MAA Bylaws

Military Audiology Association Bylaws

These bylaws (revised) are current as of January 2014.

Article I – Name

The name of the association shall be the Military Audiology Association (hereinafter referred to as MAA).

Article II – Purpose

The purposes of the association shall be to:

  1. Advance the profession of audiology within the Department of Defense (DoD) by dissemination of knowledge and information.
  2. Promote quality hearing health care and protect and maintain the hearing sensitivity of those exposed to hazardous levels of noise.
  3. Bring into our organization audiologists and other allied professionals to further professional growth and social contact.
  4. Establish and maintain cooperation among medical, biological, engineering and other sciences associated with the profession of audiology.

Article III – Membership

  1. Regular Member. All DoD civilian or military audiologists are automatically members through their association with the DoD.
  2. Associate Member. Any DoD civilian or military professional working in a related discipline with interest in the purposes set forth by this Association.
  3. Emeritus Members. All retired DoD civilian or military audiologists are automatically an Emeritus Member upon retirement.
  4. Student Members. Any student enrolled in an Audiology Doctoral University Program with interest in the purposes set forth by this Association.
  5. There are no application or dues requirements for membership. Conferences held by the MAA to promote professional growth will have associated registration fees which members must pay to attend. Fees charged may vary with membership status.
  6. Audiology Service Consultants will maintain a roster of all military and civilian DoD audiologists and information will be disseminated through these channels.
  7. Regular and Emeritus Members as described above will have voting privileges and can nominate other members for awards.

Article IV – Officers

The elected officers of MAA, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Board, shall consist of the following:

  1. President
  2. Vice President
  3. Secretary
  4. Member At-Large
  5. Past President (Non-Voting)

Representation on the Executive Board shall consist of at least one member from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and a Member-At-Large drawn from any service.

Article V – Duties of Officers

The President shall preside at all meetings of MAA and shall act as a member of the Executive Council. He/she shall serve as the Chair of the Joint Defense Veterans Audiology Conference (JDVAC) planning committee and preside at the MAA business meeting. When conference planners are used, the president will serve as the liaison. When held with the Association of VA Audiologists (AVAA), the president will co-chair the conference with the AVAA President. The President will include the Executive Board when decisions are needed that significantly impact budget. For MAA awards, the President will draft a letter soliciting award nominations to the respective services. The President will serve as liaison with other organizations, to include ASHA, AAA, NHCA, ADA, or other related organizations when issues of concern require collaboration.

The Vice President shall perform duties of the President during his/her absence if he/she is disabled during the term or until a successor is chosen. The Vice President shall be familiar with the duties of the President and perform such duties as may be duly assigned by the President. The Vice President will oversee the conference details with respect to speakers, programs, etc. and can choose to draw from the membership and form ad hoc committees to assist with the conference program. When the conference is held jointly, the Vice President will share the above responsibilities with a counterpart from the AVAA. Additionally, the vice president (with AVAA counterpart) will assist with coordination of participating vendors for JDVAC.

The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes of the annual meeting and notifying the membership of the time and place of meetings and/or conferences through the Audiology Service Consultants and/or service liaisons. The Secretary will be responsible for answering the Mailbag on the MAA website throughout his/her tenure, and is responsible for providing the Communications Director with web page updates such as election results, awards, and conference information. Additionally, the secretary will serve on the Education Committee for JDVAC.

The Member At-Large will participate in all MAA Executive Council meetings and serve as the primary coordinator/point of contact for the MAA social gathering/banquet at JDVAC. The member at-large will also serve on the Education Committee for JDVAC and perform any other duties assigned by the President.

The Past President will serve as the MAA Historian and maintain such items as photo albums, plaques, and non-current files to be passed along each year. He/she shall provide direct mentorship to the incoming President. He/she will also serve as advisor to the Executive Council on issues of importance to the members for the year following their year as President. The Past President will serve on the Executive Council of the Joint Defense Veterans Audiology Association (JDVAA).

Pages: Page 1, Page 2