Question: One officer holding two board positions?

Our president resigned in October for personal reasons and we are not quite sure what to do. All of us in the PTO have held the president position, some of us more than once over the years. We don’t have a lot of new parents knocking down our door to step up to the challenge, and the one person who is willing already holds the vice president position. She is capable of doing both this and her other duties in our group. We are all willing to pull together until the year is over, but we don’t want to get in trouble by not having a current president or because our vice president holds two positions.

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Advice from PTO Today

Elly writes:

You’d have to consult your bylaws for how to move an officer from one title and one set of responsibilities to another. Usually, groups hold an election to make it official after giving parents advance written notice. (Again, your bylaws may spell out requirements, so check there first.)

Right now is a good time to recruit seasoned volunteers to take that vice president position next year. Don’t expect new parents to come knocking down your doors; you have to knock on theirs! Try folks who have been in roles of responsibility in the past, such as a volunteer coordinator, carnival chair, or family fun night coordinator. And let them know you’ll be there to help them succeed in this position.

In the meantime, if no one steps up, it’s OK to leave the vice president position vacant while your new president temporarily takes over the duties of both jobs. Good luck!