Procedure I. Name and Geographic Area of the Region

The name of this organization shall be Region VII of NAFSA: Association of International Educators (hereinafter referred to as “Region” and “NAFSA”, respectively). The Region shall be established geographically in accordance with the governing documents of NAFSA and, until properly amended, shall consist of the following area: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Procedure II. Our Mission as a Region

The purpose of this Region shall be to function harmoniously with and generally advance NAFSA’s mission within its specific geographic area, respond to the needs of its members, and to sponsor an annual regional conference and other professional development activities for international educators within the Region.

Procedure III. Membership of the Region and Membership Voting Status

All members of NAFSA within the designated geographic area shall be considered members of the Region, and shall be voting or non-voting members, as provided by NAFSA’s governing documents. Any exception to this eligibility is at the discretion of and approval by the Region Chairstream.

Procedure IV. Regional Team

Section A. Definition and Duties

The management of this Region shall be led by a Regional Team consisting of an elected position identified as the Chairstream (serving three successive terms as the Chair-elect, Chair, and Past Chair), a Treasurer, Registrar, Development Coordinator, Conference Planner, a Conference Planner Apprentice (selected every two years), a Regional Representative of each professional area of NAFSA (Knowledge Communities and Regulatory Ombudspersons), a Representative of each State/Territory in the Region, Governmental Regulatory Representatives. Other members may be appointed as deemed necessary by the team and appointed by the Chair.

With the exception of the elected position of the Chairstream, the above shall be appointed by the Chair with approval of the Executive Team.

The regional leadership team is accountable to the Board of Directors of NAFSA through the Vice President of Professional Development and Engagement (per NAFSA bylaws).

Section B. Eligibility

Any voting member of NAFSA from within the Region shall be eligible for election or appointment to most positions on the Regional Team prior to taking office. To be eligible for election as incoming Chair-elect, the candidate shall have served at least one year on the Regional Team prior to taking office.

Section C. Nominations and Elections

Nominations
The Nominating Committee shall ensure that a slate of candidates is distributed to the Regional membership at least 30 days in advance of the election. The slate shall include eligible nominees for the office of Chair-elect. Provisions shall also be made for a write-in candidate.

Elections
Election shall be by electronic ballot. Ballots shall be made available to the membership no later than September 1 and received by September 30. If there are challenges with identifying a candidate, this date may be extended to accommodate a minimum of a 21-day election process to occur and conclude before the Regional Conference. Election to office shall be determined by majority vote of ballots cast.

Section D. Terms of Office

The Chair-elect, Chair and Past Chair each serve a one-year term, beginning at the Regional Team meeting, which follows the Annual Regional Conference. The incoming Chair-elect shall begin their term December 1 after the conclusion of the Annual Regional Conference, at which time the Past Chair shall officially rotate off the team.

State representatives will serve on the Regional Team based on the period defined by their state organization. All other elected or appointed positions on the team shall serve a three-year term, beginning at the Regional Team meeting, which concludes November 1, or at the Annual Regional Conference, whichever is later.

Section E. Vacancies

1. Chair
A vacancy in the office of the Chair shall be filled by the Chair-elect, who shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term in addition to serving as Chair for the following year. If the Chair vacancy occurs prior to the Chair-elect taking office (i.e. prior to the start of their December term) the Executive Team will determine who should fill this role. The recommendation will take into consideration the workload capacity of the regional team member and their overall knowledge of the region. Upon confirmation from the full regional team, notification will be shared with Region VII via email, newsletter, or another form of communications deemed most useful.

2. Chair-Elect
A vacancy in the office of Chair-elect shall be filled by special election among the membership. The person so selected must meet eligibility requirements for Chair-elect.

3. Past Chair
A vacancy in the office of Past Chair shall be filled at the discretion of the Chair and Chair-elect with approval of the Regional Team.

4. Other Offices
Vacancies in all other offices shall be filled by the Chair with consent of the Regional Team. The person so selected must meet general eligibility requirements.

Section F. Standing Committees

1. The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the current Chairstream, the Treasurer, and Conference Planner, and will serve in a fiduciary capacity.

2. The Budget Committee
The Chairstream, Treasurer, and Conference Planner shall constitute the Budget Committee. The committee is authorized to approve expenditures not included in the annual budget or to make exceptions to the annual budget. The Treasurer will provide oversight of fiduciary responsibility.

3. The Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall be comprised of no more than five members, will be chaired by the Past Chair and include the Chair, Chair-elect, a member of the current regional team, and will determine the slate for incoming Chair-elect.

Section G. Removal

A member of the team who fails to perform their duties may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the team, at a meeting called for that purpose.

Voting Without a Meeting
Any action required to be taken at a meeting by the Chairstream and the regional team may occur without a physical meeting to approve a specific action. The Chairstream must notify the team regarding the meeting in writing in advance, including details regarding purpose and indicating the type of meeting (in-person or virtual).

Procedure V. Duties of Regional Leaders

Section A. Chair

The Chair shall preside at all Regional meetings, shall lead the conference planning duties with major assistance from the Conference Planner, shall represent this Region to NAFSA, and shall otherwise perform the normal duties of a Chair. The Chair appoints committee chairs with the approval of the Regional Team.

Section B. Chair-Elect

The Chair-elect shall preside, in the absence of the Chair, at any Regional or Team meeting and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair. Responsibilities include new member orientation, fundraising, and exhibitor coordination.

Section C. Past Chair

The Past Chair shall chair the Nominating Committee, represent the region in the Regional Affairs Committee of NAFSA and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair. Additionally, the Past Chair will assist the Chair in providing past/best practices and will serve on the NAFSA Regional Affairs Committee (RAC). The Past Chair will review regional operating procedures and team members’ job descriptions, and make recommendations to the team. Past Chair will serve as the workshop coordinator for the Regional Conference.

Section D. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall prepare an annual financial report to be presented to the Regional Team and to the membership at the Region’s Annual Business Meeting. In addition, an interim financial report and budget will be presented to the Regional Team at the Spring Team Meeting; a financial report will be provided to theTeam meeting at the Annual Conference. The Treasurer shall also perform such other duties as assigned by the Chair. The Treasurer has the ability to approve expenditures up to $1,000 in the NAFSA financial operating system. The Executive Committee must approve all expenditures $1,000 or more. However, the Treasurer should consult with the Chairstream internally via email for all expenditures up to $1,000 before approving in the NAFSA financial operating system.

Section E. Other Regional Team Members

The Chair may assign such duties as are appropriate to other members of the Regional Team.

The Chair shall appointment an annual Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) to coordinate local activities for a period not to exceed one year. LAC will make recommendation to the Chair, the Chairstream and Conference Planner for appropriate activities, vendors and other matters to execute the Annual Regional Meeting. Fiduciary responsibility shall remain within the Executive Committee.

Procedure VI. Meetings

Section A. Annual Regional Conference

This Region shall schedule an Annual Regional Conference, which shall include an Annual Business Meeting.

Section B. Other Meetings

The Region shall hold two additional meetings: a Spring Team Meeting and a second Business Meeting (also known as a “regional update”). The Spring Team Meeting shall take place at the Annual Regional Conference venue and serve as preparation for the Annual Regional Conference. The Regional Update shall take place at the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo. The Regional Team shall meet prior to the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo consisting of team members attending the conference. Workshops, inter-regional meetings, and other meetings of interest to Regional members may be arranged in consultation with the Chair, the Chairstream and with the approval of the Team.

Procedure VII. Procedures for Managing Regional Business

Section A. Regional Finances

The financial management of the Region shall be led by the Executive Committee. The Region shall manage its funds prudently; maintain appropriate financial records; submit annual budget to NAFSA; and be subject to audit in a manner prescribed by the Controller of NAFSA. The region will seek advice from the NAFSA Accounting Department when obtaining or requesting financial planning advice from the current NAFSA appointed portfolio manager. This action must occur with approval from the Team and with advice from the Vice President of Professional Development and Engagement.

Section B. Regional Contracting, Fundraising, & Communications

The Region follows NAFSA Standing Rules, Rule VI on Contracting, Fundraising, and Communications

Procedure VIII. Voting Quorum

At either Business Meeting of this Region, the number of members present shall constitute a quorum. In any ballot, the number of returned ballots shall constitute a quorum. In any team vote, the number of returned responses by a stated deadline that is at least within five business days, except for urgent matters as determined by the Chairstream, shall constitute a quorum.

Procedure IX. Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the most recent edition of Alice Sturgis, The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, shall govern the Region in all manners to which they are applicable and in which they do not conflict with the NAFSA Articles of Incorporation, NAFSA Bylaws, and NAFSA Standing Rules.

Procedure X. Amendments

These Region VII Operating Procedures may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Regional Leadership Team provided amendments do not conflict with the procedures in any governing documents of NAFSA, as determined by the NAFSA Vice President for Professional Development and Engagement. Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Regional Leadership Team at least 30 days prior to the Regional vote and then be presented to NAFSA for approval.

Adopted	28 October 1997	Amended	14 September 2012
Amended	09 November 1999	Amended	19 October 2017
Amended	20 November 2000	Amended	30 June 2020
Amended	26 October 2007

Resources

• NAFSA Region VII Operating Procedures, NAFSA Region website www.nafsa.org
• NAFSA Strategic Plan
• NAFSA Standing Bylaws
• NAFSA Standing Rules

Glossary of Terms

Below is a list of terms use throughout the document as defined by the original document. The information below provides clarification on terminology used within the original document as adopted in 1997.

Annual Conference	NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo
Chairstream	Chair-Elect, Chair, Past Chair
Executive Team/ Executive Committee	The Chairstream, Treasurer, and Conference Planner
Region VII	Referred to as the Region
Regional Annual Conference	Region VII’s Regional Conference
The Team	Referred to as the entire regional leadership

Appendix to Regional Operating Procedures

Conference Rotation

The Region shall alternate conference sites among the seven member states and Puerto Rico. The conference rotation is the following: Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico.*

On occasion, the rotation could change due to acts of God or other extenuating circumstances. In such a time, the Chairstream, in consultation with the Conference Planner, NAFSA staff and contracted vendors would adjust the order.

When planning the regional conference, the team should be mindful of Halloween, U.S. national elections, International Education Week, and Thanksgiving.

*When possible, the region will hold the region’s annual fall conference in Puerto Rico.

Grants

When the region finds itself in a financially strong position, the regional team may wish to provide professional development or travel grants to NAFSAns in their region. Grants may need to be reconsidered during a year when the region is facing financial trouble.

The region may award travel grants to the region’s annual fall conference. The number and amounts are determined by the Chairstream in close consultation with the Treasurer, and with confirmation from the full regional team.

The region may award travel grants for NAFSA’s Advocacy Day. The number and amounts are determined by the Chairstream in close consultation with the Treasurer, and with confirmation from the full regional team.

The region may provide funding for one or more NAFSA Academy Coach positions. The number is at the discretion of the Chairstream in close consultation with the Treasurer.

Complimentary Registrations

Complimentary conference registrations for the region’s annual conference are made available to the Chairstream, Treasurer, Registrar, Conference Planner and Conference Planner Apprentice.

Complimentary registration for conference guests, including government officials, will be awarded on a discretionary basis.

Awards of Appreciation

It is customary for the Chair to present the Past Chair with a glass/crystal award of appreciation at the business luncheon. Typically, the Chair stream also prepares a personal gift for the Past Chair, which they present at a private dinner on the Friday night prior to the conference.

On occasion, the Chair stream may exercise their discretion to present an award of appreciation for other outgoing team members, if they have served in ways above or exceeding their position descriptions, or term lengths, etc.

Past Chairs’ Meeting

The Chair typically elects to host an informal meeting for the Chairstream and all Past Chairs in attendance at the annual fall conference. This meeting is usually a breakfast on the final day of the conference.