December 16, 2021
A. General Purpose
The Board of Governors’ mission is to establish, manage, and promote the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL) recognition program and to govern the program's quality and standards in accordance with CAI’s Policy Governance Model.
B. Objectives
Identify and meet the needs of CCAL Fellows.
- Recommend educational and informational programs to assist in the development of CCAL and to benefit its Fellows.
Develop future goals of CCAL.
Determine membership eligibility guidelines for approval by the CAI Board of Trustees.
Review and approve (or deny) fellowship applications based on approved eligibility guidelines.
Facilitate and support CCAL’s committees including the Amicus Review Committee, Membership Committee, Case Law Review Committee, and Law Seminar Planning Committee.
Establish and support task forces to address important legal issues for community associations, and work with CAI’s Government & Public Affairs Committee, as appropriate related to public policy and legislative issues.
Ensure the maintenance of standards and quality within CCAL.
Develop content for and host CAI’s Community Association Law Seminar.
Recommend ideas to promote the benefits and values of becoming a CCAL Fellow.
- Otherwise manage the affairs of CCAL consistent with CAI’s Policy Governance Model.
C. Nature and Conditions of Membership: CCAL consists of two classes of membership:
- Fellow. Any lawyer licensed to practice in the highest court of any state, province, or other jurisdiction in the country in which they live or practice, and who has had substantial experience in community association law for a period of not less than eight years, and who meets the qualification requirements established from time-to-time by the Board of Governors, shall be eligible for election and renewal as a fellow of CCAL. Membership is conditioned upon becoming and remaining a member of CAI while a CCAL fellow. Fellows are expected to continue to be active in the practice of community association law and education.
- Emeritus Fellow. Any Fellow who has been a CCAL Fellow in good standing for at least ten (10) years and is retired from the full-time practice of law may be eligible to be designated an Emeritus Fellow by the Board of Governors. Emeritus Fellows shall be exempt from annual CCAL Fellow fees. Emeritus Fellows have no voting rights and are not eligible to serve on the Board of Governors. Emeritus Fellows need not be members of CAI. To apply for emeritus status with the College of Community Association Lawyers, please submit an email to the current CCAL President and CAI staff liaison explaining why you are qualified for this status. The CCAL Board of Governors will review and vote on the application. If the emeritus application is accepted, the Fellow will remain listed in the CCAL directory with the emeritus status noted.
D. Structure and Relationship
- Composition. Members of the Board of Governors are elected by the CCAL Fellows each fall via an internet-based election in accordance with this Charter. The CCAL Board of Governors is composed of the President-Elect, President, Immediate Past President and four (4) at-large members. The President and President-Elect are elected by the Board of Governors in accordance with this Charter.
- Terms. Each Governor shall take office on the Term Commencement Date defined by the CAI Board of Trustees, currently the first day of January, following such Governor’s election and shall serve for a term of two (2) years or until a successor has been appointed – unless such Governor is filling a one-year term due to a vacancy or need to re-align staggered terms. Board of Governors’ terms shall be staggered so that the terms of not more than three Governors, excluding the President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President, expire each year. No individual shall serve more than six (6) years cumulative on the Board of Governors, except for an individual who is completing his or her service as President or Immediate Past President. No individual may be elected to serve on the Board of Governors if service by such individual as a Governor for a two (2) year term would violate the limitation in the immediately preceding sentence. An individual who has served more than one-half of a full term shall be deemed to have served a full term. In the event an individual serves less than a full year on the Board of Governors, it shall be considered one full year of service.
- Officers. The Board is led by a President elected by the Board of Governors from among the Governors for a term of one (1) year. The President serves as the chief volunteer officer, oversees the work of the Board to ensure its purposes are achieved, determines a Board agenda for throughout the year, assigns specific responsibilities to be carried out by Board members and Committees of the Board, recommends committee chairpersons for approval by the Board of Governors, and presides over all meetings of CCAL and of the Governors. Upon completion of the term, the outgoing President shall serve on the Board as the Immediate Past President for a term of one (1) year. The Immediate Past President shall serve in an advisory capacity, participate in all activities/functions of the Board and have full voting rights in Board matters.
The Board of Governors shall elect a board member to serve as President-Elect each fall to begin service as President-Elect on the following Term Commencement Date. The Board shall be provided with information, by the candidate, pertaining to each candidate’s involvement in CCAL (including the year the candidate became a CCAL Fellow) which includes CCAL committee and/or task force participation, service as a CCAL committee chair, a statement from the candidate as to the candidate’s vision for CCAL, and years of service on the Board of Governors. The Board shall be given at least two weeks to review the candidates’ qualifications and statement before voting.
The President-Elect shall work with the President and perform the duties of the President in any absence. The President-Elect shall serve for one (1) year and directly following the conclusion of that year of service shall serve as President for one (1) year. The President-Elect must have served for at least one (1) year as a Governor immediately prior to taking office, but no more than five (5) years cumulative when taking office. All current Governors who meet this qualification are eligible to run for the position of President-Elect regardless of their then current term end date. In the event the incoming President-Elect will begin the term after the conclusion of the elected term end date, one less position will be filled in that year’s CCAL Board of Governors election. In the event the incoming President-Elect is serving a term on the Board that extends beyond the next Term Commencement Date, the remainder of the regular elected term shall be considered vacant and will be filled in accordance with the process for filling vacancies as set forth in section D.4. of this Charter. - Vacancies. Vacancies created by the election of a Governor as President-Elect, resignation, or otherwise, shall be filled by the Fellows of CCAL through its annual election, and each Governor so elected shall hold office for the unexpired term of the predecessor. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the President-Elect shall act as President for the remainder of the unexpired term of office of the predecessor in such office and shall succeed to such office upon the expiration of such term. In the event the President-Elect cannot or will not agree to serve the unexpired term of the predecessor in office, the Board of Governors shall elect from its members a person to serve as President for the unexpired term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, the Board of Governors shall elect from its members a person to serve as President-Elect following the procedures set forth in Section D.3. of this Charter.
- Relationship to Staff. The Board of Governors will coordinate its activity through the CAI Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, or the appointee, who shall act as the CAI staff liaison to CCAL providing administrative support as follows: scheduling meetings of CCAL, the Board and its Committees; drafting notes of meetings; responding to requests and inquiries from CCAL and Board members; and performing such other assignments as may be requested from time-to-time by the Board and/or the President.
- Relationship to CAI Board of Trustees. The Board of Governors qualifies as a special committee of the CAI Board of Trustees as set forth in the CAI Bylaws. The Board of Governors carries out specific tasks and strategies assigned by the CAI Chief Executive Officer, CAI President and/or Board of Trustees.