History of the Core Committee

The first JETAA International Bylaws were introduced in 1999 at that year’s International Conference. However, Executive Officer elections were not held until the 2000 JETAA International Conference.

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An “Interim Organizational Committee” existed for the 1999 conference and continued to 2000. It was chaired by Anita Chandan (Montreal), and included Daniel Lintz (Eastern Japan), Yvonne Thurman (New York), Tom Robles (Winnipeg), and Bill Higgins (Philadelphia).

The four Executive Officer positions (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) were based on the standard chapter officer model of the early years, in the expectation there would be a need for a secretary and treasurer as the organization developed. In 2006, the Treasurer position was officially changed to a Public Relations position, as that was considered more realistic and meaningful.

Until 2011, all Executive Officer elections were held at the annual gatherings (first the International Conferences, with Chapter and Country Reps, then International Meetings, with only Country Reps). It took from the last International Meeting of JETAA-I 1.0 in 2011 until the end of 2013 for an online election process to be developed, even though chapters and countries had been using online voting for years.

In JETAA-I 1.0 the four Executive Officers were elected from the members of the Executive Committee (Country Reps). Motions to expand the candidate pool to Chapter Reps were debated but rejected over the years. The Executive Officers were considered to be a part of the Committee, as in a parliamentary system.

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JETAA-I 2.0 relaxed the requirement that officers be Country Reps. The number of Officers was reduced to the Chair and Vice Chair, as the other positions were not effectively used due to the lack of funding and activity. These two remaining positions were reorganised as an executive separate from the Committee, which serves as the legislative.

The Webmaster position was formalized, since 2.0 was envisioned as a largely online entity and not dependent upon physical meetings. A Board of Advisors was also added to provide support for the Officers and continuity for the organization.