Does the chairman have the same power with the board as the president has with the association?

Should the bylaws specify the chairman's position? Our bylaws seem to go on presumption. - D.K., Nov. 19, 1998

A: The chairman's duties are very similar to the president's. The foremost is to preside at their group's meetings. There may be differences in how each may preside, depending on the size of the board, for example. Examining the list of duties for a presiding officer in RONR, pages 441-442, they are for the most part the same for a board's chairman.

Depending on the bylaws, the chairman of the board and the president probably have comparable authority; however, a board and an assembly do not. A board's decisions need to be ratified by the assembly; that is, the assembly has the higher authority.

The bylaws should specify that there is a board; that the board consists of certain officers and directors; how the board members are determined; what the board member's terms of service are; what the board's duties and authority are; whether there is an executive committee, and if so, its composition, duties and authority.