ARTICLE I Title and Affiliation

Section 1: Title

This organization shall be named TENNESSEE ALABAMA GEORGIA DRESSAGE & EVENTING ASSOCIATION, herein referred to as TAGDEA or the Association.

Section 2: Affiliation

TAGDEA shall maintain Group Member Organization (GMO) status through the United States Dressage Federation (USDF), as well as Affiliate Member status through the United States Eventing Association (USEA).

ARTICLE II Purpose

The purpose of the Tennessee Alabama Georgia Dressage and Eventing Association is to fulfill a need in the tri-state corner area of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia for a platform of continuing education, competition and camaraderie in the Olympic Equestrian Sports of Dressage and Eventing.

The Association intends to achieve this purpose through a continual framework of local unrated competitions and USDF, USEF, and USEA recognized competitions; clinics in all aspects of horsemanship which are related to the discipline and philosophy of Dressage and Eventing, and social activities to promote a network of camaraderie and communication with all interested individuals.

ARTICLE III Membership

Membership types shall be classified as Lifetime Member, Senior Member, Family Membership, Junior Member, and Associate Member. Classification is as follows:

• Lifetime Member—shall be awarded at the discretion of the seated Board of Directors by nomination and unanimous vote for such membership award. This member shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age at designation. A USDF GMO membership is included with this membership category. This member shall have one (1) vote. This membership category is not transferable and will remain in effect for the natural life of the member, except in the case of revocation under the guidelines set forth in Article XIII, of these ByLaws.
• Senior Member—shall consist of any person eighteen years of age or older with an active interest in the Purpose of the Association as described in Article II of these ByLaws, and who has paid their annual dues and assessments as put forth in Article IV, Section 1 of these ByLaws. A USDF GMO Membership in included with this category. This member shall have one (1) vote. This category of membership is renewable yearly according to Article IV, Section 1 of these ByLaws.
• Family Membership—(to include parents/guardian and children living at home). Shall consist of all persons in the home who have an active interest in the Purpose of the Association, and who have paid their annual dues and assessments as put forth in Article Iv, Section 1 of these ByLaws. One Family Member of this category shall be designated as Primary and shall be eighteen (18) years or older. Only the Primary Member may hold Office in the Association. One (1) USDF GMO membership is included with this membership category. This membership category shall have one vote, which shall be cast by the Primary member. This category of membership is renewable yearly according to Article IV, Section 1 of these ByLaws.
• Junior Membership—shall consist of any person seventeen (17) years and younger with an active interest in the Purpose of the Association as described in Article II of these ByLaws, and who has paid their annual dues and assessments as put forth in Article IV, Section 1 of these ByLaws. A USDF GMO Membership is included with this membership category. This category does not have Association voting privileges.
• Associate Member—shall consist of any person who has an interest in Association communications, on the Association level only and who has paid their annual dues and assessments as put forth in Article IV, Section 1 of these ByLaws. This category does not have Association voting privileges, and is not entered as a GMO member of USDF.

ARTICLE IV Assessments

Section 1.

Annual dues shall be established by the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors shall submit the amount of dues for each Membership Category to the Treasurer and the Newsletter Editor by September 30 of each year for inclusion in the newsletter, and for 60 days’ notice before the end of the current membership year. The Membership Year will run from December 1 to November 30 of the following year.

Section 2.

Section 3.

Upon receipt of dues, Secretary will add each member to the USDF roster, and Treasurer will issue monies for GMO dues payment to USDF within a timely manner.

ARTICLE V Officers

Section 1.

The Officers shall consist of: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer

Section 2.

All Officers shall be elected from Lifetime, Senior and/or Primary Family Members who are in good standing. Junior members and Associate Members may not be elected as an Officer. The Nominations Committee shall not consider non-members or members not in good standing for Officer positions.

Section 3.

All Officers shall be elected annually, and shall serve a term of one (1) year.

ARTICLE V1 Board of Directors

Section 1.

The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers of the Association, and four (4) additional Lifetime and/or Senior Members of the Association. A Primary Family Member in good standing may be a director. The Board of Directors shall be elected from Lifetime, Senior and/or Primary Family Members in good standing. Junior Members and Associate Members may not be considered for positions on the Board. Non-members and members not in good standing may not be considered for positions on the Board of Directors.

Section 2.

Directors (except Officers) shall serve a two (2) year term, with two(2) of the four (4) Directors being elected in alternate years.

ARTICLE VII Committees

Section 1.

There shall be such Standing Committees and Temporary Committees as are deemed necessary to carry on the work and Purpose of the Association.

Section 2.

Committee Chairpersons shall be appointed by the President.

Section 3.

The President shall appoint one (1) Board member to sit on each Committee. There may be more than one Board Member on a Committee.

Section 4.

Nominating Committee shall consist of the two (2) Board Members whose terms do not expire during the year in question, and one person nominated from the General Membership and approved by the Board of Directors before March 1st. Nominating Committee shall convene after March 1st, but before May 31st. Nominating Committee shall nominate 3 persons to fill each expiring officer positions.

Section 5.

Junior Members and Associate Members may serve on any committee except the Nominating Committee.

ARTICLE VIII Meetings

Section 1.

The President shall call one (1) Annual Meeting per year of the General Membership. This Meeting shall be held during the month of September. During this meeting, annual reports from the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and all Committees shall be presented to the Membership. Executive Officers and two (2) Board Members will be elected at the Annual Meeting by a secret ballot vote by all eligible voting members present. A ballot shall be presented with the Nominating Committee’s nominations. The ballot will also have space for writing in a nomination, which will also be accepted from the floor.

Section 2.

Quarterly Board Meetings shall take place in January, March, and June of each year. All classifications of membership and the public are welcome and encouraged to attend. A 30 day notice will be given for these meetings. These are Open Meetings.

Section 3.

The Association shall hold not less than two (2) events each year. These events shall feature educational and/or competitive activities that further the Purpose of the Association.

Section 4.

The President or the Secretary may call a business meeting of the Association or of the Board of Directors with fourteen (14) days’ notice. Email notification shall be deemed satisfactory notice for this purpose.

Section 5.

“Robert’s Rules of Order-Revised” shall govern Annual Meeting, Quarterly Meetings, and formal business meetings when not in conflict with these ByLaws.

Section 6.

All regular business shall pass or fail on a simple majority vote. Votes may be called and counted on the basis of a Yay or Nay response, but if there is any doubt, a roll-call verbal answer or written ballot must be used. Votes may be collected only from eligible members present, or by Official Proxy, as put forth in Article VIII, Section 7 of these ByLaws.

Section 7.

Official Proxy shall be recognized upon the presentation of a written and dated document stating name of member requesting proxy, classification of membership, date, and name and classification of member receiving proxy. Proxy must be duly signed by both parties. Proxies may be hand-written, but must be legible, and must be presented before commencement of the meeting in which it will be in effect. Proxy statements are valid only for thirty (30) days, or for only one (1) meeting, whichever is less.

Section 8.

A Quorum exists when at least three (3) Board Members are present. If less than a quorum is present, the business meeting may be adjourned until such time as a quorum shall be present.

ARTICLE IX Amendments

Section 1.

Amendments to these ByLaws shall be made by Lifetime, Senior or Primary Family members and may be amended, altered, or rescinded by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting members present in person or by proxy at any special meeting called for such a purpose, provided a quorum is present. Email notification of proposed amendment must be given at least 14 days before a call for vote, and the final draft of such proposed amendment must appear in one (1) Association Newsletter and be posted for 30 days before the vote on the Association Website.

ARTICLE X Duties of Officers

Section 1.

The President shall prepare the agendas for and preside over all Regular Meetings of the Association and all Meetings of the Board of Directors. The President shall appoint all Committee Chairmen, subject to approval of the Board. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President and Vice-President shall act as Representatives of the Association.

Section 2.

The Vice President shall serve in the President’s absence. The Vice President shall contact and discuss regularly with the President the affairs and current matters affecting the Association. The Vice President shall perform other such duties as assigned by the President from time to time in the conduct of the Association.

Section 3.

The Secretary shall attend to all correspondence of the Association, and shall read orally communications at the meetings of the Board of Directors, and at Quarterly Meetings of the Association. Secretary shall notify all Board of Directors of meeting dates, times and locations, and shall attend to other matters pertaining to meeting procedures as directed by the President. Shall receive and record all proxies prior to call to order of the meeting. When appropriate, shall prepare and mail ballots for election of Officers, amendments to the By-Laws, and other ballots designated by the Board of Directors. Shall take minutes of each meeting of the Association and Board of Directors, and prepare and disseminate such minutes to be posted in the Association Newsletter and on the Association Website within 10 days of said meeting. Secretary may, at their discretion, obtain assistance from any member of the Association for an individual or continuing job necessary for the administration of the business of the Association.

Section 4.

The Treasurer shall handle all funds received and paid out by the Association. S/he shall deposit Association funds in a bank approved by the Executive Board. S/he shall issue receipts for monies paid into the Association. S/he shall maintain a complete record of all business transactions and be prepared to report on the financial status of the Association at all times. S/he shall prepare and present all financial statements for all Association accounts to Annual, Quarterly and Board Meetings of the Association. S/he shall submit all records and transactions of the Association on demand to the President or Secretary.

Section 5.

The Directors shall attend the Board of Directors meetings. They shall serve as Chairman of a committee when appointed. They shall be open and sensitive to communication from all Members of the Association, and shall be available for communication from the membership. It shall be the duty of the Officers in consultation with the Board of Directors to conduct the business of the Association between meetings of the Membership. The Board of Directors shall be called when deemed necessary to carry on the activities of the Association. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President, Vice President or the Secretary.

Section 6.

Each Officer at the expiration of his or her term of office whether through the course of time, death, disability or otherwise, shall transfer all records pertaining to his or her office to the succeeding officer within fourteen (14) days of such expiration.

ARTICLE XI Removal of Members, Officers, or Directors

Section 1.

Any member, regardless of classification, and any Director, officer or alternate may be removed from membership or from office by the affirmative vote of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting members present in person or by proxy, at any Quarterly or Special Meeting called for that person, for conduct detrimental to the interest of the TAGDEA.

Section 2.

Any such member, officer, Director, or alternate proposed to be removed shall be entitled to at least ten (10) days’ notice in writing by mail of the meeting at which such removal is to be voted upon and shall be entitled to appear before and be heard at such meeting.

Section 3.

Any Director, officer or alternate will be considered for removal from the Board if 3 consecutive meetings are missed, but shall be entitled to at least ten (10) days notice in writing by mail of the meeting at which such removal is to be voted upon and shall be entitled to appear before and be heard at such meeting.

Section 4.

In case of resignation, death, disability, or other vacancy by an Officer or Director, the seated Board shall appoint someone from the eligible membership pursuant to Articles V and VI of these ByLaws to fill the remainder of the unexpired term of such officer.

ARTICLE XII Contracts and Negotiations

Section 1.

Activity plans (including but not limited to selection of dates, location and judges), fund raising plans, contracts, budgets, loans and expenditures must be approved by the Board prior to final commitment.

Section 2.

Written contracts shall be executed by the President or, in his/her absence, by the Vice President, and attested by the secretary and the corporate seal.

ARTICLE XIII General and Special Bank Accounts

Section 1.

The Association shall keep minutes of the proceedings of its Board of Directors and Committees having the authority of the Board of Directors. All books and records of the Association shall be kept with the Secretary and the Treasurer and may be inspected by any member of the Board of Directors, or his/her agent or attorney, for any proper purpose at a reasonable time, within 10 days of written request.

Section 2.

The Board of Directors shall have the financial records of the TAGDEA audited at least once every three (3) years, or as necessary, by an independent auditing agency to be selected on nomination and approval of the Board of Directors. The audit report shall be available for viewing to the members of the TAGDEA at the next quarterly meeting of the Membership.

ARTICLE XIV Books and Records

The Board may from time to time authorize the opening and keeping of general bank accounts with such banks, trust companies, or other depositories that the Board may designate. The Board may make such special rules and regulations with respect to such bank accounts, not inconsistent with the provisions of these ByLaws, as it may deem expedient. All such accounts shall be kept, recorded by the Treasurer, and available for inspection, pursuant to various Articles within these ByLaws

ARTICLE XV Approval

The foregoing ByLaws, after having been read article by article, were adopted by the Directors and certified by the Secretary of the TENNESSEE ALABAMA GEORGIA DRESSAGE & EVENTING ASSOCIATION, on the 20th day of October, 2014.

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TAGDEA Secretary

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TAGDEA President

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