TAFP Governance
TAFP governance
Officers
TAFP elects family physician members to represent the Academy in our officer positions: president, president-elect, treasurer, parliamentarian, and immediate past president. Each year TAFP sends out a call to the membership asking for nominations for the positions. Candidates are presented to the Nominating Committee at Interim Session and this committee presents a slate of officers to the TAFP Board of Directors for approval. Those nominations are published and elections are held during the board meeting at Annual Session.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is made up TAFP’s five officers and two delegates to AAFP, four at-large directors, one new physician, one special constituency representative member, one resident physician, and one medical student. The at-large directors serve staggered three-year terms while all other members are chosen annually. The Member Assembly elects each of these positions, and the student, resident, and special constituency members are recommended by their respective sections at Interim Session.
Member Assembly
The Member Assembly is comprised of delegates from local chapters of TAFP, convening each year during Annual Session. The number of delegates from each local chapter is determined by the total number of active members in the chapter. Given the wide variation in activity levels among chapters, the process for delegate selection differs from chapter to chapter.
Members present at the Assembly receive information from TAFP leaders and others who wish to address the membership, and participate in opportunities to address Academy leadership about matters important to the general membership. In addition, the board can refer items to the member assembly to garner input from the body. All members are welcome to attend and upon permission of the presiding officer, a TAFP member in good standing has the privilege of addressing the assembly. Voting, however, is restricted to the delegates.
Aside from electing board members and officers, the Member Assembly’s powers include reviewing policy and acting on business referred by the Board of Directors. They provide feedback, ask questions, and can voice their displeasure by electing new leaders, but the legal and fiscal decisions are made by the Board of Directors. Any issues or ideas generated at the Member Assembly can be referred to a committee or council or directly to the board for further discussion and action.
Committees and councils
TAFP’s success depends on active engagement from members. TAFP has standing committees — Bylaws, Executive, Finance and Nominating with three-year terms for active members — and three councils — Workforce and Member Engagement, Medical Practice, and Health of the Public and Science — with two-year terms. Students and residents can be appointed to one-year terms.