Committee Chair Responsibilities

Most committee chairs are appointed by the APS President-Elect but are often suggested by the committee itself or recommended by the Committee on Committees. The committee chair sets the date, time, and place of meetings and prepares the agenda with the help of the appropriate APS staff member. The proposed agenda is distributed to the committee by the committee administrator in advance of the meeting, together with any working papers pertaining to the matters to be discussed. The chair conducts the committee meetings and guides the committee through the agenda items. A committee is most effective when activities continue between meetings. Additional APS help is available to a committee chair with:

• Planning committee meetings
• Scheduling conference calls
• Preparing and distributing minutes of meetings
• Distributing material to the committee whenever needed to keep members informed, particularly agenda material before a meeting

Committee chairs are asked to prepare a written annual report toward the end of a calendar year (late October), outlining the major activities and issues that were covered during the year. Committee chairs are occasionally invited once a year to an APS Board of Directors meeting to inform the Board of current committee issues and activities. This informal briefing serves as a good opportunity for two-way communication between the committee and the Board of Directors.