ASCLS-Ohio

This year we have three board positions open, treasurer and two senior director positions. Each nominee was asked to provide a brief statement about themselves.  The nominees will be available at the Collaborative Laboratory Conference; please feel free to meet them and ask any questions you may have. These individuals represent you!

Nominee for Treasurer: Catherine Shaffner

I have been a laboratory professional for 30 years and a member of ASCLS since the early 90s. ASCLS has had a great impact on my career and career choices. The professionals I have met through this society are a tremendous asset in my personal and professional growth.

My goals as ASCLS-Ohio treasurer would be to continue to secure financial stability for the organization.  If we are to continue to grow we need to continue to secure our financial resources.  My goal would be to continue to explore new options and continue to maintain the financial responsibilities of the organization.

Nominee for Senior Director: Greg Attenweiler

I have been a member of ASCLS-Ohio since 2007 and have previously served on the board as both a junior and senior director. During my time with ASCLS I have served on the membership committee for ASCLS-Ohio and helped out with the publicity and promotion committee for the Collaborative Laboratory Conference.

ASCLS-Ohio is a premier organization that provides opportunities for education, network working, leadership development and growth both personally and within the field of Medical Laboratory Science. In order to keep ASCLS-Ohio the premier organization it is we must attract new members, especially those recent graduates just entering the field. They can provide fresh ideas and tremendous motivation to move our organization to new heights. As a senior director I hope to develop a program that will attract not only students but also recent grads to ASCLS-Ohio. Communication with program directors as well as students and recent graduates will be key. We need to make sure they understand the benefits of being a member of ASCLS-Ohio. This will be the mission for my two year term if I am elected.

The Member Business meeting will be Friday, May 9 at 7:30 am in Salon A of the Crowne Plaza North in Columbus, Ohio.  This is an hour before the start of the Friday program of the Collaborative Laboratory Conference.

This meeting will include updates, a bylaw amendment vote, and elections for positions on the Board of Directors. All members are encouraged to attend!!

ASCLS-Ohio needs YOU! Please consider nominating yourself or one of your ASCLS-Ohio member colleague(s) for one of the elected positions listed on the “Nominations Form,” printed on the adjacent page. Active participation provides the opportunity to directly influence the goals and activities of the organization. The benefits to volunteering for an organization such as ASCLS-Ohio are two-fold. On a personal level, volunteering for this organization can help impact the future of the profession and the society as a whole. On a professional level, volunteering provides many social networking opportunities with laboratory professionals throughout the state of Ohio and nationwide, can create invaluable connections to aid in your professional development, and develop/enhance both personal and career leadership skills. The qualifications for each position for which nominees are being sought can be found on the nominations form. Nominate yourself or someone you know today so new ideas and enthusiasm can start to flow!

ASCLS-Ohio is a volunteer state society. We depend on you, the members, for setting the tone of organization and you are the very reason we exist! If you agree that this society is an important facet of our profession, then come and participate. The board knows that laboratory professionals are very busy both in and out of the laboratory, so we ask each member to share a minimum of their time and talents for the betterment of the profession.

Interested, but unsure as to what the expectations, requirements and time commitments are for one of the elected positions on the ASCLS-Ohio Board of Directors? Email Shannon Kern (skern29@yahoo.com) to request a copy of the position descriptions with the basic functions and a detailed listing of responsibilities for each position.
Briefly, the duties for each position being elected this year include:

• Treasurer (1)– maintains the financial books of the Society; assures the receipt and expenditure of funds in accordance with the directives established by the board; prepares audits, tax forms, and a budget with the President; serves as the financial committee chair; serves as a voting member of the Executive Board
• Senior Director (2)– the affairs of the Society are governed by the Board of Directors; develops and maintains Standard Operating Procedures as required in the establishment of an organization; attends all meetings of the Board of Directors, annual Member Business Meeting, and Leadership Conference; may be appointed by the President to serve as member or chair of task forces or any standing, special or ad hoc committee.

The entire Board of Directors meets 3-4 times during the society year (August 1 – July 31) either face-to-face or via conference call. Email is used extensively to facilitate the timely communication of all information and to seek input on issues that arise throughout the year.

The best way to find answers to any questions you have is to talk with a member of the ASCLS-Ohio Leadership who currently holds the position that is of interest to you. Contact information for officers and board members is posted on the ASCLS-Ohio web site (www.ascls-ohio.org) or can be found by emailing Shannon Kern (skern29@yahoo.com) ,current ASCLS-Ohio President or Marcia Lee (leemr@miamioh.edu), nominations chair.

Elections for these positions will be held at the ASCLS-Ohio Member Business Meeting at the 2014 Collaborative Laboratory Conference, on Friday, May 9th from 7:30-8:30 am. All ASCLS-Ohio members are encouraged to attend.

Nominations form 2014

Tasked with making sure the laws and operating procedures of the society are fair, applicable, and followed is the bylaw committee. This year the committee met and recommended several changes to the bylaws.

The process for a bylaw change for ASCLS-Ohio is as follows:

(1) A change is recommended by the bylaws committee and presented to the state board of directors. –Done in Sept. 2013

(2) The board of directors discusses the changes and either votes to accept or reject the proposed changes—Done in November 2013

(3) The proposed bylaw changes are submitted to the national bylaw committee where they are discussed and either approved or rejected—Done in January 2014

(4) The board of directors at the state level reviews the recommendations, if any, given by the national bylaw committee and chooses to proceed or table the proposed amendments—Done February 2014

(5) The membership of the state society is presented with the proposed bylaw amendments and votes on either accepting or rejecting the proposed amendments at the annual member business meeting.

The follow link will show the current bylaws and the proposed amendments. These will be voted on at the member business meeting being held Friday, May 9, from 7:30 am-8:30 am at the Crowne Plaza North in Columbus, Ohio. This meeting is in conjunction with our Collaborative Laboratory Conference. If you have any questions or wish to attend the meeting but not the conference please email Shannon Kern at skern29@yahoo.com .

ascls-oh bylaws changes sub to ascls new

The webpage had been down for a few weeks but now it is back up and running. Be sure to come back often as 2014 nominations and a bylaw amendment process update will be posted soon!

This video  was created last year through a leadership academy project I worked on at the national level, it can be used as a catchy tool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X__H_lnvr9M