1.  MEMBERSHIP:

Membership is open to: 1) information systems security professionals, 2) professional trainers and educators, 3) managers responsible for information systems security training programs in federal agencies; (4) contractors providing awareness and training support to federal agencies; and, (5) faculty members of accredited educational institutions who are involved in information security training and education.

An eligible individual becomes a member upon application to FISSEA, or upon paid registration to attend the annual FISSEA conference.

There are no membership fees or dues.

2.  MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES:

a.  Members are responsible for submitting Executive Board nominations to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Liaison prior to the annual conference election. Nominations must have the concurrence of the candidate being proposed and shall consist of: nominees full name; agency, business, or education institution affiliation; position with the employing organization; phone number; facsimile number; e-mail address; and, a statement indicating how the individual will help promote the mission of FISSEA.

b.  Members will vote for the FISSEA Executive Board, to be elected at the annual conference by those who are registered and in attendance, each member having one vote.

c.  Members are encouraged to: serve as Chair, Assistant Chair, or other role on the Executive Board; serve as chair of a committee; volunteer for special project initiatives; work on the annual conference committee; and, may provide or make recommendations for presentations at the annual conference.

d.  Members are encouraged to submit nominations for the annual Educator of the Year award.

The Executive Board shall consist of eleven members who are elected by the membership to serve for a designated period of no more than two years. If the immediate Past Chair of the Executive Board is not elected, he or she has the option of serving on the Executive Board as an ex officio member for a period not to exceed two years.  The Executive Board Chair appoints the Conference Director. If the Conference Director is not an elected member of the Board, he or she serves as an ex officio member of the Executive Board for a period of one year. No more than two people from the same government agency, contractor, or academic institution may serve as elected members of the Board at the same time

a.  Members-at-Large. Members-at-large normally serve two-year staggered terms so that only about one-half of the Executive Board is subject to being replaced at the same time through the annual election process. Members-at-large are expected to attend meetings regularly and assist the Board in fulfilling FISSEA's mission and objectives. There are no restrictions on residency or terms of service.

b.  Chair. The newly constituted Executive Board, at an Executive Board meeting immediately following the FISSEA Annual Conference, shall elect the Chair. The chair serves a one-year term, but may be reelected for subsequent terms. The Chair must be employed by a Federal agency when elected and have a residence and primary duty station within the United States. The Chair convenes and chairs Executive Board meetings. The Chair, in consultation with the Board, identifies, solicits, assigns and/or designates resources required to accomplish FISSEA's mission and objectives. The Chair also holds ex officio membership on the Federal Computer Security Program Managers Forum Steering Committee as the official representative of FISSEA. The Chair may not vote on any FISSEA issues except in the case of a tie. The Chair may appoint a designated FISSEA representative, who must also be a federal agency employee, in the event neither the Chair nor Assistant Chair can fulfill his/her specific duties and/or responsibilities as defined in these bylaws.

c.  Assistant Chair. The Assistant Chair, also elected by the Executive Board at the meeting immediately following the annual conference, will serve a one-year term, but may be re-elected for subsequent terms. The Assistant Chair is empowered to fulfill all the duties and responsibilities of the Chair in his/her absence and must be a federal agency employee who resides in the greater Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area if the Chair does not. The Assistant Chair may vote on all issues except when serving in the absence of the elected Chair.

d.  Conference Director. The Conference Director is appointed by the Executive Board Chair. The Conference Director convenes and chairs the FISSEA Conference Program Committee, as described in these bylaws. The Conference Director consults with the Executive Board regularly and works closely with the Board and NIST personnel to ensure that the Conference Program Committee effectively and efficiently fulfills its objectives and any specific tasks assigned by the Board.

4.  EXECUTIVE BOARD FUNCTIONS:

a. The Executive Board shall meet at least bi-monthly to coordinate the work of committees and to attend to other internal business. The Chair may call additional sessions as required. The meetings will be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order.

b. The Executive Board shall approve and direct liaison functions with external professional associations in the broader federal information management (IM) / information technology (IT) arena in order to promote information systems security awareness, training, and education as functions integral to IM/IT.

5.  EXECUTIVE BOARD NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS:

Nominations shall be requested from the membership in writing at least 30 days in advance of the annual conference. The Executive Board will inform the membership of the number of vacancies and encourage members to review these bylaws before submitting nominations. Any FISSEA member may make additional nominations from the floor only during the designated period, with the pre-approval of such nominee. The election of the Executive Board shall take place by secret ballot during the conference. Election results will be announced prior to the adjournment of the conference, and will be published in the newsletter and on the web site.

6.  EXECUTIVE BOARD VACANCIES:

The Chair shall appoint a replacement from the general membership in cases of unexpected Executive Board resignations or vacancies. This appointment will continue for the duration of the term of the Member-at-Large position that was vacated. At the discretion of the Executive Board Chair, FISSEA members may be appointed to serve on the Executive Board if fewer than eight members have been elected to fill the Board vacancies.

Various committees (e.g., a Standards committee) may be established by the Executive Board from time to time to accomplish the objectives of the FISSEA. The Conference Program Committee is the only permanent committee.

Conference Program Committee. The Conference Program Committee plans the theme and agenda of the annual FISSEA conference; obtains and works with speakers/workshop leaders; coordinates plans with the NIST liaison to ensure appropriate administrative and logistical arrangements are being accomplished; solicits conference evaluations from attendees; and, submits a post-conference evaluation report to the Executive Board which may include planning recommendations for future conferences.

8.  ADMINISTRATION:

The NIST will appoint an individual to serve as NIST Liaison and to provide administrative support for FISSEA activities.

a. NIST will provide the administrative and logistical services necessary to support FISSEA, and make arrangements for and carry out the annual FISSEA Conference.

b. The NIST Liaison will be the repository of the official FISSEA stationary, files, and archives.

9. ANNUAL CONFERENCE: 

The Chair shall call for an annual conference on Information Systems Security awareness, training, and education. The conference shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements: a program of formal presentations and/or workshops; informal sessions promoting information interchange (e.g., "Speak Out", "Birds of a Feather"); presentation of the Educator of the Year Award; and official business sessions, to include the annual election of the Executive Board. 

10.  EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD:

a.  The FISSEA Educator of the Year (EOY) Award recognizes an
individual or group that has made significant contributions in awareness, training, and education programs for information systems security. Candidates for Educator of the Year award must to be nominated by a FISSEA member, but do not need to be members of FISSEA. Nominees should be outstanding as practitioners who advance the role and effectiveness of awareness, training, and education programs for information system security in the federal community, or as promoters of information systems security awareness, training, and education, but are not limited to those whose primary job responsibilities are awareness, training, and education. Nominees will be judged by an ad hoc committee, appointed by the Chair. Nominations must include: the full name of the individual being nominated; agency, business, or education institution affiliation; position with the employing organization; phone number; and, a statement signed by the nominator(s) indicating what the individual has accomplished and how those accomplishments warrant consideration of the individual for this award.

b.  The recipient of the EOY award will receive appropriate recognition at the Conference, and will be provided with a complimentary registration for the next FISSEA Conference.

11.  AMENDMENTS:

These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the attending members during an official business session held at the annual FISSEA conference.

(Last modified on March 22, 2005)
 
^1. A quotation from Christa McAuliff, the teacher-astronaut who perished in the Challenger spacecraft disaster in 1986, has been adopted as the FISSEA motto.