Revised 03.01.2025

Table of Contents

Article I. Name

This National Activity Council shall be known as the Safety, Education and Instruction Council (SEIC) of the American Canoe Association (ACA). In these operating procedures, whenever the acronym SEIC appears, it shall be taken to mean the ACA Safety, Education and Instruction Council.

Article II. Mission

The Safety, Education and Instruction Council's mission is to develop and implement effective paddlesports safety, education and instructional programs and materials that inform, train and serve the public at all skill levels and in all aspects of paddlesports. The SEIC Board shall represent the interests of Instructors, Instructor Trainers, Instructor Trainer Educators, and SEIC Discipline Committees to the ACA National Board of Directors.

Article III. Governance

The Safety, Education and Instruction Council (SEIC) is established by the ACA National Board of Directors as an integral part of the ACA to coordinate major programs and activities in the areas of safety, education and instruction on behalf of the ACA.

The SEIC operates under the authority of the ACA National Bylaws and the ACA National Board of Directors. All programs, plans and policies developed by the SEIC Board shall be subject to final authority of the ACA National Board of Directors.

The SEIC is composed of all currently certified ACA Instructors, Instructor Trainers, and Instructor Trainer Educators whose dues are also current.

The SEIC Board, has voting authority, and is composed of elected and appointed individuals and represents the SEIC.

The SEIC Executive Committee is composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and At-Large Member.

The SEIC Standards Committee is composed of the SEIC Executive Committee and the appropriate Discipline Chair.

1. The SEIC Board is composed of voting and non-voting members.
2. Voting members of the SEIC Board must be current ACA members and currently certified Instructors, Instructor Trainers or Instructor Trainer Educators. The exception is the Presidential appointee from the ACA National Board of Directors.
3. Non-voting members of the SEIC Board are composed of liaison members from other appropriate organizations.
4. The voting members of the SEIC Board may consist of:
   • Chair
   • Vice Chair
   • Secretary
   • At-Large
   • One (1) National Board of Director appointed by the ACA National Board President
   • One (1) appointment by the SEIC Board Chair
   • Two (2) International Representatives
   • Two (2) At-Large members
   • The Chair of each Discipline Committee
5. Elections and Appointments for the SEIC Board
   1. Officers
      1. Officers of the SEIC Board shall be selected from among currently certified Instructors, Instructor Trainers and Instructor Trainer Educators in good standing in even numbered years by ballot of the SEIC Board distributed and tabulated at the SEIC Board Meeting either prior to or at the ACA Annual Membership Meeting
      2. The SEIC Chair must be either a current Instructor Trainer or Instructor Trainer Educator in good standing
      3. The SEIC Chair must be elected by the SEIC Board prior to the ACA Annual Membership Meeting so that he/she may be placed on the ACA Board of Directors Ballot for member election as directed by the timeframe listed in the ACA National Bylaws and ACA Board Policy Gov-011 Electronic Voting Process
      4. SEIC Board members unable to attend the meeting may vote for officers by phone, email, or other electronic means, with such votes tabulated by the SEIC Secretary and ACA National Office Staff
      5. Vacancies in SEIC Board Officer positions that may occur between scheduled elections shall be filled by ballot of the SEIC Board. Ballots may be distributed in person, by mail, by email, or by other electronic means
      6. Upon election to SEIC Board office, the officer’s prior position on the SEIC Board shall be vacant and open for re-election. If a re-election is not practical, the SEIC Board Chair may appoint a replacement to finish out the remainder of the current term
   2. Appointment by the ACA National Board President
      1. ACA National Bylaws: (see Article XI.1.B)
      2. One (1) National Board of Directors appointed by the President
      3. Occur at the discretion of the current ACA Board President
      4. Appointments last for 1 year, ending on December 31
      5. Individuals may be re-appointed for consecutive years
      6. Upon a change in the ACA Board President, the current appointees will finish out their term
   3. Appointment by the SEIC Board Chair
      1. Appointments may begin on January 1st
      2. Appointments last for 1 year, ending on December 31
      3. Individuals may be re-appointed for consecutive years
      4. Upon a change in the SEIC Board Chair, the current appointees will finish out their term
   4. Discipline Committee Chairs
      1. See Article VI.6.a and b
   5. At-Large Members
      1. A call for nominations will occur in the fall of odd numbered years, facilitated by the SEIC Board Chair and the ACA National Office
      2. Nominees must be SEIC members in good standing
      3. Nominees will be required to provide: name, phone, email address, and a biography
      4. By electronic ballot of current SEIC members, facilitated by the ACA National Office, the election will take place in the fall of odd numbered years
      5. In the event the At-Large positions are unable to be filled, the SEIC Board Chair may appoint them
   6. International Representatives
      1. A call for nominations will occur in the fall of odd numbered years, facilitated by the SEIC Board Chair and the ACA National Office
      2. Nominees must be SEIC members in good standing and reside outside of the United States
      3. Nominees will be required to provide: name, phone, email and a biography
      4. By electronic ballot of current SEIC members facilitated by the ACA National Office, the election will take place in the fall of odd numbered years
      5. In the event the International Representative positions are unable to be filled, the SEIC Board Chair may appoint them
   7. Non-voting Liaison Members
      1. A non-voting liaison member from another organization can be brought onto the SEIC Board by a majority vote of the SEIC Board
6. All elected SEIC Board terms of membership or office shall be for two years, beginning 1 January after election with the exception of the SEIC Board Chair. The SEIC Board Chair will be seated as per the ACA National Bylaws.
   1. If a Discipline Committee Chair is unable to attend a SEIC Board meeting, the Discipline Committee may send a substitute representative member. The Discipline Committee Chair must notify the SEIC Board Chair or Secretary prior to the meeting, in writing, to declare the approved substitute representative.
   2. The status of an entity without representation at two consecutive meetings will change from Active to Advisory status and not be considered part of the quorum count. Advisory members attending a meeting automatically convert to Active status.
   3. In the case of a vacancy or in the event of resignation or removal of a member per ACA National Bylaws from the SEIC Board, the SEIC Board Chair will request the affected Discipline Committee to select a replacement before appointing one. For other voting members, the SEIC Board Chair will appoint one.
   4. By a 2/3 vote of the SEIC Board, a voting member may be removed for cause. In such event, written notice for the intended action shall be included in the meeting agenda and the SEIC board member in question shall be given the opportunity for rebuttal.
   5. In the event of a tie in any SEIC Board or SEIC Board Committee election, the SEIC Board Chair will cast the deciding vote. If the SEIC Board Chair has already voted on the matter, or is unable to cast the deciding vote, the President of the ACA Board of Directors will cast the deciding vote. If the SEIC Board Chair is also the President of the ACA Board of Directors, then the Vice-chair of the ACA Board of Directors will cast the deciding vote, followed by the Secretary then Treasurer.
   6. Any potential or existing conflict of interest between an ACA or SEIC interest and an individual SEIC Board member must be disclosed at the first SEIC Board meeting of each year, or when such conflict arises. Where duality exists, the individual may state opinion but may not vote.