Be an Involved AMA Leader Member

by Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President

Dave Mathewson asked me to chair a new committee to study utilization of our Leader Members. Our Mission Statement: The AMA Leader Member Committee is tasked with developing new and creative ways to communicate with and utilize the diverse education, motivation, and talents of our Leader Members. This potential volunteer force represents nearly 3,000 members who could benefit the Academy and the general membership.

This four- to six-member committee will be forming by the time you read this. I will represent the Executive Council and be the communication conduit to the council. There will also be between two to four Leader Members from various districts and one AMA HQ staff member. This “think tank” of creative people will be interested in the future of AMA and devoid of personal agenda.

The first order of business in trying to improve communication was to get this AMA Insider in the hands of Leader Members. We will try to develop an easy way for you to communicate your input directly to the committee by the next issue of the Insider. Meanwhile, please provide your ideas and input to your district vice president (VP) or directly to me at District8VP@SATX.RR.com. Obviously, if I am inundated with input—and I hope that I am—I won’t be able to answer every single E-mail, but I can promise that I will read them all.

Here is a quick review of what a Leader Member is, how to become one, and what I see as the difference between a local club leader and an AMA Leader Member.

Leader Members are introduced in the AMA bylaws: “LEADER MEMBERS. Those Open members who have demonstrated an above-average interest and/or participation in AMA matters and who qualify in accordance with Executive Council-approved requirements.” An amendment thereto says “… The Leader Member is the most important of membership categories in terms of the operation of the Academy ... There is a provision in the bylaws which gives the Leader Member the right to vote in such cases as bylaws changes. Nominating procedures for national officers also require that a nominee be a Leader Member.”

The bylaws also require that associate vice presidents (AVP), appointed by district VPs, be Leader Members.

Leader Member applications are available at AMA HQ, or on the AMA Web site (PDF 907). Applicants must have three current Leader Member references, or three Open member references and endorsement by a district VP or AVP.

An adoption to the bylaws states: “The Leader Member is the highest level of membership and as such will be noted on the membership card.”

Clearly, the intent here is to utilize our Leader Members much more than in the past.

I see a significant difference in the local club leader and a Leader Member:

1. You don’t have to be a Leader Member to be elected to a club office.

2. You don’t really need to have any interest in the growth of AMA or its smooth operation to be a club officer.

3. Some club officers only keep their club affiliated with AMA for insurance reasons and are not interested in the growth or programs of the AMA.

Leader Members provide administrative, scientific, or industrial contributions to the Academy and help in the passing of information from AMA to the local club level. Their interest, by the nature of the membership category, is to enhance and improve the AMA. They should champion the AMA and its efforts at the grass-roots level.

I hope this generates a lot of fresh, constructive thinking and provides the committee with valuable input upon which to build ideas and programs. I will update you on our progress in the next couple of issues of this column. Q