CSSA Board of Directors

Purpose of the CSSA Board

The CSSA board of Directors serves several purposes, including:

1. To serve as the policy-making arm of CSSA as directed by the CSSA bylaws, except for those matters which the bylaws specify are under direct authority of society membership or are specifically designated responsibilities of stated CSSA officers. The CSSA Board of Directors establishes policies and revises them when deemed advisable.
2. To have, hold, and administer all property and funds of CSSA, in conformity with the CSSA Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
3. To engage the CSSA Chief Executive Officer and other employees as needed. However, CSSA does not directly employ personnel, but has an agreement with the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS) to handle its operational activities on a cost-input basis.
4. To continually reassess the current operations and future role of CSSA and of agronomy and crop science as a profession. This includes updating the society’s strategic plan regularly and monitoring the plan’s progress.
5. To meet to conduct society business. The presence of 50% of the voting members of the board shall constitute a quorum. Official action by the board is based on a majority vote. Agendas and board materials are emailed by the Director of Governance prior to the Board Meetings. Resources such as bylaws, strategic plans, rosters, and board minutes are posted online at: www.crops.org/about-society.

Fiscal Decisions: The CSSA Board of Directors has a Budget and Finance Committee (B&F Committee) that reports financial results during board meetings. The board of directors approves the annual operating budget that is recommended by the B&F Committee (prepared in collaboration with headquarters staff), generally at CANVAS. If CSSA receives special requests for funding not in the approved budget, the B&F Committee may review the request and make a recommendation for the board to approve the new funding requests.

Board Committees: Several committees tackle tasks for the CSSA Board of Directors. These committees include:

• CSSA Organization, Policy, and Bylaws Committee
• CSSA Budget and Finance Committee
• CSSA Nominations for President-Elect Committee
• CSSA Science Policy Committee

Board Memberships and Responsibilities

Individuals serving on the CSSA Board of Directors must have an active membership. The term of office for members of the board begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. The CSSA Board of Directors includes the following members who serve for the terms indicated.

Executive Board Members: The CSSA executive board members are the president, president-elect, and past president of CSSA. The CSSA President serves as the presiding officer of the board.

Division Board Representatives: These board members include one elected member representing each of the divisions of CSSA, each serving a three-year term. Division nominations committees prepare the slate of candidates. If a division board representative is unable to attend a board meeting, they may request that the division chair or chair-elect represent the division at the meeting and serve as a voting member.

Other Leadership Opportunities