1. Regular membership: dues within the U.S. and outside the U.S.
2. Student membership: dues for full-time students, within and outside the U.S.
3. Sponsoring membership: for individuals, state foreign language organizations, publishers, American Associations of Teachers organizations, and schools that support our mission
4. Life membership

Article II. Election of Officers

Section A. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the members voting by mail ballot. The Immediate Past President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall appoint AND CHAIR a Nominating Committee of not less than three members to present nominations, which will be placed on the ballots. No member of the Executive Board, other than the Immediate Past President, shall serve on the Nominating Committee. In addition, write-in candidates will be accepted on the mail ballots. The newly elected officers shall assume their duties at the organization's Annual Meeting of the Executive Board.
Section B. A vacancy in any office, except that of President and First Vice President, shall be filled by an appointment of the President. The First Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency and the Second Vice President shall succeed to First Vice President, except in the case when s/he has been appointed to that position. In that case, the President or First Vice President shall be elected by the membership in a special election.
Section C. Retiring elected officers cannot be nominated for another elected office for a period of four years following the completion of their term.

Article III. Duties of Officers

Section A. The President will be the official representative of the organization, will oversee all aspects of the organization, and will preside at all meetings. The President will call meetings of the Executive Board and appoint Committee Chairs, regional representatives, and the Executive Secretary to carry out the business of the organization. The President will act for the organization between meetings of the Executive Board and will keep the Executive Board informed on matters pertinent to the organization. The term of the President is for one year. Following that year, s/he serves on the Executive Board for one year as the Immediate Past President. The president plans and implements the agenda for the annual meeting of the Executive Board in conjunction with the First Vice President. The President's duty is to plan the old business portion of the annual meeting agenda of the Executive Board.
Section B. The First Vice President will preside in the absence of the President and will succeed to the Presidency either if a vacancy occurs or when the President's term ends. S/he is responsible for organizing the new business portion of the Annual Meeting agenda of the Executive Board. The term of the First Vice President is for one year. The First Vice President oversees all standing committees and solicits committee reports.
Section C. The Second Vice President will succeed to the position of First Vice President either if a vacancy occurs or when the First Vice President's term ends. S/he is responsible for coordinating NNELL activities with regional and state foreign language conferences. The term of the Second Vice President is for one year. The Second Vice President serves as the primary liaison for the regional representatives.
Section D. The Secretary will keep the minutes of all meetings and be responsible for mailings to the members and correspondence to the Executive Board officers. S/he shall record and distribute to the Executive Board and membership the minutes of all Executive Board meetings. The Secretary is also responsible for maintaining and updating the historical records of the organization. The term of the Secretary is for two years.
Section E. The Treasurer will be responsible for all funds of the organization. The Treasurer will prepare annual financial reports for approval of the Executive Board. The term of the Treasurer is for two years. In addition, the treasurer shall:

1. Keep permanent books of account and records sufficient to establish the items of gross income, receipts and disbursements of the organization, including specifically, the number of members and the dues collected.
2. Pay all bills and disbursements incurred by the organization.
3. File all papers or forms necessary pertaining to federal or state income tax as needed to maintain nonprofit status.

Section F. The Immediate Past President shall serve as a liaison to other organizations of
similar goals to keep NNELL and the other organizations mutually informed of activities. S/he will serve for one year as Immediate Past President. The immediate Past President also oversees the adherence to the bylaws, chairs the nominating committee, and serves as the organization's representative to the ACTFL Delegate Assembly.

The Executive Secretary will be appointed by the President, with approval of the Executive Board, for a renewable two-year appointment. The Executive Secretary is responsible for maintaining the organization's membership list and answering inquiries about early language learning. S/he is responsible for the receipt of membership dues of the organization and deposits them in the financial organization approved by the Executive Board. The Executive Secretary works closely with the Treasurer in the management of the organization's budget.

Article V. Editor-in-Chief of the Official Publication

The Editor-in-Chief of the official publication will be appointed by the President, with approval of the Executive Board, for a renewable three-year appointment.
The Editor-in-Chief will be responsible for the preparation of at least three issues of the official publication each school year -- fall, winter, and spring. The Editor-in-Chief will report to the Executive Board concerning the content and deadlines of the publication.
The Editor-in-Chief will appoint Contributing Editors and will reaffirm or select new Contributing Editors annually in May. The Contributing Editors will be selected from the membership. The Editor-in-Chief will decide the content of the publication, establish and supervise the refereeing of articles, establish deadlines, supervise the work of the Contributing Editors, utilize and supervise a professional typist, a proofreading/editorial service, the printing and mailing of the publication, and the disbursement of funds for the publication process.
The Editor-in-Chief will receive an honorarium for the work as Editor. The amount of the honorarium will be determined by the Executive Board.

Article VI. Standing Committees

Section A. The Nominating Committee will present a slate of candidates for each vacant office for the election of officers and will prepare a ballot that includes a short description of each candidate's qualifications.
Section B. The Membership Committee will present to the Executive Board suggestions for appropriate activities to increase the membership of the organization.
Section C. The Bylaws Committee will study all proposed changes in the Constitution and Bylaws and report to the Executive Board with recommendations for appropriate wording and actions on proposals.
Section D. The Exhibits/Conference Committee will organize and coordinate exhibits and NNELL presentations at the ACTFL Annual Conference/Convention. Additionally, the Exhibits/Conference Committee will serve as a resource for other professional meetings.
Section E. The Political Action and Public Awareness Advocacy Committee will organize and promote early foreign language learning at the local, state, and national level.

Article VII. Amendments

Section A. A proposed amendment may be submitted to the membership by: (1) a majority vote of the Executive Board or (2) a petition signed by 30 members of the organization.
Section B. A proposed amendment will appear in the official publication prior to dissemination of ballots.
Section C. The bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Executive Board and by subsequent ratification by two-thirds of the membership responding by mail ballot.

Article VIII. Length of Service for Regional and State Representatives and Committee                       Chairpersons

The length of service for regional and state representatives and committee chairpersons shall be three years. Appointments will be staggered. They will commence their positions at the annual meeting of the Executive Board and terminate their positions three years later at the annual meeting of the Executive Board. In the final year of their appointment, the regional representatives may request reappointment or suggest the appointment of a state representative who will act as their assistant regional representative for the final year of their term. This individual will be considered for appointment to the position of regional representative the following year.

Schedule for Appointments (Not official part of By-Laws):

• Northeast and SCOLT Regional Representatives appointed in 2000 (and every three years after that)
• Central States, SWCOLT and PNCFL Regional Representatives appointed in 2001 (and every three years after that)
• Committee chairs appointed in 2002 (and every three years after that)

To begin the staggering, the following schedule will be followed:

• The Northeast and SCOLT State Representatives appointed in 2001 for a three-year term
• The Central States, SWCOLT and PNCFL State Representatives appointed in 2002 for a three-year term

NNELL Constitution and Bylaws
Ratified by members 11/93, changes approved spring 2001