BYLAWS OF WOODSTOCK HISTORY CENTER, INC., Amended 7/19/23

ARTICLE I, Name and Location

The name of this Corporation shall be the Woodstock History Center, Inc., hereafter referred to as WHC. Its principal office shall be at Woodstock, in the County of Windsor, State of Vermont.

ARTICLE II, Membership 

Section 1.  Members.  The members of the organization shall consist of the members who pay dues or receive a complimentary membership.

Section 2.   Membership Dues and Duties.  The annual membership dues of the organization shall be fixed by the Executive Director and President. The board of trustees shall elect members to serve on the board of trustees of the WHC. Trustees must be members of the WHC.  

ARTICLE III, Trustees

Section 1.   Powers of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees has authority to manage the affairs of the WHC. In the management and control of the property and affairs of the Corporation, the Board of Trustees is invested with all the powers of the WHC itself, with the exception that the Board cannot convey title to real estate unless specifically authorized and empowered by vote of the membership and cannot perform the enumerated duties of the members.

Section 2.   Number of Trustees.   The number of Trustees of the Corporation shall be not less than twelve nor more than twenty-one.

Section 3.   Election Term of Trustees.  The Trustees shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Trustees. Each Trustee shall hold office until the third annual meeting. No employee of the Corporation may be elected as a Trustee of the Corporation.

Section 4.   Limitation on Consecutive Terms.   No Trustee shall be elected to serve in more than two consecutive terms, nor shall a former Trustee be re-elected to serve as a Trustee thereafter until after a two-year hiatus.  Interim elections by the Trustees under Section 5, below, shall not be considered a term for the purposes of this section.

Section 5.   Vacancies.   Vacancies occurring on the Board of Trustees for any reason may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Trustees.

Section 6.   Resignations.   Any Trustee may resign from office at any time by delivering a resignation in writing to the Corporation.

Section 7. Under extenuating circumstances, a trustee may request a temporary leave of absence from the board deemed valid by a majority of the board. A trustee on leave is not considered a vacancy on the board and may not vote by proxy.

Section 8. Any trustee who has a potential or real conflict of interest with matters before the Board shall recuse himself or herself from participating in any Board meeting or part of meeting wherein the matter is discussed or acted upon.

Section 9. If a Board Member fails to participate either in person or via teleconference for three consecutive, regular board meetings, or four board meetings in any one 12-month period, they shall have tendered their resignation. It is the responsibility of the trustee to place the teleconference call at the beginning of each board meeting.

ARTICLE IV, Corporate Action

Section 1.   Meetings.   Election of officers shall occur at the annual meeting of the Trustees. Meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held either in person or by other means whenever called by the President or by at least one-third of the Trustees.

Section 2. Quorum: A majority of the Board of Trustees, which may vary in number from 12 to 21 Trustees, shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business, except that any Trustee on a leave of absence shall not be counted. In the absence of a quorum, those present at the time and place set for the meeting may adjourn the meeting until a quorum shall be present.  No notice of any such adjournment need be given.

Section 3.   Notice of Meetings.  Notice of each meeting of the Trustees, stating the date, hour and place of meeting, shall be given by appropriate means not less than seven days before the meeting.

Section 4.  Action without Meeting.  Any action required by law or by these Bylaws to be taken at a meeting of the Trustees, or any action which may properly be taken at such meeting, may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all the Trustees then in office.  Such consent shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees at a duly called meeting thereof, provided that such written consent is inserted in the Minutes book. There will be no vote by proxy.

ARTICLE V, Officers

Section 1. General Provisions.  The officers of the Corporation shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer.  All officers shall be selected from members of the Board of Trustees.  Additionally, the officers of the Corporation may include one or more Assistant Secretaries, one or more Assistant Treasurers, and such other officers as the Board of Trustees at any meeting shall from time to time determine, and whose duties the Board of Trustees shall have the power to enumerate in a manner not inconsistent with the provisions of applicable law, the Articles of Association, or these Bylaws.  All officers shall be elected annually at the annual meeting of the Trustees.  It is the sense of the organization to, ideally, elect assistant officers from the Board Members who have served two (2) years and promote such officers to the full position after serving as assistant for two (2) years.  The Board of Trustees shall have the discretion to vary this schedule and may extend the term of any officer.  The President, specifically, may serve up to three (3) years and his/her term may extend beyond the expiration of his/her Trusteeship, notwithstanding the provisions of Article III, Section 4.  Any two or more officers may be held by the same person, except the offices of President and Secretary.  All officers shall hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees, and may be removed by the Board, either with or without cause.  A vacancy in any office may be filled by the Board of Trustees at any meeting.

Section 2.   Powers and Duties of the President.  The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation and shall have general supervision over the business of the Corporation and over its officers, subject, however, to the control of the Board of Trustees.  The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Trustees at which he or she shall be present.  Except as otherwise provided by these Bylaws, or by resolution duly adopted at any meeting, the President shall sign for the Corporation all deeds and formal instruments. The President shall be a member of all committees of the Board, but the President shall be under no obligation to attend committee meetings and shall not be counted to determine the number necessary to make a quorum or to determine whether a quorum is present.

Section 3.   Powers and Duties of the Vice President.   The Vice President shall be a member of the Board of Trustees and shall discharge such functions as may be assigned to him or her by the President, or the Board of Trustees.  In the absence or disability of the President, the Vice President shall perform all the duties and exercise all the powers of the President.

Section 4.   Powers and Duties of the Secretary.   The Secretary shall perform all the duties incident to the office and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board or the President.  The Secretary shall determine the institutional records are properly maintained as prescribed by law.

Section 5.   Powers and Duties of the Treasurer.   The Treasurer shall oversee the financial assets of the Corporation as prescribed by the financial policy established by the Board of Trustees. The withdrawal of funds or securities shall be made only on the signature of the Treasurer or of any other person or persons who are authorized to withdraw funds or securities by the Board of Trustees.  The Treasurer shall perform all the duties incident to the proper performance of the office, and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.  The Treasurer shall report to the Trustees at regular and special meetings of the Board of Trustees.

Section 6.   Executive Director.   The Board of Trustees may employ an Executive Director who, under the general supervision of the Board of Trustees, to which he or she shall report, shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Corporation and select committees or those appointed by the Board, implementing its policies and managing its programs.  The Executive Director shall be a principal spokesperson for the Corporation.  He or she shall have full authority to employ, supervise, and terminate personnel for the Corporation.

He or she shall have the right to attend all meetings of the Corporation, the Board of Trustees, and the Executive Committee that are not declared by the President to be "executive sessions", but shall not be entitled to vote.

ARTICLE VI, Committees 

Section 1.   Executive Committee.   There shall be an Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees consisting of the officers and one other trustee. The members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the Board at the annual meeting each year and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board. The President shall be Chairman of the Executive Committee.  A vacancy in the Executive Committee may be filled by the Board of Trustees at any meeting.

A majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  The Executive Committee shall have all powers of the Board of Trustees when the Board is not in session, except that it shall have no authority as to the following matters:

(a)    the election, appointment or removal from office of any Trustee or officer of the Corporation;

(b)    the amendment, alteration or repeal of any provision of the Bylaws of the Corporation; 

(c)     the election, appointment or removal of any member of any committee of the Corporation;

(d)    the amendment or restatement, in whole or in part, of the Articles of Association of the Corporation;

(e)    the adoption of a plan of merger or consolidation of the Corporation with any other corporation;

(f)     the authorization of the sale, lease, exchange or mortgage of all or substantially all of the Corporation's property and assets;

(g)    the authorization of the voluntary dissolution of the Corporation or the revocation of proceedings for the dissolution of the Corporation;

(h)   the adoption of any plan of distribution of the assets of the Corporation; nor

(i)      the amendment, alteration, or repeal of any resolution of the Board of Trustees which by its terms provides that it shall not be amended, altered, or repealed by such committee.

The Executive Committee evaluates the performance, compensation, and benefits of the Executive Director. The Executive Committee shall report its actions to the Board of Trustees no later than the next meeting of that Board. 

Section 2.   Finance Committee.   There shall be a Finance Committee consisting of not less than three nor more than seven persons, at least three of whom shall be members of the Board of Trustees. The members of the Finance Committee shall be appointed by the President and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Chairman of the Finance Committee shall be the Treasurer.  A vacancy in the Finance Committee may be filled by the President at any time.

The Finance Committee shall assist the Treasurer in overseeing the financial record keeping and recommending changes, when appropriate, to the Board; advise the Treasurer on the investment of the WHC’s endowment and other funds, restricted and unrestricted; propose an investment policy statement for adoption by the Board and subsequent changes thereto; assist the Executive Director in the preparation of the annual budget for presentation to the Board; monitor receipts, expenditures, and investment statements during the year and reporting the same to the Executive Director and the Board.

Section 3.   Committee on Trustees.   The President shall annually appoint a Committee on Trustees of three to five members from among the Trustees whose terms are not expiring.  The Committee on Trustees shall (1) recommend to the Trustees persons to serve as trustees on an interim basis under Article III, Section 5; (2) recommend to the members persons to serve as trustees for full and remaining terms; (3) recommend to the Trustees persons to serve as officers for full and interim terms; (4) define the role and requirements of Trustees; (5) work on behalf of the board to address trustee issues. 

Section 4. At least one Collections Committee shall be established by the Board of Trustees as a standing committee to review and act upon the recommendations of the Executive Director in regard to the accession or deaccession of objects by the WHC. The committee shall consist of a minimum of seven people, including at least one staff member; a quorum of seven is required to conduct business. A majority vote of those present is required for making decisions. The Committee shall be chaired by a member of the Board. Non-Board members with appropriate expertise in stewardship, curatorship and management may be on the Collections Committee. The Collections Committee(s) shall meet at a minimum of once a quarter. Updates on current collections activities should be given at these meetings.

Section 5. Other Committees.  The Board of Trustees may by resolution provide for additional committees such as Long Range Planning, Development, and other needs as need may arise and may delegate to such committees such powers as it shall deem desirable, except the powers set forth in Section 1 to the Executive Committee.

Article VII, Indemnification

Section 1.  General.  Except as otherwise specifically prohibited by law, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a trustee, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as director, officer, employee or agent of other enterprise, against expenses (including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he or she acted in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.  The termination of any action, suit or proceeding, judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or on a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.

Section 2.  Insurance.  The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a trustee, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation, as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify him or her against such liability under the provisions of this Article.

ARTICLE VIII, General Fiscal Provisions

Section 1. Transfer and Assignment of Securities.   The Treasurer or the President of the Corporation shall have authority to execute such form of transfer and assignment as may be customary or necessary to constitute a transfer of stocks, bonds, or other securities standing in the name of or belonging to the Corporation.

Section 2. The Corporation may draw from the endowment fund for financial needs based on the recommendation of the Finance Committee as approved by the Board of Trustees. The Board should exercise prudence and concern to maintain the long-term financial viability of the endowment fund.

Section 3.   Fiscal Year.   The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be a calendar year.

Section 4.   Fiscal and Social Policy.    No part of the net earnings of the Corporation shall inure to the benefit of any member, trustee, officer of the Corporation, or any private individual (except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for the Corporation affecting one or more of its purposes), and no member, trustee, officer of the Corporation or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the corporate assets on dissolution of the Corporation.  No substantial part of the activities of the Corporation shall attempt to influence legislation, and the Corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publication or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, the Corporation shall not conduct or carry on any activities not permitted to be conducted or carried on by an organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and its Regulations as they exist from time to time, or by an organization’s contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of such Code and Regulations as they exist from time to time.

It is the policy of the Corporation to operate without discrimination with respect to race, national origin, religion, age, color, or sex in relation to the services provided by the Corporation and the recruitment, hiring, and retention of employees and serving on the Corporation's Board of Trustees or committees. 

Section 5.   Dissolution.   A voluntary dissolution of the Corporation shall be carried out in accordance with Subchapter 7 of Title 11 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated or its successor provisions in effect at the time of such voluntary dissolution.  Upon the dissolution of the Corporation, or the winding up of its affairs, the assets of the Corporation shall be distributed exclusively to charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational organizations which would then qualify under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and its Regulations as they exist from time to time.  If the membership shall fail to agree upon a governmental or non-profit organization which agrees to carry on as closely as possible the work of the Woodstock History Center, or is unable to locate one, the Woodstock History Center shall apply to the appropriate court of the State of Vermont to decree the net assets of the Woodstock History Center to another entity under the doctrine of "cy pres".

ARTICLE IX, Rules of Order

The proceedings of the Corporation and its Board of Trustees shall be governed by Roberts' Rules of Order.

ARTICLE X, Amendments

Section 1.   Amendment of the Articles of Association.  The Articles of Association of the Corporation may be amended at any meeting of the Trustees by the affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum, provided that written notice has been sent to each trustee of the Corporation stating the nature of such proposed action.

Section 2.   Amendment of the Bylaws.   These Bylaws may be amended or repealed, and new Bylaws may be adopted at any meeting of the Trustees by the affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum, provided that written notice has been sent to each trustee of the Corporation stating the nature of such proposed action.