitute the Secretariat[LR1] . Each Secretariat member, including the Verne Chapman Young Scholars, shall have one vote on each issue on which votes are held.

Election and Terms of Office for Officers and Secretariat Members. The Officers of the Society shall be elected by a simple majority of ballots cast by active members of the Society. Each year the Nominating and Election Committee (see Article 7) shall submit names of at least one nominee for each position to be filled, taking into consideration names suggested by members of the Society. The ballot, sent to all members in good standing, shall list the nominees, and also provide space for write-in votes. The elections shall be held 1-3 months prior to the society annual meeting (IMGC) before current terms of service expire[LR2] .

Society members who hold no other office shall be eligible for election as Officers or as members of the Secretariat. The Nominating and Election Committee shall count the votes and report the results at the annual meeting. The IMGS is an international society, and the Nominations and Election Committee should endeavor to identify candidates who will effectively represent its broad geographic membership. This balanced representation is to be achieved in the Secretariat and not necessarily on each ballot. Terms of all Officers and members of the Secretariat shall begin on the day after the close of that year’s IMGC and end on the final day of the IMGC of their term. Members of the Secretariat can serve two consecutive terms. Secretariat members may be elected as Officers but Officers may not be reelected while they are actively serving as President or Vice-President[LR3] .

 [LR1]Revised in 2024 to add Verne Chapman Young Scholars

 [LR2]Revised in 2024 to capture previous Addendum 2

 [LR3]Revised in 2024 revision to convey our vision for geographic representation in the NEC and Secretariat. The geographic representation of members serving in these roles should reflect the society’s geographic representation, but we recognize that this is not always feasible. Therefore, we have moved away from making this a requirement.

The annual IMGS meeting (IMGC) is open to the entire membership of the Society and to the public, upon payment of the registration fee, and shall be held at a time and place designated by the Secretariat. During the annual business meeting of the membership, which shall be held during the annual meeting, the Secretariat shall make its annual report to the membership, including the results of the election of Officers and Secretariat. Special meetings may be called by the Secretariat. More than half of the Society members attending the annual meeting and more than half of the invited participants at a special meeting shall constitute a quorum. The Secretariat shall also meet at least once each year, in-person or virtually, usually in conjunction with the annual meeting. Additional meetings may be called by the President or on request of a majority of the Secretariat members.

The program of the IMGC shall be arranged by the host of the annual meeting, the President and an ad hoc Program Committee (see Article 6) in accordance with the program rules and recommendations adopted by the Secretariat. The Secretariat may arrange joint programs with related scientific societies and for presentation of invited papers.

Annual dues for all membership classes shall be fixed by the Secretariat. Payment for all classes of membership shall be due on a rolling basis dependent upon their membership payment date. Members whose dues are in arrears shall not receive communications of the Society and shall be ineligible to vote. Members in arrears for one year shall be dropped from the rolls. A member who has been dropped for nonpayment may be reinstated upon payment of dues.publications or communications of the Society and shall be ineligible to vote. Members in arrears for one year shall be dropped from the rolls. A member who has been dropped for nonpayment may be reinstated upon payment of dues for the year in which reinstatement is desired.

The President shall preside at meetings of the Society and the Secretariat. The President shall present an annual statement and report concerning the Society to all Society members at the annual meeting. With the advice of the Secretariat, the President shall appoint such committees and representatives as may be needed. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice-President shall become President for the remainder of the unexpired term as well as for the subsequent term. In the event of any other vacancy among the officers or directors, the Secretariat shall appoint an active member to serve for the remainder of the year and the office shall be filled at the next annual election.

The President shall have charge of all funds of the Society and be responsible for their investment; send to all members bills for annual dues, with the assistance of the Treasurer or equivalent; and present an annual statement to the members of the financial status of the Society. The President, together with the conference host and organizer, ensure that existing and potential sources of funding to support the annual conferences are maintained or sought.

The IMGS Officers and other society members in administrative roles shall: (1) keep the records of the Society; (2) direct the arrangement of Officer, Secretariat, NEC, member, and any committee meetings in accordance with the rules, guidelines, and recommendations formulated by the Secretariat and the Vice-President; (3) oversee all communications related to the annual meeting, including a call for papers to be presented at that meeting and a call for suggestions for nomination for all offices to be filled by election, (4) ensure that the names of nominees and subsequent elections for office occur no later than one month before the annual meeting, and (5) prepare minutes of the annual meeting and present an annual report to the members concerning the current administrative organization, actions of the Secretariat, activities of the Society and its committees, representatives, and the membership of the Society.

The Officers after consultation with the Secretariat may establish administrative roles for the operations of the society and solicit volunteers to serve in these roles. Examples of these roles may include Secretary, Financial Oversight/Treasurer and Meetings/Membership/Communications. If such roles are established, they would typically be 3-year, renewable terms and society membership will be informed of these roles and who is serving in them. Examples of the potential activities and responsibilities that could be covered by such roles are described in Appendix I. The roles shall be filled by current Officers, members of the Secretariat or other society members. If a person’s term as Officer or Secretariat member ends during their term in one of these roles, the person will become an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Secretariat for as long as they serve in their supporting role.

Nominating and Election Committee[LR1] . The Nominating and Election Committee is elected by the membership, consists of four active members who are not members of the Secretariat and who represent the demographic and scientific representation of the society. Each year two new members shall be elected to the Committee to serve a two-year term. One of the two members serving their final year on the Committee shall serve as Chair by vote of the Nominating and Election Committee. In addition, the Vice-President shall be ex officio (a non-voting member) of the committee. Members of the Nominating and Election Committee shall not serve consecutive terms. The Nominating and Election Committee shall not have more than one member from the same institution. No member of the Nominating and Election Committee shall be eligible for election to President, Vice President, or to the Secretariat during their office[LR2] .

Program Committee. To help organize the annual meeting, a Program Committee shall be selected each year for the annual meeting. The Secretariat and the organizer of the annual meeting will select two Society members and the Vice-President shall serve ex officio. The organizer of the annual meeting shall be chair of the Committee.

Other Committees. The President shall create and appoint members to such committees as are deemed necessary and advisable by the Secretariat.

 [LR1]Revised in 2024 revision to convey our vision for geographic representation in the NEC and Secretariat. The geographic representation of members serving in these roles should reflect the society’s geographic representation. (See comment above)

 [LR2]Updated in 2024 Previous Addenda 2,3,6,7,10 are now captured in Article 7

The Secretariat of the IMGS can suggest changes to the society bylaws at the annual meeting without prior notice to the members of the Society provided that the Secretariat has approved the changes by a majority (65%) vote. The changes will be presented as new motions to be voted upon during the business meeting at that year’s IMGC . At the business meeting, the draft of the Bylaws will be submitted to the membership for a vote of approval, or disapproval by majority vote. If the bylaw revisions or addenda fail to pass, the Secretariat shall appoint a committee to resolve the differences.

Examples of potential administrative roles that may be necessary for society operations.

A. Secretary: The role of Secretary is to attend and document the administrative and organizational activities of the Society. The Secretary will work closely with the Officers to develop meeting agendas. The Secretary will also ensure that meeting minutes are created and that action items are clearly delineated and assigned during and after every meeting. The Secretary will also track the completion of action items and report this information back to the Secretariat and Officers.

B. Financial Oversight/Treasurer: The role of the Financial Oversight/Treasurer is to be a signatory on accounts and contracts, pay bills, ensure that tax returns are filed, and provide an annual financial report to the Secretariat. The Treasurer will also be responsible for filing the paperwork needed to maintain 501(c)3 status as needed. The Treasurer will identify needs and opportunities for fund raising for the annual meeting and will be responsible for disbursement of grant funds (scholarships).

C. Meetings/Membership: This role encompasses all activities associated with the annual meeting including direction of all arrangements in accordance with the rules, guidelines and recommendations formulated by the Secretariat and in collaboration with the local organizers and the ad hoc Program Committee; generation of the call for papers to be presented at the meeting and negotiating contracts for the annual meeting if needed.

D. Communications: This role encompasses the generation and updating of the IMGS and IMGC (annual meeting) website, including the meeting registration portal. It also includes maintenance of any social media feeds and communication with all members and the public including the date and place of the annual meeting.