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    Position Descriptions

    Please also refer to the APA Operations (OPS) manual for additional information on the duties and responsibilities of Board Officers.

    President

    The President serves as ex-officio on a number of APA Committees and is an invited guest to Assembly meetings. The basic function of the President is to exercise leadership in APA by influencing and guiding the development of APA policy. Below is information regarding the duties and responsibilities of the President.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • Chair of the Board Executive Committee (EC)
    • Chair of Distinguished Service Award (DSA) Work Group
    • Carries out all orders and resolutions as specified by the Board and the membership
    • Presides at all general meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Board
    • Works with the President-Elect and the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities
    • Consult with the President-Elect in appointments to work groups, new components or on other matters affecting the long-range activities of APA
    • Makes appointments to components formed during the President's term

    Component Appointments (ex officio): APA Board of Trustees (5x year), Finance and Budget Committee, Investment Oversight Committee, Audit Committee, APA AMA Delegation (2x year).

    President-Elect

    The President-Elect serves as ex-officio on a number of APA Committees and is an invited guest to Assembly meetings. The President-Elect shall assume the office of the President at the conclusion of the annual meeting. If the President becomes unable to function because of absence or illness, the President-Elect shall act for the President. In the event of the resignation or death of the President, the President-Elect becomes President for the remainder of the vacant term and serves his or her own term. Below is information regarding the duties and responsibilities of the President-Elect.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • Chair of Joint Reference Committee (JRC)
    • Member of the Board Executive Committee (EC) - In the absence of the President, or in the event of a conflict of interest, the President-Elect shall act as chair
    • Appoints chairpersons and members to existing APA components who will begin serving their terms in May of the following year
    • Works with the President and the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities Component

    Appointments (ex officio): APA Board of Trustees (5x year), American Psychiatric Association Foundation Board of Directors (3x a year), JRC Chair (3x per year, ad hoc conference calls, email follow-up, APA AMA Alternate Delegation (2x year)

    Secretary

    The Secretary shall keep the records of the Association and perform all duties prescribed herein and those delegated by the Board of Trustees. The Secretary is elected in alternate years to the Treasurer.

    In practice, most of the administrative work of the Secretary is performed by the administration of APA Central Office and records are permanently stored there. Staff support to the Secretary for Board matters is provided by the Department of Association Governance. The CEO and Medical Director has been designated as Assistant to the Secretary to sign routine administrative documents and other documents when directed by the Secretary.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • Chair of the Conflict of Interest Committee
    • Certifies the minutes of Board meetings and prepares summaries of the official actions of the Board for yearly presentation at the Annual Business Meeting and for publication in the American Journal of Psychiatry
    • Certifies the editions of the Bylaws
    • Reviews disclosures of potential conflicts of interests (See Appendix M, "Component Appointment Form" and Appendix S, "Disclosure of Interests and Affiliations" of the Operations Manual)
    • Oversees the process for the recall of officers or elected trustees (APA Bylaws, Section 4.8)
    • Validates petitions for member referendum according to the requirements contained in the Operations Manual of the Association (APA Bylaws, Section 8.4)
    • Attends all Board meetings and participates in matters at hand
    • Participates in the formulation and implementation of Association policies
    • Works with the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities

    Treasurer

    The Treasurer or his/her authorized agents shall receive, disburse, account for, and manage all monies of the Association under the general direction of the Board of Trustees. The Treasurer shall submit a financial statement each year to the Board and to the Assembly at the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer and his/her authorized agents shall be bonded in an amount to be determined by the Board. The Treasurer is elected in alternate years to the Secretary.

    The Treasurer should have first-hand knowledge of the workings of APA and its organizational structure in order to fully understand the flow of business. He/she must have knowledge of the budget and all aspects of the Association's financial operations. It is desirable that he/she possess some knowledge of financial investments.

    In practice, the work of collection, disbursement and accounting for APA funds is performed by the staff of the Division of Finance under the general supervision of the Chief Financial Officer. The Department keeps the accounts and prepares a monthly and annual summary of expenses and income. Expenditures from the account claimed for reimbursement must be supported by adequate documentation.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • Ex-officio member of the Finance and Budget Committee
    • Chairperson of the Audit Committee
    • Receives, disburses, accounts for and manages all monies of the Association under the general direction of the Board and through the CFO office
    • Submits a financial statement each year to the Board and to the Assembly at the Annual Meeting
    • Submits a financial statement to the auditors
    • Deposits monies received in a bank or other depository selected by the Board
    • Participates with the Finance and Budget Committee in preparing the Association's budget
    • Responsible for investment of Association funds with the help of an Asset Management Advisory Committee and the CEO and Medical Director
    • Attends all Board meetings and participates in matters at hand
    • Participates in the formulation and implementation of Association policies
    • Works with the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities

    Trustee-at-Large, Early Career Psychiatrist (ECP) Trustee-at-Large, and Minority/Underrepresented Representative (M/UR) Trustee

    The Trustee-at-Large, Early Career Psychiatrist (ECP) Trustee-at-Large, and Minority/Underrepresented Representative (M/UR) Trustee exercise leadership in the APA by influencing and guiding the development of APA policy through involvement in the Board of Trustees, the Assembly and APA.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • Voting member of the Board of Trustees
    • Attends all Board meetings and participate in matters at hand
    • Participates in the formulation and implementation of Association policies
    • Works with his/her constituents and the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities

    Area Trustees

    An Area Trustees exercises leadership in APA by influencing and guiding the development of APA policy through involvement in the Board of Trustees, the Assembly and APA.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • Voting member of the Board of Trustees
    • Ex-officio member of respective Area Council
    • Attends all Board meetings and participates in matters at hand
    • Participates in the formulation and implementation of Association policies
    • Works with the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities

    Resident-Fellow Member Trustee and Trustee-Elect (RFMT/RFMTE)

    The Resident-Fellow Member Trustee and Trustee-Elect (RFMT/RFMTE) exercises leadership in APA by influencing and guiding the development of APA policy through involvement in the Board of Trustees, the Assembly and APA.

    The Resident-Fellow Member Trustee (RFMT) serves a one-year term. The Resident-Fellow Member Trustee-Elect (RFMTE) shall automatically advance to the position of Resident-Fellow Member Trustee at the end of a year.

    Specific Responsibilities:

    • RFMTE is a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees; RFMT is a voting member of the Board of Trustees.
    • Attend all Board meetings and participate in matters at hand
    • Participate in the formulation and implementation of Association policies
    • Works with the Resident-Fellow Member Trustee (RFMT) and the Board to set priorities for the Association and with the Board and the CEO and Medical Director to formulate policy and develop initiatives to advance those priorities

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