Article I: Name and Objectives

The Name of this organization is The Midwest Association for Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, and may herein be referred to as the Association or MATT.

Section 2: Goals and Objectives

The Goals of the organization are: to advance the scientific, research, clinical services, and education in Toxicology-Clinical, Forensic, environmental and others, and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring; and to develop a membership from interest of fellow scientists, physicians, health professional, administrators and industrial colleagues. The Objectives are: to promote the professional, scientific and educational activities through planned meetings and symposia; to develop and distribute newsletters for the membership; to form specific interest-focused groups for enhancing their professional and scientific activities; to interact/collaborate/enhance professional, research and educational activities with other professional organizations.

Article II: Region and Headquarters

Section 1: Region

The Region of the Association will consist of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Section 2: Headquarters

The Headquarters of the Association will be at the business/home address of the Treasurer.  For tax, government, and banking purpose this address is to be used.

Article III: Members, Privileges, Rights, Responsibilities, and Applications

New member year will begin Jan 1^st.  Any applications/renewals received from Jan 1^st to annual meeting will be valid for that specific year.

Section 1: Members

Membership in MATT is open to all applicants, regardless of location, who meet membership qualifications. Members shall be persons who are current and former professional scientists, physicians, health professionals, administrators, and industrial colleagues who have an interest in toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, or pharmacogenomics in order to further the aforementioned fields. Membership applications will be required to submit a resume or CV and are subject to approval by the Executive Board. The Board reserves the right to deny or rescind membership for conduct contradictory to the goals and objectives of the organization.

Section 2: Student Members

Student Members shall be persons who are actively involved in formal education or training programs in the fields of Toxicology or Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and are not considered employees in these programs. Student Members should be full-time students.  Student Members may not vote, hold office or participate in the business meetings of the Association. They shall pay dues as designated by the Association. Student Members will receive official communication (newsletters, meeting notices, etc.) similar to those received by Members. 

Section 3: Honorary Members

Honorary Members may be designated from time to time by the Executive Board. These persons shall have served the Association through either direct contribution of service or through contributions to the advancement of the fields of Toxicology or Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Honorary Members shall not pay dues, vote, hold office or participate in the business meetings of the Association. Honorary Members will receive Association services as defined by the Executive Board.

Section 4: Privileges and Responsibilities of Members

Membership in the Association is considered a privilege and is dependent on persons complying with the Bylaws and following high standards of professional ethics and practice. Members are expected to contribute to the objectives of the Association. Members will receive services or benefits such as newsletters, meeting notifications, meeting discounted registration fees, etc., as are defined by the Executive Board.

Article IV: Dues and Delinquency

Section 1: Dues

The Dues for membership in the Association will be determined annually by the Executive Board. Dues for the current year will be payable on or before the annual meeting. 

Section 2: Delinquency

Payment of dues for the current year will be considered delinquent after the annual meeting. A 4 week grace/late period will be given. Failure to pay membership dues will result in loss of membership services provided by the Association. The persons name will be removed from the official membership list. Delinquency of dues payment is considered grounds for removal of an officer or member of the Executive Board. Re-instatement after removal of a members name from the official membership list requires reapplication for membership to the Association.

Article V: Officers, Executive Board: Qualifications, Duties, Term of Office

Section 1: Officers and Executive Board

Officers of the Association shall be elected by the members and members-at-large and shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The President shall appoint  Newsletter Editor(s), Communications Chair, and Membership Chair. The Executive Board shall consist of all elected Officers and the immediate Past President. The Newsletter Editor(s), Communications Chair and Membership Chair shall serve in an advisory manner to the Executive Board and may attend all meetings of the Board but will not be included in determining a quorum of the Board. Only the elected Officers and the immediate Past President will have voting rights in regard to Executive Committee decisions.

Section 2: Qualifications

The Officers and Executive Board shall be members of the Association.

Section 3: Duties of the Executive Board

The Executive Board shall be the legal governing body of the Association.

The Executive Board shall have complete control and management of the affairs of the Association as is defined by law and by these Bylaws. The Executive Board shall approve the appointment of Chairs of Ad-hoc Committees or any other group that is required to conduct the business or accomplish the objectives of the Association.

Section 4: Duties of the Officers

President: Shall be the President of the Association and the Chairman of the Executive Board. Shall preside at all meetings of the members as well as the Executive Board. Shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominating committee. Shall appoint  Newsletter Editor(s), Communications Chair, and Membership Chair should the position be vacated or the officer removed from the position. Shall appoint Ad-Hoc Committees when necessary with approval of the Executive Board. Shall perform all other duties assigned to him/her by the Executive Board. Shall become the immediate Past-President upon completion of the term of office.

Vice-President: Shall perform the duties of President when the President is unable to perform his/her duties. Shall perform all other duties assigned to him/her by the Executive Board. Every third year, the incoming Vice-President will serve as the Assistant Treasurer and will hold that position until their term as Past-President ends.

Past-President: The immediate Past-President will remain as a voting member of the executive board for one year after completion of term of office as President. The Past-President is responsible for the Nominations committee and the proper presentation of candidates prior to the annual meeting.

Secretary: Shall keep accurate and permanent records of all Executive Board meetings and Association meetings. Shall answer Association correspondence promptly and keep files of the same.

Treasurer: Shall keep accurate and timely financial records including all receipts of monies, expenditures, disbursements and accounts receivable of the Association. Shall maintain the bank account for the Association’s funds and provide monthly statements of accounts to the Executive Board. Shall deposit all monies received by the Association. Shall make all payments as directed by the President or the Executive Board. Shall provide a yearly financial statement to the Association members at the annual meeting, and provide financial statements required by federal and state agencies. Every third year, the incoming Vice-President will serve as the Assistant Treasurer and will hold that position until their term as Past-President ends.  The Treasurer will arrange for the Assistant Treasurer to be associated with all bank accounts.

Newsletter Editor(s): The President will appoint the Newsletter Editor(s). A term of office is not defined. The Editor(s) can be removed by vote of the Executive Board. The Newsletter Editor(s) serves in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board but does not have voting rights in Board decisions. The Editor(s) is responsible for the publication of at least two newsletters per year on the schedule affirmed each year by the Executive Board.

Membership Chair: The President appoints the person in this position. A term of office is not defined. The Chair can be removed by vote of the Executive Board. The Membership Chair serves in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board but does not have voting rights in Board decisions. The person in the position is responsible for collecting membership renewals and maintaining a current list of the membership, including an email directory. The person is responsible for notification of dues past due.  The Membership Chair is responsible for generating membership certificates and distributing annually to new or renewing members. 

Communications Chair: The President appoints the person in this position. A term of office is not defined. The Chair can be removed by vote of the Executive Board. The Communications Chair serves in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board but does not have voting rights in Board decisions. The email communication must be managed and kept current, properly reflecting the annual meeting information and other activities of the organization as directed by the Executive Board. The set up and management of event tickets and survey voting is the responsibility of the communications chair.

Website Administration Chair:  The President appoints the person in this position.  A term of office is not defined.  The Chair can be removed by vote of the Executive Board. The Website Administration Chair serves in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board but does not have voting rights in Board decisions.  The web page and social media accounts must be managed and kept current, in coordination with the Communications Chair, properly reflecting the annual meeting information and other activities of the organization as directed by the Executive Board.  Other duties include, but are not limited to, implement changes, updates, information requests, job postings, and all manner of official business in a timely manner, maintain working knowledge of WordPress for site functionality, maintain communication with the site host on a minimum quarterly basis, receive and report the annual site costs to the executive committee as soon as received, monitor industry digital presences for trends and updates, and contribute to the organization’s marketing objectives.

Section 5: Term of Office

Each Officer of the Executive Board shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership. Starting in 2003, the President and Vice-President serve a one-year term. The Secretary will serve a two-year term. Starting in 2020, the Treasurer will serve a four-year term. Each Officer or Member of the Executive Board will take office immediately following the Annual Meeting.

Article VI: Removal From Office, Removal of Membership, Appeal

Section 1: Removal from Office

Any Officer or Member of the Executive Board can be removed by a vote of the Executive Board at a regular or special meeting (three out of four votes for the first two years, and three out of five votes thereafter). The reasons for the proposed removal must be sent to all Members of the Executive Board at least thirty days prior to any meeting that will vote on removal of any Officer or Executive Board Member. The termination of an Officer or Members position will be effective immediately after the vote.

Section 2: Right of Appeal

Any person removed from the Executive Board may appeal this removal by submitting within thirty days, a written request of an appeal to the Executive Board. This appeal will be reviewed as a specific agenda item during the next scheduled meeting of the Membership. The appeal will be formally presented and a secret ballot of Members present (a quorum must be present) will be taken. A two-thirds (2/3) vote will be required to reinstate the Officer or Member of the Executive Board.

Article VII: Meetings: Regular/Special of the Executive Board and Membership

Quorum and Parliamentary Rules

Section 1: Regular Meetings of the Executive Board

The Executive Board must meet at least annually either in person or through conference calls. A quorum shall consist of three voting Board Members.

Section 2: Special Meetings of the Executive Board

Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by any Member of the Executive Board with a thirty-day advanced notice being given to all members of the Board.

Section 3: Regular and Special Meetings of the Membership

The Association shall hold at least one annual meeting of the Membership. For the purpose of hosting annual meetings, the Midwest region is designated as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. States contiguous to the Midwest region may also host annual meetings upon approval from the Board. Special Meetings of the Membership may be called by the President with approval of the Executive Board or by the Membership with the submission of a petition from at least 10% of the membership requesting a special meeting. Thirty-day advanced notice must be given to all members of the Association of the Special Meeting, including the purpose and agenda for the meeting. A quorum of a meeting of Membership shall consist of the number of members present at the Annual Meeting of the Membership.

Section 4: Parliamentary Rules and Rules on Quorums

All meetings of the Executive Board and Membership shall follow the Parliamentary Rules as detailed by the most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order. A three-quarters (3/4) vote of the members present is required to suspend the Parliamentary Rules. If Quorums are not present at the meetings of the Executive Board or meetings of the Membership, only discussions and recommendations concerning a meeting’s agenda may occur and no official action can take place.

Article VIII: Nominations, Elections, Voting and Vacancies

Section 1: Nominations

The Nomination Committee shall submit a proposed slate of Officers and Elected Members of the Executive Board each year. In addition, Nominations must be solicited from the Membership of the Association at least 30 days prior to the closing of nominations for annual elections of the Association.

Section 2: Elections

Elections of officers and members of the Executive Board shall occur each year prior to the annual meeting of the membership. Elections of Executive Board Members or Officers will consist of a majority vote by the membership.

Section 3: Voting

Voting shall occur by anonymous electronic means (i.e. emailed survey) at least fourteen days prior to the annual meeting of membership. Voting will be open for a minimum of ten days. Elections must be preceded by thirty day advanced notice to the membership that elections will occur.

Section 4: Vacancies

The Executive Board by majority vote shall fill any vacancy of the Executive Board that occurs before expiration of the term of the Executive Board Member.

Article IX: Committee Appointments, Standing, Ad Hoc, Duties

Section 1: Appointment of Committee Chairpersons and Members

The newly elected President shall within thirty days of taking office submit to the Executive Board for its approval, his/her recommendations for Committees, It is understood that the submitted list of persons are Members of the Association and that they have agreed to serve on the committees. The Chairperson and Members of each Committee shall serve for one year or at least until their successors are approved by the Executive Board.

Section 2: Standing Committees

Standing Committee of the Association shall consist of the Nomination Committee and/or an Ad Hoc Committee that is held through two Presidential terms and voted in as standing by the executive board. The Nomination Committee will be chaired by the immediate Past President and will consist of at least two other Members of the Association, which are approved by the Executive Board. A standing committee, previously ad hoc, will be named according to the duties and be chaired by an executive board member.  For example, a communications committee would be chaired by the communications chair.   

Section 3: Ad Hoc Committees

The President may appoint Ad Hoc Committees to work on specific tasks as necessary. The Ad Hoc Committee will be dissolved with the end of the President’s term of office.  The incoming president can reappoint said committees if there is still a need with the support of the executive board. After two presidential terms the ad hoc can become standing if so needed.   

Section 4: Duties of Committees

The Executive Board shall define the duties and responsibilities of each Committee, unless specifically defined by these Bylaws.

Article X: Amendments of Bylaws

Any Member of the Association may submit amendments to these Bylaws. The proposed amendments will be submitted to the Executive Board as a recommendation for discussion. The Executive Board will approve or disapprove the proposed amendment for Bylaws. If approved, the Executive Board will submit the proposed amendment to the Associations membership for approval. Membership voting on Bylaws amendments shall follow the same processes as used for election of officers. If the Executive Board disapproves the amendment, the amendment may be brought to a vote of the Membership by the submission of a petition of at least 10% of the Membership. Such a petition must be considered at the next scheduled meeting of the Membership.

Article XI: Termination of Association, Disposition of Records, Resources and Monies

Section 1: Disposition of Records

If the Association is formally dissolved as a non-profit scientific corporation, then all minutes, books, documents, materials, and records will be donated to Society of Forensic Toxicologists, Inc., unless their disposition is directed otherwise by the Executive Board.

Section 2: Disposition of Monies

If the Association is formally dissolved as a non-profit scientific corporation, then all monies and resources will be donated to the Society of Forensic Toxicology, unless their disposition is directed otherwise by the Executive Board.

Bylaws Reviewed: April 2020

Previous Revision:  March 2019