Home » Governance » Governance Manual » Section V. Chief Executive Officer

Section V. Chief Executive Officer

The CEO is the administrative head of the organization. The CEO ensures the fiscal and legal compliance of the organization while supporting the vision and leadership of the Officers and Council. The CEO is responsible for ensuring the operations and vitality of SAA. Their responsibilities include the duties listed below, which may be their direct responsibility or may be assigned to members of SAA staff.

A. Duties1

  1. Administration
    1. Administers the Society’s affairs; recruits, hires, mentors, supports, and manages the SAA staff to accomplish the goals and deliverables of the Society. .
    2. Communicates with the officers, Executive Committee, and Council of the condition of the Society and all important factors influencing it.
    3. Oversees the Society's operational affairs; supports the Council and component groups, and fosters SAA's relationships with allied organizations.
    4. Executes contracts and commitments authorized by the Council or by established policies of the Society.
    5. Attends all meetings of the Council and of the Executive Committee as a nonvoting member,.
    6. Ensures the meeting minutes are recorded and distributed in a timely way, and oversees execution of Council decisions..
    7. Presents an annual report on the activities of the Society at the Annual Meeting and ensures the minutes of the Annual Business Meeting.are recorded and distributed.
    8. Directs and coordinates all approved programs, projects, and major activities of the staff and contractors.
    9. Recruits, hires, trains, evaluates, and motivates SAA staff; defines their working hours, salaries, and benefits, and duties; and establishes performance standards and  conducts performance reviews.
    10. Prior to the development of a new staff position(s), develops a position description and statement of its financial implications for the approval of the Council or, between Council meetings, the Executive Committee.
    11. Maintains and provides security for the Society’s records, information, and property.
    12. Maintains custody of and preserves the corporate seal of the Society, and affixes the seal.
  2. Member Relations
    1. ​As the administrative leader of SAA, establishes a spirit of collaborative support. SAA staff are subject matter experts in their domain, who work in close partnership with subject matter experts for archives. While all staff are paid and many volunteers are uncompensated, the CEO establishes a stance of mutual respect and collaboration while informing volunteers of any potential limits to collaboration due to work scope, capacity, and sustainable efforts.​​  
    2. ​​​As the “face” of SAA, the CEO, directly or by delegation to staff, maintains responsive and transparent communication with SAA members.​​  
    3. ​​​As the administrative leader, mediates interpersonal conflicts with curiosity and diplomacy.​​  
    4. Promotes whenever possible interest and active participation in the Society's activities and affairs on the part of its members. 
    5. Directs the staff in the maintenance of member records and billing for and collection of dues. 
    6. Conducts research, undertakes projects, prepares reports, and publishes the results on subjects of importance to the Society.
    7. Facilitates liaison and staff support to component group leaders. 
    8. Reports to SAA members the activities of elected officers, the Executive Committee, and the Council, and of members of the Society, through the communications media of the Society.
    9. Maintains personal contact with members to the extent possible.
    10. Upon written request of a member, provides a copy of any forms submitted to the IRS relating to SAA's status as a 501(c) organization.
  3. Finances
    1. In partnership with the treasurer, manages the Society’s finances.
    2. Develops and recommends an annual budget and, upon its approval by the Council, operates the Society's financial affairs within the budget.
    3. Develops and implements an organizational structure for the staff that will meet internal needs.  Recommendations on changes in staff compensation are submitted to the Executive Committee for its approval prior to submission of the annual budget to the Council.
    4. Ensures that all funds, physical assets, and other properties of the Society are appropriately safeguarded and administered.
    5. With the approval of the Council, seeks external funding to support appropriate projects of the Society, and administers and accounts for such funding to the Society and to the agency or body granting it.
  4. Professional Relations
    1. Supports the President in establishes and maintains good relationships with allied professional organizations, public service organizations, industries, and public officials and bodies at local, state, and national levels.
    2. Monitors the activities of the federal, state, and local governments that are of interest to or affect archivists individually or the profession generally, and reports these activities to the Council and the membership.
    3. Coordinates the delivery to public officials and others of SAA testimony and position statements on issues of concern to the profession and SAA.
    4. When authorized by the Council, or by the Executive Committee when time will not allow for a full Council decision, represents SAA on matters of concern to the Society and the profession.
  5. General
    1. Oversees the planning and execution of the Society’s Annual Meeting within budget parameters, working with and providing necessary support to the Program Committee and the Host Committee.
    2. Plans, promotes, and administers other meetings of the Society, the Council, the Executive Committee, or other Society bodies.
    3. Establishes, directs, and maintains revenue-generating programs on behalf of the Society.

B. SAA Foundation

The SAA CEO also serves as the CEO of the SAA Foundation (unless the Foundation CEO is filled by another individual).2

C. Review

The Executive Committee is required to conduct a performance review of the executive director annually according to procedures mutually agreed to by the Executive Committee and the executive director.3

 

Approved by the Council: June 1991
Revised: September 1994, May 2011, July 2013, April 2025

1 The source for Section V.A. is the Bylaws of the Society of American Archivists, Bylaw 2, and directives from the Council.

2 The source for Section V.C.1 is the Bylaws of the Society of American Archivists Foundation, Bylaw V.

3 The source for section V.D.1 is the Bylaws of the Society of American Archivists, Bylaw 4.

Updated: 2026-02-01

Governance Manual