WSAVT Demographic Representation Board Member Proposal

The Washington State Association of Veterinary Technicians (WSAVT) is committed to our mission of representing veterinary technicians in Washington State. To ensure we deliver on our commitment in a meaningful and actionable way, we are expanding our executive board.

Please see the proposed bylaws changes and description of action below.

Proposed Bylaws Change:

Demographic Representation Board Positions

These new rules are outlined in the bylaws under Article IV, section 4, with minor edits to Article IV, section 1.  

The WSAVT Executive Board may solicit and appoint up to three (3) members to join the executive board annually.

Following the board’s annual general election and transition meeting, the board may survey the newly elected executive board & committee members to evaluate the board’s current demographic representation. The board may review the survey results and identify areas of opportunity to broaden the demographic representation of its executive board.

1. The WSAVT executive board may appoint up to three (3) demographic representation members at any time of the year.
2. The executive board may appoint these members by a majority vote.
3. The appointed board members will be full, voting members of the executive board, and will hold the title of “Executive Board Member”.
4. The appointed board members may, and should be encouraged to, run for additional roles on the board in the next regular election.
   1. If these board members do not run for an additional role on the board, the term is 1 year in length.
   2. The appointed board members may be appointed for additional terms based on the demographic representation needs of the newly elected executive board.
5. The executive board may opt not to appoint additional board members if indicated (ex: no persons were identified, no persons accepted the invitation to join, no perceived gaps in demographic representation were identified, etc.).
6. Solicitations for demographic representation board member positions may be made by word of mouth, using social media, or by the board’s current communication outreach means.
7. Demographic representation needs should be frequently reviewed for relevance, but may include:
   1. Area of practice, type of veterinary setting, employed by a privately owned or corporate entity, ethnicity and race, age, gender identity, LGBTQ+ status, service in the armed forces, etc.

Description and summary of action:

Following the WSAVT’s annual general elections and the transition meeting, the newly elected board members will be asked to complete an (anonymous and voluntary) survey to identify the WSAVT executive board’s current areas of demographic representation. The WSAVT board will review the results of this survey to identify areas of opportunity and consider recruiting board members to ensure our board delivers on the mission to represent veterinary technicians in Washington State.

The survey includes questions captured on the WSAVT Salary & Demographic Survey, which is sent to all Licensed Veterinary Technicians in Washington State. The content and structure of this survey, as well as the WSAVT Salary & Demographic Survey, should be reviewed regularly to ensure both relevance and consistency.

Following review of the survey, including evaluation and potential identification of demographic representation needs, the WSAVT may solicit for and appoint three additional executive board members. When appointed, these board members are full voting members of the executive board with a 1-year term.

These three newly appointed executive board members could consider and run for another role on the WSAVT executive board in the general elections the following year, and in doing so would open up additional opportunities represent as many veterinary technicians as possible and maintain a robust executive board.

Our goal is to ensure the WSAVT continues to serve the best interests of veterinary technicians in our beautiful state, and we look forward to extending our reach.

Thank you!

The WSAVT Executive Board