154 MODEL AVIATION
AMA News Announcements, news, and information from the
Academy of Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives.
Motions/Acclamations
District IV Vice President B. Teague was
not in attendance at this meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept the minutes of the
October 25, 2008 Executive Council
meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Code of Conduct/
Ethics Policy as presented January 11,
2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Whistleblower
Policy as presented January 11, 2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept Mark Smith’s
recommendation and approve Jim Wallen as
interim District IX VP.
Motion I: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by J. Rice (VIII) to accept the
AMA Emergency Assistance Program as
outlined by I. Maine at the January 11, 2009
Executive Council meeting.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion II: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend
AMA’s Bylaws Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, sentence 6 which
reads: “One member of each Contest Board
shall be appointed Chairperson of that
Board by the President,” to now read:
“Each Contest Board Chairperson shall be
elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two year term.
The elected Chairperson fills and serves at
this position at the approval of the AMA
President.”
Motion passed unanimously
Motion III: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend AMA
Flying Site Development/Improvement
Grant application page 6, Project Costs, to
read: Project costs can only include monies
spent since the previous year’s application
cutoff date or projected work for the new
year. If application includes work already
completed, documentation must be provided
to show that work and supplies were
completed and paid for between the
previous and current year cutoff date. The
club must also provide justification for not
submitting the application within the time
requirements. In no case will clubs be
allowed to request monies for expenditures
more than one cycle back.
Motion passed: 9-Yes; 3-No (VI, VII, and
X)
Motion IV: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by J. Giffin (X) that content
material for Model Aviation columns for the
CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and EVP
(Executive Vice President) will be in
accordance with the job descriptions put
forth in the Standing Rules.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion V: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by A. Argenio (I) that Council
approves the recommendation of the
Executive Director Evaluation Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and X were not
present.)
Motion VI: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) that with the
addition of the name change to AMA Model
Aviation Hall of Fame Award, Council
accepts the recommendation of the Hall of
Fame Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI and VII were not present.)
Motion VII: Moved by A. Argenio (I) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) to add to Bylaws
Article X a new Section 3 as follows:
Any elected officer of the association is
limited to serving in the same position to
three consecutive full terms. After this third
term the officer may not run again for the
same elected position without standing
down for at least one election cycle. After
one cycle an individual may run again for a
previously held position and be eligible to
serve for another three consecutive full
terms.
In any election, if there is no qualified
candidate* of record (as determined by the
chair of the Nominating Committee) 30
days before the nomination process ends**,
an incumbent officer who has served the
maximum number of complete terms may
then be considered for an additional term by
being nominated, per normal procedures,
for the position currently held. If elected,
this officer must stand down after this one
term unless there is no qualified nominee,
as determined above, in a subsequent cycle.
This term limitation is effective taking
into consideration current elected officers’
service. Any current elected officer has the
option of serving an additional consecutive
full term after adoption of these term
limitations, if they have already served three
consecutive full terms as of the date of the
adoption of these term limitations.
*A qualified candidate is defined as
someone who meets all the qualifications
necessary to hold the office he or she is
seeking including, but not limited to, Leader
Member status.
**The end of the nomination process is
defined as the last day when nominations
will be accepted at AMA Headquarters for
the current year elections.
Renumber all sections following the new
Section 3.
Motion passed: 8-Yes; 1-No (III) (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and XI were not
present.)
AMA Executive Council Meeting
The motions are part of the unofficial minutes of the meeting. Minutes from a given meeting are not official until they are approved at the
following quarterly Council meeting. Questions or comments concerning the motions should be addressed to your district vice president.
January 11, 2009
Ontario, California
Schedule for
Remaining 2009
Executive Council
Meetings
April 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
July 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 2, 2009
Finance Committee Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 31-November 1, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
All regularly scheduled council
meetings are open to any AMA
member to attend.
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:23 AM Page 154
April 2009 155
AMENDMENTS TO the AMA Bylaws may be proposed in
writing by any member of the Executive Council (EC), any
member of the Bylaws Committee, or any 20 members of the
AMA.
On November 10, 2008, we received from an AMA member,
Joe Hass, an AMA Bylaws amendment proposal petition signed
by 35 AMA members stating “We the undersigned, being
current members in good standing of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, request that term limits for Executive Council
members be enacted and be limited to two (2) three-year terms.”
Another letter was received by Gary Fitch, District II Vice
President (VP), from AMA Contest Board members suggesting
an amendment to the Bylaws relative to Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, to allow each Contest Board Chairperson
to be elected by majority vote of the Contest Board Members
instead of being appointed by the AMA President.
As per the AMA Bylaws, these amendment proposals were
directed to the Bylaws Committee, which is charged with making
recommendations prior to deliberation by the Executive Council.
The following describes the motions, the rationale behind
them, and any recommended changes:
After reviewing the “Hass” Term Limit proposed amendment,
the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal that term limits
needed to be presented to Council again for consideration;
however, the proposal as written would required additional
clarification and provisions.
Please refer to Motion VII from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page. It should be noted that, for the most part, the
changes the Bylaws Committee recommended were found in the
amendment proposal for term limits from Dave Mathewson in
2006. Dave’s proposal represents the first two paragraphs of
Motion VII along with the third paragraph which was
recommended by the Bylaws Committee.
The first paragraph limits elected officers serving in the same
position to three consecutive full terms, and then requires them
to stand down for at least one term. It should be understood that
our board members are part-time volunteers who must balance
their personal life and work employment time with the
requirements of being an AMA board member and a district vice
president. Most elected officers come to the EC with limited
experience and knowledge concerning the many aspects of
Council and committee work.
Experience on the Council plays a very important role as to
an officer’s effectiveness. Council members will tell you that
their first term is spent learning the culture of the board and how
the governance structure works. By their second term, their role
and area of expertise has been determined and their work on
committees is contributing to the mission and strategic goals and
objectives of the Academy. The third term finds Council
members chairing committees and having the wisdom to shape
the vision and direction of the association. For these reasons,
three terms were chosen as the limit instead of two terms.
It was also decided that after standing down for one term, a
previous officer is eligible to serve another three consecutive
terms. In this case, the individual would not be running as an
incumbent, and lacking this advantage, would be on an equal
status with other nominees to be elected by popular vote of the
members.
Those opposed to term limits argue that limits could result in
the loss of a good officer; however, this provision allows a former
officer to run again for the same office after a one-term hiatus.
The second paragraph allows an incumbent officer who has
served three consecutive terms to be considered for one
additional term when there is no qualified candidate seeking his
office. Contrary to what most members think, there aren’t
always AMA members standing in line wanting to take on the
voluntary officer positions, knowing the demands of time and
knowledge required to do the job.
The third paragraph was added for those current elected
officers, who have served three or more consecutive full terms,
to be granted eligibility to run for one additional term after
completion of their current term, before having to stand down.
This additional recommendation was made to provide a
transitional grace period for existing officers to adequately
address or complete programs, activities, or projects that they are
working on nationally, in committees, or within their district.
Most officers run unopposed for reelection because many
members believe it’s next to impossible to unseat an incumbent.
Members knowing that an officer must step down after serving
three consecutive terms, would help to reverse the downward
trend in members running for office and voting in elections.
Term limits would increase the frequency of having new officers
on the board and in the districts whose fresh ideas and different
skill sets may better serve the Council and the Academy.
After reviewing the “Gary Fitch” Contest Board proposed
amendment, the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal as
written without any recommendation for change, to be presented
to Council for consideration.
Please refer to Motion II from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page.
The motion states to amend Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section I sentence which reads “One member of
each Contest Board shall be appointed Chairperson of that Board
by the President,” to now read: “Each Contest Board
Chairperson shall be elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two-year term. The elected
Chairperson fills and serves at this position at the approval of the
AMA President.”
The rationale here was that Contest Board members have a
better opportunity to observe, evaluate, and determine who
would best serve as Chairperson for their board than someone
distanced from the daily activities of these specialty areas. As
written, the AMA President would still have oversight for
approval or dismissal of the selected Chairperson.
The Council approved these Bylaws amendments during the
January 11, 2009, AMA Executive Council meeting in Motion
VII and Motion II. Ballots have been sent to AMA Leader
Members to vote on the proposed changes. An affirmative vote
of two thirds of the Leader Members responding within 45 days
of issuance of the mail ballot is required for ratification to adopt
each amendment.
—Andy Argenio
Bylaws Committee Chairperson
The chart on the following page lists current Executive Council
members, the term and year they are currently serving, the
completion date of their current terms, and their step-down dates
if the term limits proposal is ratified by AMA Leader Members
and becomes part of the Standing Rules to the AMA Bylaws.
The four officers who have currently served more than three
terms were granted eligibility to run for an additional term
following the completion of their current terms to allow them to
complete projects on the Council and in their respective districts.
Officers who have not completed three consecutive terms are not
eligible to run for office past their three-term service without
standing down for at least one term.
Proposed Bylaws Changes/Additions
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:23 AM Page 155
156 MODEL AVIATION
AMA Elected Officer Current Term Three-Term Limit Extended Term Limit
(Year and term serving) (Step down (Only for officers who
after this term) have completed three terms
as of 2009)
District I Vice President
Andy Argenio 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District II Vice President
Gary Fitch 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Remainder of former
VP’s term)
District III Vice President
Bob Brown 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District IV Vice President
Bliss Teague 2007-2009 2010-2012 Not offered
(Third year of second term)
District V Vice President
Tony Stillman 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District VI Vice President
Charlie Bauer 2007-2009 Over three terms 2010-2012
(Completed three terms)
District VII Vice President
Bill Oberdieck 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District VIII Vice President
Jim Rice 2007-2009 2013-2015 Not offered
(Third year of first term)
District IX Vice President
Jim Wallen 2011-2013 2017-2019 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District X Vice President
Jim Giffin 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District XI Vice President
Bruce Nelson 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
President
Dave Mathewson 2008-2010 2014-2016 Not offered
(Second year of first term)
Executive Vice President
Mark Smith 2009-2011 2015-2017 Not offered
(First year of first term)
AMA Officer Term Completion Dates if
Term Limits are Adopted in 2009
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:27 AM Page 156
April 2009 157
Nominations for District Vice Presidents Due
NOMINATIONS for the office of vice president in Districts II, IV,
VI, VIII, and X are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of
Model Aeronautics June 25, 2009. Any AMA Open Member may
submit a nomination.
A special election for the District IX Vice President will run
concurrently with the 2009 elections.
To be eligible to discharge the duties of AMA vice president, a
nominee must be a Leader Member of the Academy and must reside
in the district.
(Nominees and nominators will be notified by HQ confirming
receipt of nomination.)
(If confirmation is not received within two (2) weeks after you
have mailed your document, contact Lisa Johnson at (765) 287-
1256, extension 231.)
A letter of acceptance and a résumé of professional qualifications
and model aviation experience from the nominee must be on file at
AMA Headquarters by July 10, 2009, 15 days prior to the published
meeting.
Nominating Procedure Document
Relating to Article IX
Approved November 1, 2003
Candidate Guidelines:
(a) No person may nominate himself/herself for office.
(b) No person shall simultaneously hold two positions on the
Executive Council. In the event a person holding an office is elected
or selected to a second position on the Executive Council, that
person must choose which of the two positions he/she will continue,
such decision to be made within 48 hours of the announcement of
the selection, or else the person so affected will be deemed to have
selected to remain in the first office held.
(c) Incumbent is automatically placed on the ballot, provided that
he/she has been properly nominated and accepted, except that a 3/4
vote against may withhold the incumbent’s name from the ballot
(see Bylaws, Article IX, Section 2).
(d) All nomination letters must be received at AMA Headquarters
thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the Nominating
Committee’s Annual Meeting. If received by electronic mail or fax,
it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(e) Candidate must be a legal resident of the district in which the
election is being held; this does not apply to the office of President
or Executive Vice President.
(f) Candidate must be a current AMA member with Leader Member
status (other qualifications apply to the office of President and
Executive Vice President, Article IX, section 3).
(g) No person elected to and serving as an active member of the
Executive Council shall be paid for any regular column or article in
Model Aviation magazine. Exception may be made for such articles
as the coverage of special events provided prior arrangement was
made for said article. Articles and columns printed in the “AMA
News” section are not paid contributions. No paid columns may be
submitted after the individual has been placed on the ballot.
It is strongly recommended that nominations be mailed by
certified mail, receipt requested.
Candidate Acceptance:
(a) A letter of acceptance by the candidate must be on file at
AMA Headquarters 15 days prior to the meeting; if by electronic
mail or fax it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(b) Along with a résumé of professional qualifications and model
aviation experience, your résumé should include, but not be limited
to, the following areas of consideration. (Note: Campaign
Statements to be delivered to AMA Headquarters 10 days prior to
the Nominating Committee meeting in a sealed envelope. Those not
nominated will have his or her statement returned unopened.
Campaign Statements will remain sealed until after the Nominating
Committee has deliberated and determined the candidates.)
Adopted January 2008
1. Management experience.
2. Financial background.
3. Insurance employment and/or expertise.
4. Legal background.
5. Technical background, including areas of aeronautics,
electronics (especially in radio frequency propagation and usage),
acoustics (as related to noise studies and analysis), and other areas of
engineering.
6. Aeromodeling background must be noted. The individual will
be required, if elected to national office, to deal with questions
related to all areas of aeromodeling and should have a broad-based
background.
It is strongly recommended that these documents be mailed
certified, receipt requested.
Each year, the Academy of Model Aeronautics awards Charles Hampson Grant Scholarships to deserving high-school seniors
who will be pursuing a continuing academic program at an accredited college or university.
In 2008, 14 applications were received and processed by the four-person selection committee, and roughly $45,000 was
distributed to eight individuals in varying amounts based on AMA modeling activities, scholastic achievement, and citizenship
achievement.
To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must:
1) Have been an AMA member for the last full 36 consecutive months prior to the April 30 application deadline
2) Graduate from high school in the year in which the award is to be granted
3) Have been accepted by a college or university offering a certificate or degree program
The Charles H. Grant Scholarship Program contains other grants which involve specific factors for determining the award.
The Toledo Weak Signals Scholarship is awarded to the top recipient of the AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarship.
The Telford Scholarship is based on participation in competition activity in the AMA and FAI classifications listed in the
application packet.
Scholarship information and applications or information regarding donations to the programs can be obtained by calling AMA
Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 516, or by e-mailing [email protected] or [email protected].
Applications are also available on the AMA Web site under Education at www.modelaircraft.org/education.aspx.
The application deadline is April 30, 2009.
AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarships
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Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 154, 155, 156, 157
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 154, 155, 156, 157
154 MODEL AVIATION
AMA News Announcements, news, and information from the
Academy of Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives.
Motions/Acclamations
District IV Vice President B. Teague was
not in attendance at this meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept the minutes of the
October 25, 2008 Executive Council
meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Code of Conduct/
Ethics Policy as presented January 11,
2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Whistleblower
Policy as presented January 11, 2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept Mark Smith’s
recommendation and approve Jim Wallen as
interim District IX VP.
Motion I: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by J. Rice (VIII) to accept the
AMA Emergency Assistance Program as
outlined by I. Maine at the January 11, 2009
Executive Council meeting.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion II: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend
AMA’s Bylaws Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, sentence 6 which
reads: “One member of each Contest Board
shall be appointed Chairperson of that
Board by the President,” to now read:
“Each Contest Board Chairperson shall be
elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two year term.
The elected Chairperson fills and serves at
this position at the approval of the AMA
President.”
Motion passed unanimously
Motion III: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend AMA
Flying Site Development/Improvement
Grant application page 6, Project Costs, to
read: Project costs can only include monies
spent since the previous year’s application
cutoff date or projected work for the new
year. If application includes work already
completed, documentation must be provided
to show that work and supplies were
completed and paid for between the
previous and current year cutoff date. The
club must also provide justification for not
submitting the application within the time
requirements. In no case will clubs be
allowed to request monies for expenditures
more than one cycle back.
Motion passed: 9-Yes; 3-No (VI, VII, and
X)
Motion IV: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by J. Giffin (X) that content
material for Model Aviation columns for the
CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and EVP
(Executive Vice President) will be in
accordance with the job descriptions put
forth in the Standing Rules.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion V: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by A. Argenio (I) that Council
approves the recommendation of the
Executive Director Evaluation Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and X were not
present.)
Motion VI: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) that with the
addition of the name change to AMA Model
Aviation Hall of Fame Award, Council
accepts the recommendation of the Hall of
Fame Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI and VII were not present.)
Motion VII: Moved by A. Argenio (I) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) to add to Bylaws
Article X a new Section 3 as follows:
Any elected officer of the association is
limited to serving in the same position to
three consecutive full terms. After this third
term the officer may not run again for the
same elected position without standing
down for at least one election cycle. After
one cycle an individual may run again for a
previously held position and be eligible to
serve for another three consecutive full
terms.
In any election, if there is no qualified
candidate* of record (as determined by the
chair of the Nominating Committee) 30
days before the nomination process ends**,
an incumbent officer who has served the
maximum number of complete terms may
then be considered for an additional term by
being nominated, per normal procedures,
for the position currently held. If elected,
this officer must stand down after this one
term unless there is no qualified nominee,
as determined above, in a subsequent cycle.
This term limitation is effective taking
into consideration current elected officers’
service. Any current elected officer has the
option of serving an additional consecutive
full term after adoption of these term
limitations, if they have already served three
consecutive full terms as of the date of the
adoption of these term limitations.
*A qualified candidate is defined as
someone who meets all the qualifications
necessary to hold the office he or she is
seeking including, but not limited to, Leader
Member status.
**The end of the nomination process is
defined as the last day when nominations
will be accepted at AMA Headquarters for
the current year elections.
Renumber all sections following the new
Section 3.
Motion passed: 8-Yes; 1-No (III) (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and XI were not
present.)
AMA Executive Council Meeting
The motions are part of the unofficial minutes of the meeting. Minutes from a given meeting are not official until they are approved at the
following quarterly Council meeting. Questions or comments concerning the motions should be addressed to your district vice president.
January 11, 2009
Ontario, California
Schedule for
Remaining 2009
Executive Council
Meetings
April 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
July 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 2, 2009
Finance Committee Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 31-November 1, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
All regularly scheduled council
meetings are open to any AMA
member to attend.
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:23 AM Page 154
April 2009 155
AMENDMENTS TO the AMA Bylaws may be proposed in
writing by any member of the Executive Council (EC), any
member of the Bylaws Committee, or any 20 members of the
AMA.
On November 10, 2008, we received from an AMA member,
Joe Hass, an AMA Bylaws amendment proposal petition signed
by 35 AMA members stating “We the undersigned, being
current members in good standing of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, request that term limits for Executive Council
members be enacted and be limited to two (2) three-year terms.”
Another letter was received by Gary Fitch, District II Vice
President (VP), from AMA Contest Board members suggesting
an amendment to the Bylaws relative to Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, to allow each Contest Board Chairperson
to be elected by majority vote of the Contest Board Members
instead of being appointed by the AMA President.
As per the AMA Bylaws, these amendment proposals were
directed to the Bylaws Committee, which is charged with making
recommendations prior to deliberation by the Executive Council.
The following describes the motions, the rationale behind
them, and any recommended changes:
After reviewing the “Hass” Term Limit proposed amendment,
the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal that term limits
needed to be presented to Council again for consideration;
however, the proposal as written would required additional
clarification and provisions.
Please refer to Motion VII from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page. It should be noted that, for the most part, the
changes the Bylaws Committee recommended were found in the
amendment proposal for term limits from Dave Mathewson in
2006. Dave’s proposal represents the first two paragraphs of
Motion VII along with the third paragraph which was
recommended by the Bylaws Committee.
The first paragraph limits elected officers serving in the same
position to three consecutive full terms, and then requires them
to stand down for at least one term. It should be understood that
our board members are part-time volunteers who must balance
their personal life and work employment time with the
requirements of being an AMA board member and a district vice
president. Most elected officers come to the EC with limited
experience and knowledge concerning the many aspects of
Council and committee work.
Experience on the Council plays a very important role as to
an officer’s effectiveness. Council members will tell you that
their first term is spent learning the culture of the board and how
the governance structure works. By their second term, their role
and area of expertise has been determined and their work on
committees is contributing to the mission and strategic goals and
objectives of the Academy. The third term finds Council
members chairing committees and having the wisdom to shape
the vision and direction of the association. For these reasons,
three terms were chosen as the limit instead of two terms.
It was also decided that after standing down for one term, a
previous officer is eligible to serve another three consecutive
terms. In this case, the individual would not be running as an
incumbent, and lacking this advantage, would be on an equal
status with other nominees to be elected by popular vote of the
members.
Those opposed to term limits argue that limits could result in
the loss of a good officer; however, this provision allows a former
officer to run again for the same office after a one-term hiatus.
The second paragraph allows an incumbent officer who has
served three consecutive terms to be considered for one
additional term when there is no qualified candidate seeking his
office. Contrary to what most members think, there aren’t
always AMA members standing in line wanting to take on the
voluntary officer positions, knowing the demands of time and
knowledge required to do the job.
The third paragraph was added for those current elected
officers, who have served three or more consecutive full terms,
to be granted eligibility to run for one additional term after
completion of their current term, before having to stand down.
This additional recommendation was made to provide a
transitional grace period for existing officers to adequately
address or complete programs, activities, or projects that they are
working on nationally, in committees, or within their district.
Most officers run unopposed for reelection because many
members believe it’s next to impossible to unseat an incumbent.
Members knowing that an officer must step down after serving
three consecutive terms, would help to reverse the downward
trend in members running for office and voting in elections.
Term limits would increase the frequency of having new officers
on the board and in the districts whose fresh ideas and different
skill sets may better serve the Council and the Academy.
After reviewing the “Gary Fitch” Contest Board proposed
amendment, the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal as
written without any recommendation for change, to be presented
to Council for consideration.
Please refer to Motion II from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page.
The motion states to amend Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section I sentence which reads “One member of
each Contest Board shall be appointed Chairperson of that Board
by the President,” to now read: “Each Contest Board
Chairperson shall be elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two-year term. The elected
Chairperson fills and serves at this position at the approval of the
AMA President.”
The rationale here was that Contest Board members have a
better opportunity to observe, evaluate, and determine who
would best serve as Chairperson for their board than someone
distanced from the daily activities of these specialty areas. As
written, the AMA President would still have oversight for
approval or dismissal of the selected Chairperson.
The Council approved these Bylaws amendments during the
January 11, 2009, AMA Executive Council meeting in Motion
VII and Motion II. Ballots have been sent to AMA Leader
Members to vote on the proposed changes. An affirmative vote
of two thirds of the Leader Members responding within 45 days
of issuance of the mail ballot is required for ratification to adopt
each amendment.
—Andy Argenio
Bylaws Committee Chairperson
The chart on the following page lists current Executive Council
members, the term and year they are currently serving, the
completion date of their current terms, and their step-down dates
if the term limits proposal is ratified by AMA Leader Members
and becomes part of the Standing Rules to the AMA Bylaws.
The four officers who have currently served more than three
terms were granted eligibility to run for an additional term
following the completion of their current terms to allow them to
complete projects on the Council and in their respective districts.
Officers who have not completed three consecutive terms are not
eligible to run for office past their three-term service without
standing down for at least one term.
Proposed Bylaws Changes/Additions
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156 MODEL AVIATION
AMA Elected Officer Current Term Three-Term Limit Extended Term Limit
(Year and term serving) (Step down (Only for officers who
after this term) have completed three terms
as of 2009)
District I Vice President
Andy Argenio 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District II Vice President
Gary Fitch 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Remainder of former
VP’s term)
District III Vice President
Bob Brown 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District IV Vice President
Bliss Teague 2007-2009 2010-2012 Not offered
(Third year of second term)
District V Vice President
Tony Stillman 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District VI Vice President
Charlie Bauer 2007-2009 Over three terms 2010-2012
(Completed three terms)
District VII Vice President
Bill Oberdieck 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District VIII Vice President
Jim Rice 2007-2009 2013-2015 Not offered
(Third year of first term)
District IX Vice President
Jim Wallen 2011-2013 2017-2019 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District X Vice President
Jim Giffin 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District XI Vice President
Bruce Nelson 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
President
Dave Mathewson 2008-2010 2014-2016 Not offered
(Second year of first term)
Executive Vice President
Mark Smith 2009-2011 2015-2017 Not offered
(First year of first term)
AMA Officer Term Completion Dates if
Term Limits are Adopted in 2009
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:27 AM Page 156
April 2009 157
Nominations for District Vice Presidents Due
NOMINATIONS for the office of vice president in Districts II, IV,
VI, VIII, and X are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of
Model Aeronautics June 25, 2009. Any AMA Open Member may
submit a nomination.
A special election for the District IX Vice President will run
concurrently with the 2009 elections.
To be eligible to discharge the duties of AMA vice president, a
nominee must be a Leader Member of the Academy and must reside
in the district.
(Nominees and nominators will be notified by HQ confirming
receipt of nomination.)
(If confirmation is not received within two (2) weeks after you
have mailed your document, contact Lisa Johnson at (765) 287-
1256, extension 231.)
A letter of acceptance and a résumé of professional qualifications
and model aviation experience from the nominee must be on file at
AMA Headquarters by July 10, 2009, 15 days prior to the published
meeting.
Nominating Procedure Document
Relating to Article IX
Approved November 1, 2003
Candidate Guidelines:
(a) No person may nominate himself/herself for office.
(b) No person shall simultaneously hold two positions on the
Executive Council. In the event a person holding an office is elected
or selected to a second position on the Executive Council, that
person must choose which of the two positions he/she will continue,
such decision to be made within 48 hours of the announcement of
the selection, or else the person so affected will be deemed to have
selected to remain in the first office held.
(c) Incumbent is automatically placed on the ballot, provided that
he/she has been properly nominated and accepted, except that a 3/4
vote against may withhold the incumbent’s name from the ballot
(see Bylaws, Article IX, Section 2).
(d) All nomination letters must be received at AMA Headquarters
thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the Nominating
Committee’s Annual Meeting. If received by electronic mail or fax,
it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(e) Candidate must be a legal resident of the district in which the
election is being held; this does not apply to the office of President
or Executive Vice President.
(f) Candidate must be a current AMA member with Leader Member
status (other qualifications apply to the office of President and
Executive Vice President, Article IX, section 3).
(g) No person elected to and serving as an active member of the
Executive Council shall be paid for any regular column or article in
Model Aviation magazine. Exception may be made for such articles
as the coverage of special events provided prior arrangement was
made for said article. Articles and columns printed in the “AMA
News” section are not paid contributions. No paid columns may be
submitted after the individual has been placed on the ballot.
It is strongly recommended that nominations be mailed by
certified mail, receipt requested.
Candidate Acceptance:
(a) A letter of acceptance by the candidate must be on file at
AMA Headquarters 15 days prior to the meeting; if by electronic
mail or fax it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(b) Along with a résumé of professional qualifications and model
aviation experience, your résumé should include, but not be limited
to, the following areas of consideration. (Note: Campaign
Statements to be delivered to AMA Headquarters 10 days prior to
the Nominating Committee meeting in a sealed envelope. Those not
nominated will have his or her statement returned unopened.
Campaign Statements will remain sealed until after the Nominating
Committee has deliberated and determined the candidates.)
Adopted January 2008
1. Management experience.
2. Financial background.
3. Insurance employment and/or expertise.
4. Legal background.
5. Technical background, including areas of aeronautics,
electronics (especially in radio frequency propagation and usage),
acoustics (as related to noise studies and analysis), and other areas of
engineering.
6. Aeromodeling background must be noted. The individual will
be required, if elected to national office, to deal with questions
related to all areas of aeromodeling and should have a broad-based
background.
It is strongly recommended that these documents be mailed
certified, receipt requested.
Each year, the Academy of Model Aeronautics awards Charles Hampson Grant Scholarships to deserving high-school seniors
who will be pursuing a continuing academic program at an accredited college or university.
In 2008, 14 applications were received and processed by the four-person selection committee, and roughly $45,000 was
distributed to eight individuals in varying amounts based on AMA modeling activities, scholastic achievement, and citizenship
achievement.
To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must:
1) Have been an AMA member for the last full 36 consecutive months prior to the April 30 application deadline
2) Graduate from high school in the year in which the award is to be granted
3) Have been accepted by a college or university offering a certificate or degree program
The Charles H. Grant Scholarship Program contains other grants which involve specific factors for determining the award.
The Toledo Weak Signals Scholarship is awarded to the top recipient of the AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarship.
The Telford Scholarship is based on participation in competition activity in the AMA and FAI classifications listed in the
application packet.
Scholarship information and applications or information regarding donations to the programs can be obtained by calling AMA
Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 516, or by e-mailing [email protected] or [email protected].
Applications are also available on the AMA Web site under Education at www.modelaircraft.org/education.aspx.
The application deadline is April 30, 2009.
AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarships
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:27 AM Page 157
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 154, 155, 156, 157
154 MODEL AVIATION
AMA News Announcements, news, and information from the
Academy of Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives.
Motions/Acclamations
District IV Vice President B. Teague was
not in attendance at this meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept the minutes of the
October 25, 2008 Executive Council
meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Code of Conduct/
Ethics Policy as presented January 11,
2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Whistleblower
Policy as presented January 11, 2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept Mark Smith’s
recommendation and approve Jim Wallen as
interim District IX VP.
Motion I: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by J. Rice (VIII) to accept the
AMA Emergency Assistance Program as
outlined by I. Maine at the January 11, 2009
Executive Council meeting.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion II: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend
AMA’s Bylaws Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, sentence 6 which
reads: “One member of each Contest Board
shall be appointed Chairperson of that
Board by the President,” to now read:
“Each Contest Board Chairperson shall be
elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two year term.
The elected Chairperson fills and serves at
this position at the approval of the AMA
President.”
Motion passed unanimously
Motion III: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend AMA
Flying Site Development/Improvement
Grant application page 6, Project Costs, to
read: Project costs can only include monies
spent since the previous year’s application
cutoff date or projected work for the new
year. If application includes work already
completed, documentation must be provided
to show that work and supplies were
completed and paid for between the
previous and current year cutoff date. The
club must also provide justification for not
submitting the application within the time
requirements. In no case will clubs be
allowed to request monies for expenditures
more than one cycle back.
Motion passed: 9-Yes; 3-No (VI, VII, and
X)
Motion IV: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by J. Giffin (X) that content
material for Model Aviation columns for the
CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and EVP
(Executive Vice President) will be in
accordance with the job descriptions put
forth in the Standing Rules.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion V: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by A. Argenio (I) that Council
approves the recommendation of the
Executive Director Evaluation Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and X were not
present.)
Motion VI: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) that with the
addition of the name change to AMA Model
Aviation Hall of Fame Award, Council
accepts the recommendation of the Hall of
Fame Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI and VII were not present.)
Motion VII: Moved by A. Argenio (I) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) to add to Bylaws
Article X a new Section 3 as follows:
Any elected officer of the association is
limited to serving in the same position to
three consecutive full terms. After this third
term the officer may not run again for the
same elected position without standing
down for at least one election cycle. After
one cycle an individual may run again for a
previously held position and be eligible to
serve for another three consecutive full
terms.
In any election, if there is no qualified
candidate* of record (as determined by the
chair of the Nominating Committee) 30
days before the nomination process ends**,
an incumbent officer who has served the
maximum number of complete terms may
then be considered for an additional term by
being nominated, per normal procedures,
for the position currently held. If elected,
this officer must stand down after this one
term unless there is no qualified nominee,
as determined above, in a subsequent cycle.
This term limitation is effective taking
into consideration current elected officers’
service. Any current elected officer has the
option of serving an additional consecutive
full term after adoption of these term
limitations, if they have already served three
consecutive full terms as of the date of the
adoption of these term limitations.
*A qualified candidate is defined as
someone who meets all the qualifications
necessary to hold the office he or she is
seeking including, but not limited to, Leader
Member status.
**The end of the nomination process is
defined as the last day when nominations
will be accepted at AMA Headquarters for
the current year elections.
Renumber all sections following the new
Section 3.
Motion passed: 8-Yes; 1-No (III) (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and XI were not
present.)
AMA Executive Council Meeting
The motions are part of the unofficial minutes of the meeting. Minutes from a given meeting are not official until they are approved at the
following quarterly Council meeting. Questions or comments concerning the motions should be addressed to your district vice president.
January 11, 2009
Ontario, California
Schedule for
Remaining 2009
Executive Council
Meetings
April 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
July 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 2, 2009
Finance Committee Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 31-November 1, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
All regularly scheduled council
meetings are open to any AMA
member to attend.
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:23 AM Page 154
April 2009 155
AMENDMENTS TO the AMA Bylaws may be proposed in
writing by any member of the Executive Council (EC), any
member of the Bylaws Committee, or any 20 members of the
AMA.
On November 10, 2008, we received from an AMA member,
Joe Hass, an AMA Bylaws amendment proposal petition signed
by 35 AMA members stating “We the undersigned, being
current members in good standing of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, request that term limits for Executive Council
members be enacted and be limited to two (2) three-year terms.”
Another letter was received by Gary Fitch, District II Vice
President (VP), from AMA Contest Board members suggesting
an amendment to the Bylaws relative to Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, to allow each Contest Board Chairperson
to be elected by majority vote of the Contest Board Members
instead of being appointed by the AMA President.
As per the AMA Bylaws, these amendment proposals were
directed to the Bylaws Committee, which is charged with making
recommendations prior to deliberation by the Executive Council.
The following describes the motions, the rationale behind
them, and any recommended changes:
After reviewing the “Hass” Term Limit proposed amendment,
the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal that term limits
needed to be presented to Council again for consideration;
however, the proposal as written would required additional
clarification and provisions.
Please refer to Motion VII from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page. It should be noted that, for the most part, the
changes the Bylaws Committee recommended were found in the
amendment proposal for term limits from Dave Mathewson in
2006. Dave’s proposal represents the first two paragraphs of
Motion VII along with the third paragraph which was
recommended by the Bylaws Committee.
The first paragraph limits elected officers serving in the same
position to three consecutive full terms, and then requires them
to stand down for at least one term. It should be understood that
our board members are part-time volunteers who must balance
their personal life and work employment time with the
requirements of being an AMA board member and a district vice
president. Most elected officers come to the EC with limited
experience and knowledge concerning the many aspects of
Council and committee work.
Experience on the Council plays a very important role as to
an officer’s effectiveness. Council members will tell you that
their first term is spent learning the culture of the board and how
the governance structure works. By their second term, their role
and area of expertise has been determined and their work on
committees is contributing to the mission and strategic goals and
objectives of the Academy. The third term finds Council
members chairing committees and having the wisdom to shape
the vision and direction of the association. For these reasons,
three terms were chosen as the limit instead of two terms.
It was also decided that after standing down for one term, a
previous officer is eligible to serve another three consecutive
terms. In this case, the individual would not be running as an
incumbent, and lacking this advantage, would be on an equal
status with other nominees to be elected by popular vote of the
members.
Those opposed to term limits argue that limits could result in
the loss of a good officer; however, this provision allows a former
officer to run again for the same office after a one-term hiatus.
The second paragraph allows an incumbent officer who has
served three consecutive terms to be considered for one
additional term when there is no qualified candidate seeking his
office. Contrary to what most members think, there aren’t
always AMA members standing in line wanting to take on the
voluntary officer positions, knowing the demands of time and
knowledge required to do the job.
The third paragraph was added for those current elected
officers, who have served three or more consecutive full terms,
to be granted eligibility to run for one additional term after
completion of their current term, before having to stand down.
This additional recommendation was made to provide a
transitional grace period for existing officers to adequately
address or complete programs, activities, or projects that they are
working on nationally, in committees, or within their district.
Most officers run unopposed for reelection because many
members believe it’s next to impossible to unseat an incumbent.
Members knowing that an officer must step down after serving
three consecutive terms, would help to reverse the downward
trend in members running for office and voting in elections.
Term limits would increase the frequency of having new officers
on the board and in the districts whose fresh ideas and different
skill sets may better serve the Council and the Academy.
After reviewing the “Gary Fitch” Contest Board proposed
amendment, the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal as
written without any recommendation for change, to be presented
to Council for consideration.
Please refer to Motion II from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page.
The motion states to amend Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section I sentence which reads “One member of
each Contest Board shall be appointed Chairperson of that Board
by the President,” to now read: “Each Contest Board
Chairperson shall be elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two-year term. The elected
Chairperson fills and serves at this position at the approval of the
AMA President.”
The rationale here was that Contest Board members have a
better opportunity to observe, evaluate, and determine who
would best serve as Chairperson for their board than someone
distanced from the daily activities of these specialty areas. As
written, the AMA President would still have oversight for
approval or dismissal of the selected Chairperson.
The Council approved these Bylaws amendments during the
January 11, 2009, AMA Executive Council meeting in Motion
VII and Motion II. Ballots have been sent to AMA Leader
Members to vote on the proposed changes. An affirmative vote
of two thirds of the Leader Members responding within 45 days
of issuance of the mail ballot is required for ratification to adopt
each amendment.
—Andy Argenio
Bylaws Committee Chairperson
The chart on the following page lists current Executive Council
members, the term and year they are currently serving, the
completion date of their current terms, and their step-down dates
if the term limits proposal is ratified by AMA Leader Members
and becomes part of the Standing Rules to the AMA Bylaws.
The four officers who have currently served more than three
terms were granted eligibility to run for an additional term
following the completion of their current terms to allow them to
complete projects on the Council and in their respective districts.
Officers who have not completed three consecutive terms are not
eligible to run for office past their three-term service without
standing down for at least one term.
Proposed Bylaws Changes/Additions
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156 MODEL AVIATION
AMA Elected Officer Current Term Three-Term Limit Extended Term Limit
(Year and term serving) (Step down (Only for officers who
after this term) have completed three terms
as of 2009)
District I Vice President
Andy Argenio 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District II Vice President
Gary Fitch 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Remainder of former
VP’s term)
District III Vice President
Bob Brown 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District IV Vice President
Bliss Teague 2007-2009 2010-2012 Not offered
(Third year of second term)
District V Vice President
Tony Stillman 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District VI Vice President
Charlie Bauer 2007-2009 Over three terms 2010-2012
(Completed three terms)
District VII Vice President
Bill Oberdieck 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District VIII Vice President
Jim Rice 2007-2009 2013-2015 Not offered
(Third year of first term)
District IX Vice President
Jim Wallen 2011-2013 2017-2019 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District X Vice President
Jim Giffin 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District XI Vice President
Bruce Nelson 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
President
Dave Mathewson 2008-2010 2014-2016 Not offered
(Second year of first term)
Executive Vice President
Mark Smith 2009-2011 2015-2017 Not offered
(First year of first term)
AMA Officer Term Completion Dates if
Term Limits are Adopted in 2009
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April 2009 157
Nominations for District Vice Presidents Due
NOMINATIONS for the office of vice president in Districts II, IV,
VI, VIII, and X are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of
Model Aeronautics June 25, 2009. Any AMA Open Member may
submit a nomination.
A special election for the District IX Vice President will run
concurrently with the 2009 elections.
To be eligible to discharge the duties of AMA vice president, a
nominee must be a Leader Member of the Academy and must reside
in the district.
(Nominees and nominators will be notified by HQ confirming
receipt of nomination.)
(If confirmation is not received within two (2) weeks after you
have mailed your document, contact Lisa Johnson at (765) 287-
1256, extension 231.)
A letter of acceptance and a résumé of professional qualifications
and model aviation experience from the nominee must be on file at
AMA Headquarters by July 10, 2009, 15 days prior to the published
meeting.
Nominating Procedure Document
Relating to Article IX
Approved November 1, 2003
Candidate Guidelines:
(a) No person may nominate himself/herself for office.
(b) No person shall simultaneously hold two positions on the
Executive Council. In the event a person holding an office is elected
or selected to a second position on the Executive Council, that
person must choose which of the two positions he/she will continue,
such decision to be made within 48 hours of the announcement of
the selection, or else the person so affected will be deemed to have
selected to remain in the first office held.
(c) Incumbent is automatically placed on the ballot, provided that
he/she has been properly nominated and accepted, except that a 3/4
vote against may withhold the incumbent’s name from the ballot
(see Bylaws, Article IX, Section 2).
(d) All nomination letters must be received at AMA Headquarters
thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the Nominating
Committee’s Annual Meeting. If received by electronic mail or fax,
it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(e) Candidate must be a legal resident of the district in which the
election is being held; this does not apply to the office of President
or Executive Vice President.
(f) Candidate must be a current AMA member with Leader Member
status (other qualifications apply to the office of President and
Executive Vice President, Article IX, section 3).
(g) No person elected to and serving as an active member of the
Executive Council shall be paid for any regular column or article in
Model Aviation magazine. Exception may be made for such articles
as the coverage of special events provided prior arrangement was
made for said article. Articles and columns printed in the “AMA
News” section are not paid contributions. No paid columns may be
submitted after the individual has been placed on the ballot.
It is strongly recommended that nominations be mailed by
certified mail, receipt requested.
Candidate Acceptance:
(a) A letter of acceptance by the candidate must be on file at
AMA Headquarters 15 days prior to the meeting; if by electronic
mail or fax it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(b) Along with a résumé of professional qualifications and model
aviation experience, your résumé should include, but not be limited
to, the following areas of consideration. (Note: Campaign
Statements to be delivered to AMA Headquarters 10 days prior to
the Nominating Committee meeting in a sealed envelope. Those not
nominated will have his or her statement returned unopened.
Campaign Statements will remain sealed until after the Nominating
Committee has deliberated and determined the candidates.)
Adopted January 2008
1. Management experience.
2. Financial background.
3. Insurance employment and/or expertise.
4. Legal background.
5. Technical background, including areas of aeronautics,
electronics (especially in radio frequency propagation and usage),
acoustics (as related to noise studies and analysis), and other areas of
engineering.
6. Aeromodeling background must be noted. The individual will
be required, if elected to national office, to deal with questions
related to all areas of aeromodeling and should have a broad-based
background.
It is strongly recommended that these documents be mailed
certified, receipt requested.
Each year, the Academy of Model Aeronautics awards Charles Hampson Grant Scholarships to deserving high-school seniors
who will be pursuing a continuing academic program at an accredited college or university.
In 2008, 14 applications were received and processed by the four-person selection committee, and roughly $45,000 was
distributed to eight individuals in varying amounts based on AMA modeling activities, scholastic achievement, and citizenship
achievement.
To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must:
1) Have been an AMA member for the last full 36 consecutive months prior to the April 30 application deadline
2) Graduate from high school in the year in which the award is to be granted
3) Have been accepted by a college or university offering a certificate or degree program
The Charles H. Grant Scholarship Program contains other grants which involve specific factors for determining the award.
The Toledo Weak Signals Scholarship is awarded to the top recipient of the AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarship.
The Telford Scholarship is based on participation in competition activity in the AMA and FAI classifications listed in the
application packet.
Scholarship information and applications or information regarding donations to the programs can be obtained by calling AMA
Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 516, or by e-mailing [email protected] or [email protected].
Applications are also available on the AMA Web site under Education at www.modelaircraft.org/education.aspx.
The application deadline is April 30, 2009.
AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarships
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:27 AM Page 157
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 154, 155, 156, 157
154 MODEL AVIATION
AMA News Announcements, news, and information from the
Academy of Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives.
Motions/Acclamations
District IV Vice President B. Teague was
not in attendance at this meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept the minutes of the
October 25, 2008 Executive Council
meeting.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Code of Conduct/
Ethics Policy as presented January 11,
2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to adopt the Whistleblower
Policy as presented January 11, 2009.
It was moved, seconded and approved by
acclamation to accept Mark Smith’s
recommendation and approve Jim Wallen as
interim District IX VP.
Motion I: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by J. Rice (VIII) to accept the
AMA Emergency Assistance Program as
outlined by I. Maine at the January 11, 2009
Executive Council meeting.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion II: Moved by G. Fitch (II) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend
AMA’s Bylaws Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, sentence 6 which
reads: “One member of each Contest Board
shall be appointed Chairperson of that
Board by the President,” to now read:
“Each Contest Board Chairperson shall be
elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two year term.
The elected Chairperson fills and serves at
this position at the approval of the AMA
President.”
Motion passed unanimously
Motion III: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by B. Nelson (XI) to amend AMA
Flying Site Development/Improvement
Grant application page 6, Project Costs, to
read: Project costs can only include monies
spent since the previous year’s application
cutoff date or projected work for the new
year. If application includes work already
completed, documentation must be provided
to show that work and supplies were
completed and paid for between the
previous and current year cutoff date. The
club must also provide justification for not
submitting the application within the time
requirements. In no case will clubs be
allowed to request monies for expenditures
more than one cycle back.
Motion passed: 9-Yes; 3-No (VI, VII, and
X)
Motion IV: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by J. Giffin (X) that content
material for Model Aviation columns for the
CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and EVP
(Executive Vice President) will be in
accordance with the job descriptions put
forth in the Standing Rules.
Motion passed unanimously
Motion V: Moved by J. Rice (VIII) and
seconded by A. Argenio (I) that Council
approves the recommendation of the
Executive Director Evaluation Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and X were not
present.)
Motion VI: Moved by B. Brown (III) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) that with the
addition of the name change to AMA Model
Aviation Hall of Fame Award, Council
accepts the recommendation of the Hall of
Fame Committee.
Motion passed unanimously (VPs for
District IV, VI and VII were not present.)
Motion VII: Moved by A. Argenio (I) and
seconded by G. Fitch (II) to add to Bylaws
Article X a new Section 3 as follows:
Any elected officer of the association is
limited to serving in the same position to
three consecutive full terms. After this third
term the officer may not run again for the
same elected position without standing
down for at least one election cycle. After
one cycle an individual may run again for a
previously held position and be eligible to
serve for another three consecutive full
terms.
In any election, if there is no qualified
candidate* of record (as determined by the
chair of the Nominating Committee) 30
days before the nomination process ends**,
an incumbent officer who has served the
maximum number of complete terms may
then be considered for an additional term by
being nominated, per normal procedures,
for the position currently held. If elected,
this officer must stand down after this one
term unless there is no qualified nominee,
as determined above, in a subsequent cycle.
This term limitation is effective taking
into consideration current elected officers’
service. Any current elected officer has the
option of serving an additional consecutive
full term after adoption of these term
limitations, if they have already served three
consecutive full terms as of the date of the
adoption of these term limitations.
*A qualified candidate is defined as
someone who meets all the qualifications
necessary to hold the office he or she is
seeking including, but not limited to, Leader
Member status.
**The end of the nomination process is
defined as the last day when nominations
will be accepted at AMA Headquarters for
the current year elections.
Renumber all sections following the new
Section 3.
Motion passed: 8-Yes; 1-No (III) (VPs for
District IV, VI, VII and XI were not
present.)
AMA Executive Council Meeting
The motions are part of the unofficial minutes of the meeting. Minutes from a given meeting are not official until they are approved at the
following quarterly Council meeting. Questions or comments concerning the motions should be addressed to your district vice president.
January 11, 2009
Ontario, California
Schedule for
Remaining 2009
Executive Council
Meetings
April 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
July 25-26, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 2, 2009
Finance Committee Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
October 31-November 1, 2009
EC Meeting
AMA HQ, Muncie, Indiana
All regularly scheduled council
meetings are open to any AMA
member to attend.
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April 2009 155
AMENDMENTS TO the AMA Bylaws may be proposed in
writing by any member of the Executive Council (EC), any
member of the Bylaws Committee, or any 20 members of the
AMA.
On November 10, 2008, we received from an AMA member,
Joe Hass, an AMA Bylaws amendment proposal petition signed
by 35 AMA members stating “We the undersigned, being
current members in good standing of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, request that term limits for Executive Council
members be enacted and be limited to two (2) three-year terms.”
Another letter was received by Gary Fitch, District II Vice
President (VP), from AMA Contest Board members suggesting
an amendment to the Bylaws relative to Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section 1, to allow each Contest Board Chairperson
to be elected by majority vote of the Contest Board Members
instead of being appointed by the AMA President.
As per the AMA Bylaws, these amendment proposals were
directed to the Bylaws Committee, which is charged with making
recommendations prior to deliberation by the Executive Council.
The following describes the motions, the rationale behind
them, and any recommended changes:
After reviewing the “Hass” Term Limit proposed amendment,
the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal that term limits
needed to be presented to Council again for consideration;
however, the proposal as written would required additional
clarification and provisions.
Please refer to Motion VII from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page. It should be noted that, for the most part, the
changes the Bylaws Committee recommended were found in the
amendment proposal for term limits from Dave Mathewson in
2006. Dave’s proposal represents the first two paragraphs of
Motion VII along with the third paragraph which was
recommended by the Bylaws Committee.
The first paragraph limits elected officers serving in the same
position to three consecutive full terms, and then requires them
to stand down for at least one term. It should be understood that
our board members are part-time volunteers who must balance
their personal life and work employment time with the
requirements of being an AMA board member and a district vice
president. Most elected officers come to the EC with limited
experience and knowledge concerning the many aspects of
Council and committee work.
Experience on the Council plays a very important role as to
an officer’s effectiveness. Council members will tell you that
their first term is spent learning the culture of the board and how
the governance structure works. By their second term, their role
and area of expertise has been determined and their work on
committees is contributing to the mission and strategic goals and
objectives of the Academy. The third term finds Council
members chairing committees and having the wisdom to shape
the vision and direction of the association. For these reasons,
three terms were chosen as the limit instead of two terms.
It was also decided that after standing down for one term, a
previous officer is eligible to serve another three consecutive
terms. In this case, the individual would not be running as an
incumbent, and lacking this advantage, would be on an equal
status with other nominees to be elected by popular vote of the
members.
Those opposed to term limits argue that limits could result in
the loss of a good officer; however, this provision allows a former
officer to run again for the same office after a one-term hiatus.
The second paragraph allows an incumbent officer who has
served three consecutive terms to be considered for one
additional term when there is no qualified candidate seeking his
office. Contrary to what most members think, there aren’t
always AMA members standing in line wanting to take on the
voluntary officer positions, knowing the demands of time and
knowledge required to do the job.
The third paragraph was added for those current elected
officers, who have served three or more consecutive full terms,
to be granted eligibility to run for one additional term after
completion of their current term, before having to stand down.
This additional recommendation was made to provide a
transitional grace period for existing officers to adequately
address or complete programs, activities, or projects that they are
working on nationally, in committees, or within their district.
Most officers run unopposed for reelection because many
members believe it’s next to impossible to unseat an incumbent.
Members knowing that an officer must step down after serving
three consecutive terms, would help to reverse the downward
trend in members running for office and voting in elections.
Term limits would increase the frequency of having new officers
on the board and in the districts whose fresh ideas and different
skill sets may better serve the Council and the Academy.
After reviewing the “Gary Fitch” Contest Board proposed
amendment, the Bylaws Committee agreed with the proposal as
written without any recommendation for change, to be presented
to Council for consideration.
Please refer to Motion II from the minutes of the meeting on
the previous page.
The motion states to amend Article XII Competition
Jurisdiction, Section I sentence which reads “One member of
each Contest Board shall be appointed Chairperson of that Board
by the President,” to now read: “Each Contest Board
Chairperson shall be elected by majority vote of the Contest
Board members, to serve a two-year term. The elected
Chairperson fills and serves at this position at the approval of the
AMA President.”
The rationale here was that Contest Board members have a
better opportunity to observe, evaluate, and determine who
would best serve as Chairperson for their board than someone
distanced from the daily activities of these specialty areas. As
written, the AMA President would still have oversight for
approval or dismissal of the selected Chairperson.
The Council approved these Bylaws amendments during the
January 11, 2009, AMA Executive Council meeting in Motion
VII and Motion II. Ballots have been sent to AMA Leader
Members to vote on the proposed changes. An affirmative vote
of two thirds of the Leader Members responding within 45 days
of issuance of the mail ballot is required for ratification to adopt
each amendment.
—Andy Argenio
Bylaws Committee Chairperson
The chart on the following page lists current Executive Council
members, the term and year they are currently serving, the
completion date of their current terms, and their step-down dates
if the term limits proposal is ratified by AMA Leader Members
and becomes part of the Standing Rules to the AMA Bylaws.
The four officers who have currently served more than three
terms were granted eligibility to run for an additional term
following the completion of their current terms to allow them to
complete projects on the Council and in their respective districts.
Officers who have not completed three consecutive terms are not
eligible to run for office past their three-term service without
standing down for at least one term.
Proposed Bylaws Changes/Additions
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156 MODEL AVIATION
AMA Elected Officer Current Term Three-Term Limit Extended Term Limit
(Year and term serving) (Step down (Only for officers who
after this term) have completed three terms
as of 2009)
District I Vice President
Andy Argenio 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District II Vice President
Gary Fitch 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Remainder of former
VP’s term)
District III Vice President
Bob Brown 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District IV Vice President
Bliss Teague 2007-2009 2010-2012 Not offered
(Third year of second term)
District V Vice President
Tony Stillman 2008-2010 2011-2013 Not offered
(Second year of second term)
District VI Vice President
Charlie Bauer 2007-2009 Over three terms 2010-2012
(Completed three terms)
District VII Vice President
Bill Oberdieck 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
District VIII Vice President
Jim Rice 2007-2009 2013-2015 Not offered
(Third year of first term)
District IX Vice President
Jim Wallen 2011-2013 2017-2019 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District X Vice President
Jim Giffin 2010-2012 2016-2018 Not offered
(Interim appointment)
District XI Vice President
Bruce Nelson 2009-2011 Over three terms 2012-2014
(Completed three terms)
President
Dave Mathewson 2008-2010 2014-2016 Not offered
(Second year of first term)
Executive Vice President
Mark Smith 2009-2011 2015-2017 Not offered
(First year of first term)
AMA Officer Term Completion Dates if
Term Limits are Adopted in 2009
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April 2009 157
Nominations for District Vice Presidents Due
NOMINATIONS for the office of vice president in Districts II, IV,
VI, VIII, and X are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of
Model Aeronautics June 25, 2009. Any AMA Open Member may
submit a nomination.
A special election for the District IX Vice President will run
concurrently with the 2009 elections.
To be eligible to discharge the duties of AMA vice president, a
nominee must be a Leader Member of the Academy and must reside
in the district.
(Nominees and nominators will be notified by HQ confirming
receipt of nomination.)
(If confirmation is not received within two (2) weeks after you
have mailed your document, contact Lisa Johnson at (765) 287-
1256, extension 231.)
A letter of acceptance and a résumé of professional qualifications
and model aviation experience from the nominee must be on file at
AMA Headquarters by July 10, 2009, 15 days prior to the published
meeting.
Nominating Procedure Document
Relating to Article IX
Approved November 1, 2003
Candidate Guidelines:
(a) No person may nominate himself/herself for office.
(b) No person shall simultaneously hold two positions on the
Executive Council. In the event a person holding an office is elected
or selected to a second position on the Executive Council, that
person must choose which of the two positions he/she will continue,
such decision to be made within 48 hours of the announcement of
the selection, or else the person so affected will be deemed to have
selected to remain in the first office held.
(c) Incumbent is automatically placed on the ballot, provided that
he/she has been properly nominated and accepted, except that a 3/4
vote against may withhold the incumbent’s name from the ballot
(see Bylaws, Article IX, Section 2).
(d) All nomination letters must be received at AMA Headquarters
thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the Nominating
Committee’s Annual Meeting. If received by electronic mail or fax,
it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(e) Candidate must be a legal resident of the district in which the
election is being held; this does not apply to the office of President
or Executive Vice President.
(f) Candidate must be a current AMA member with Leader Member
status (other qualifications apply to the office of President and
Executive Vice President, Article IX, section 3).
(g) No person elected to and serving as an active member of the
Executive Council shall be paid for any regular column or article in
Model Aviation magazine. Exception may be made for such articles
as the coverage of special events provided prior arrangement was
made for said article. Articles and columns printed in the “AMA
News” section are not paid contributions. No paid columns may be
submitted after the individual has been placed on the ballot.
It is strongly recommended that nominations be mailed by
certified mail, receipt requested.
Candidate Acceptance:
(a) A letter of acceptance by the candidate must be on file at
AMA Headquarters 15 days prior to the meeting; if by electronic
mail or fax it must be received by close of that business day at AMA
Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(b) Along with a résumé of professional qualifications and model
aviation experience, your résumé should include, but not be limited
to, the following areas of consideration. (Note: Campaign
Statements to be delivered to AMA Headquarters 10 days prior to
the Nominating Committee meeting in a sealed envelope. Those not
nominated will have his or her statement returned unopened.
Campaign Statements will remain sealed until after the Nominating
Committee has deliberated and determined the candidates.)
Adopted January 2008
1. Management experience.
2. Financial background.
3. Insurance employment and/or expertise.
4. Legal background.
5. Technical background, including areas of aeronautics,
electronics (especially in radio frequency propagation and usage),
acoustics (as related to noise studies and analysis), and other areas of
engineering.
6. Aeromodeling background must be noted. The individual will
be required, if elected to national office, to deal with questions
related to all areas of aeromodeling and should have a broad-based
background.
It is strongly recommended that these documents be mailed
certified, receipt requested.
Each year, the Academy of Model Aeronautics awards Charles Hampson Grant Scholarships to deserving high-school seniors
who will be pursuing a continuing academic program at an accredited college or university.
In 2008, 14 applications were received and processed by the four-person selection committee, and roughly $45,000 was
distributed to eight individuals in varying amounts based on AMA modeling activities, scholastic achievement, and citizenship
achievement.
To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must:
1) Have been an AMA member for the last full 36 consecutive months prior to the April 30 application deadline
2) Graduate from high school in the year in which the award is to be granted
3) Have been accepted by a college or university offering a certificate or degree program
The Charles H. Grant Scholarship Program contains other grants which involve specific factors for determining the award.
The Toledo Weak Signals Scholarship is awarded to the top recipient of the AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarship.
The Telford Scholarship is based on participation in competition activity in the AMA and FAI classifications listed in the
application packet.
Scholarship information and applications or information regarding donations to the programs can be obtained by calling AMA
Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 516, or by e-mailing [email protected] or [email protected].
Applications are also available on the AMA Web site under Education at www.modelaircraft.org/education.aspx.
The application deadline is April 30, 2009.
AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarships
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