Bylaws & Governance Policies
Bylaws
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, NESEA is governed by a set of bylaws which has been amended from time-to-time to address our emerging structure. You can read the most current version of these bylaws here.
Governance Policy
The NESEA Governance Policy was adopted in 2008 to recognize the primary obligation of the Board as one of governance, not day-to-day management. These policies are intended to clarify the relationship between the Board and the Executive Director and Staff – essentially recognizing the Executive Director as a true and full-functioning executive, responsible for program development and business management while establishing the Board as the responsible entity for formulating a strategic vision and evaluating the Director’s capacity to implement and manage programs to realize that vision and policy objectives.
Our shorthand for this division of labor is that the Board is responsible for the “What” and the “Why,” while the Staff (under the Executive Director’s leadership) is responsible for the “How.”
This two-part policy document includes the following sections:
- Governance process policies that describe the role of the NESEA Board of Directors and, to a limited extent, the board’s relationship with the Executive Director.
- Board–Executive Director linkage policies that describe the relationship between the board and the Executive Director.
Investment and Disbursement Policy
This document defines the purpose of NESEA's Endowment Fund, establishes guidelines for the management of the organization's investments, and also provides the Exectuive Director with a framework for the use of dividends and proceeds from NESEA's investment accounts.
Our Mission
NESEA advances sustainability practices in the built environment by cultivating a cross-disciplinary community where practitioners are encouraged to share, collaborate and learn.