Bylaws of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis

June 21 2018

[A. Voting by the Board of Directors] [B. Recording of Constitution and Bylaws]
[C. Prizes administered by ISBA] [D. Awards Administered by ISBA]
[E. Voting and Elections] [F. Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees]
[G. Vacancies] [H. Membership and Dues]
[I. Accounts maintained by the Treasurer] [J. Publications] [K. Finance]
[L. Sections of ISBA] [M. Chapters of ISBA] [N. ISBA Named Lectures]

A. Voting by the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors routinely conducts its business by email and in physical meetings. Should a member of the Board not have reliable access to email, the President and Executive Secretary make special arrangements to permit the active participation of that Board member in the discussions and votes of the Board of Directors.
A proposal for action may be made by any member of the Board at any time, by sending such proposal to the Executive Secretary for distribution to the Board.
An absolute majority of positive votes of the Board of Directors is required for a proposal to pass.
Votes are recorded by email, by votes in a physical meeting, or in writing, to the Executive Secretary.
In the case of a proposed bylaw, the above voting procedure is to be repeated, with a minimum period of two weeks and a maximum of six months, after an initial positive vote.
Failure to be re-approved within six months nullifies the first vote approving a proposed bylaw.

B. Recording of Constitution and Bylaws

The Executive Secretary maintains a current version of the Constitution and Bylaws, and makes them available to any ISBA member on request. In conjunction with the ISBA webmaster, the Executive Secretary maintains the current Constitution and Bylaws on the ISBA website.

C. Prizes administered by ISBA

ISBA prizes and their respective purposes are:
1. The DeGroot Prize is awarded to the author or authors of a book published in statistical science. This prize is named for Morris (“Morrie”) H. DeGroot in recognition of the impact and importance of his work in Statistics and Decision Theory, and his marked influence on the evolution of the discipline over several decades through his personal scholarship, educational and professional leadership. The prize particularly recognizes DeGroot’s authorship and editorship of major books that had a marked impact on the development of Statistics and Decision Theory, and the value he placed on books generally. Award-winning books will be textbooks or monographs concerned with fundamental issues of statistical inference, decision theory, and/or statistical applications, and will be chosen based on the novelty, thoroughness, timeliness, and importance of their intellectual scope.
2. The Lindley Prize is awarded for innovative research in Bayesian Statistics that is accepted for publication in the refereed proceedings of the ISBA World meeting. This will generally be published in an issue of Bayesian Analysis. In such case, a paper will be eligible for the prize if it has been accepted for publication in the journal after being presented at the meeting. The paper should either be submitted to the journal shortly after the ISBA World meeting, or correspond to research that is under review at Bayesian Analysis prior to the meeting. This prize is named for Dennis Lindley and recognizes the impact and importance of his work in the foundations, theory and application of Bayesian Statistics, and his marked influence on the evolution and spread of the discipline, over many decades. Award winning papers will present research in Bayesian statistics that is judged important, timely and notably original; truly innovative work will be judged more highly than successful development of ideas previously exposed. The prize may be awarded for work in foundations, theory, methodology and applications of Bayesian statistics.
3. The Mitchell Prize is awarded in recognition of an outstanding paper that describes how a Bayesian analysis has solved an important applied problem. It is named after Toby J. Mitchell, a Senior Research Staff Member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Toby made incisive contributions to statistics, especially in biometry and engineering applications. He was a marvelous collaborator, an especially thoughtful scientist, and a serious and influential spokesman for the Bayesian approach to hard problems.
4. The Savage Award is given to outstanding doctoral dissertations in Bayesian econometrics and statistics, one for the best thesis in Theory and Methods, and the other for the best thesis in Application Methodology. It is named for Leonard J. (“Jimmy”) Savage, author of his ground-breaking book The Foundations of Statistics, and one of the seminal thinkers in the neo-Bayesian movement.
The ISBA Prize Committee
1. There are six members of the Committee, appointed by the President of ISBA with the advice of the Executive Committee and the consent of the Board of Directors. The members have staggered three-year terms expiring on January 30 or when a replacement has been appointed and consented to, whichever is later. Thus two members are appointed each year for three-year terms. Members may be reappointed. Vacancies are filled for the remainder of the three-year term in the same manner. Each year the members elect a chair whose term expires on January 30 or when the successor chair is elected, whichever is later.
2. The Committee
  1. receives reports from the ISBA Treasurer about the financial status of each prize fund;
  2. decides, with advice from the ISBA Treasurer, on the amount of each prize to be awarded. The intent of the founders of the DeGroot and Lindley Prizes is that they be at least $1500 (and a plaque) and of the Mitchell Prize that it be at least $1000 (and a plaque);
  3. advertises each prize to be awarded, together with the purpose, deadline, and acceptable methods of submission (which includes both modes of transmission and who may make the nomination)];
  4. receives the submissions for each award;
  5. appoints an Award Committee, in consultation with the ISBA President for each prize to be awarded, of persons without a conflict of interest with respect to the submissions received. As guidance to the Prize Committee, it is useful to include on Award Committees persons with experience with respect to the prize in question, particularly with respect to the DeGroot and Mitchell Prizes, where the same work may be considered in consecutive award competitions;
  6. decides when and how Prize Awards are to be announced. The Lindley Prize is traditionally awarded at an ISBA World Meeting; and
  7. proposes to the Board of Directors the establishment of new prizes and modifications to the bylaws governing the criteria and process of administration of the existing prizes.
3. The Award Committee, within the deadline set by the Prize Committee, considers the nominations received, decides on the winner(s), and announces them.
Conflicts of Interest
1. The purpose of avoiding the reality or the appearance of conflicts of interest is to ensure confidence in the fairness of the awarding of prizes.
2. Conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:
  1. Authorship or Co-authorship of a submission;
  2. A close personal relationship;
  3. An adviser/advisee relationship;
  4. Recent co-authorship;
  5. Colleagues at the same institution.
  It is understood that in a community such as ours, people tend to know each other and to have been friends over a long period of time. Whether such an acquaintanceship or friendship is so close as to constitute a conflict of interest is a matter about which there can be honest differences of opinion.
3. Persons who believe they have a conflict of interest shall remove themselves from a decision-making capacity with respect to those matters about which they have such a conflict.
4. The Prize Committee may remove a member of an Award Committee or limit the activities of such a member to avoid a conflict of interest. Such a decision may be appealed to the Board of Directors, whose decision is final.
5. Members of the Prize Committee register a conflict of interest when it arises (on receipt of submissions) with the other members of the Prize Committee, and are either replaced for the year by the ISBA President or recused for that prize. Such a decision may be appealed to the Board of Directors, whose decision is final.
Frequency of Awards
The Prize Committee, in conjunction with the ISBA Treasurer, decides on the frequency of awards. For the guidance of that Committee, at present the Savage Award and Mitchell Prizes are given every year, while the DeGroot and Lindley Prizes are awarded every two years.
Eligibility
1. There are no membership requirements for eligibility for these prizes.
2. The eligible contributions for each prize are as follows:
  1. DeGroot Prize: All books published no earlier than 5 years prior to the year of the competition may be considered. There are no restrictions on the publisher or country of publication.
  2. The Lindley Prize: All papers published as refereed papers at the most recent ISBA World Meeting, or that are under review at Bayesian Analysis before or after the meeting, are presented at the most recent ISBA World Meeting, and are accepted for publication at BA, are eligible.
  3. The Mitchell Prize: All refereed papers published in the two years previous to the prize year are eligible, whether in a journal or conference proceedings, and whether in a journal primarily focused on statistics or not. Papers accepted but not yet published are also eligible.
  4. The Savage Award: all Ph.D. theses that have not been submitted in a previous year are eligible.
Special Provisions:
The L. J. Savage Fund may be used to support meetings, provided that the fund is administered in a prudent way so as to insure the continued ability of the fund to award annual prizes. Any expenditure to support meetings must be approved in advance by the Prize Committee.
Sponsors
The founders of these prizes, who contributed funds to initiate the prizes, are as follows:
1. The DeGroot Prize: Carnegie Mellon University, Duke University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Iowa State University, Microsoft Research, National Technical University of Athens, Ohio State University, the Section on Bayesian Statistical Science of the American Statistical Association, University of Connecticut, University of Durham, University of Kent, University of Minnesota, University of Sheffield, University of Texas at Austin, University of Warwick and the Valencia Organizing Committee.
2. The Lindley Prize: Carnegie Mellon University, Duke University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Iowa State University, Microsoft Research, National Technical University of Athens, Ohio State University, the Section on Bayesian Statistical Science of the American Statistical Association, University College London, University of Connecticut, University of Durham, University of Kent, University of Minnesota, University of Sheffield, University of Texas at Austin, University of Warwick and the Valencia Organizing Committee.
3. The Mitchell Prize: Colleagues at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Duke University, Peter Rossi, Jerome Sacks, Microsoft Research, the Section on Bayesian Statistical Science of the American Statistical Association, University of California at Los Angeles and Donald Ylvisaker.
4. The Savage Award: was funded from royalties due to the authors and editors of a series of books produced over a number of years under the auspices of the Seminar on Bayesian Inference in Econometrics.

D. Awards Administered by ISBA

The awards ISBA currently offers are:
1. The ISBA New Researchers Travel Award
2. The Pilar Iglesias Travel Award
3. The ISBA Lifetime Members Junior Researchers Award
4. Zellner Medal
5. ISBA Fellow
6. Certificate of Appreciation
Purpose of Awards
1. The purpose of the ISBA New Researchers Travel Award, the Pilar Iglesias Travel Award and the ISBA Lifetime Members Junior Researchers Award is to support participation in ISBA Meetings by junior researchers. The Pilar Iglesias Award is intended to promote the attendance of junior researchers from developing countries at World Meetings. The ISBA Lifetime Members Junior Researchers Award is intended to recognize junior researchers, attending a World Meeting, who gave significant contributions in the early stage of their career.
2. The purpose of the Zellner Medal is to recognize ISBA members who have rendered exceptional and distinguished service to ISBA over an extended period of time, and whose contributions have had an impact on the society and the broader field of Bayesian analysis beyond the time of his or her incumbency.
3. The purpose of electing ISBA Fellows is to recognize ISBA members who have made outstanding contributions in some aspect of statistical work (publication, teaching, service, etc.).
4. The purpose of a Certificate of Appreciation is to recognize service to ISBA.
Funds
1. The Pilar Iglesias Travel Award and the ISBA Lifetime Members Junior Researchers Award are supported by their own funds.
2. The ISBA New Researchers Travel Award is supported by ISBA through its general funds.
3. Medals and certificates for the Zellner Medal award, ISBA Fellows and Certificate of Appreciation are supported by ISBA through its general funds.
Administration of the funds
1. The ISBA Treasurer and the ISBA Program Council Chair jointly decide, with the concurrence of the Board or of the Executive Committee acting on its behalf, on the annual amount of the travel awards from the accounts established under bylaw I, and the allocation to be made among the ISBA meetings of that year, keeping in mind the dual goals of supporting junior researchers’ participation in ISBA World Meetings and ensuring the long-term financial viability of the awards.
2. The Zellner Medal shall not include a monetary prize nor separate account maintained by the ISBA Treasurer. The award shall include a medal paid out of general funds.
3. ISBA Fellows shall not include a monetary prize.
4. The Certificate of Appreciation shall not include a monetary prize.
Eligibility
1. A junior researcher is a graduate student in a current degree program or someone who has received a PhD or equivalent in the last 5 years. Exceptionally, and at the discretion of the meeting Program Chair, applicants who do not strictly satisfy this definition may nevertheless be deemed junior researchers.
2. The ISBA New Researchers Travel Award is open to any junior researcher.
3. The Pilar Iglesias Travel Award is restricted to junior researchers from developing countries, and is intended primarily for graduate students from those countries.
4. The ISBA Lifetime Members Junior Researchers Award is restricted to junior researchers who are current members of ISBA.
5. The Zellner Medal is restricted to current ISBA members; candidates should have been members of ISBA for the last three consecutive years, at least, and served ISBA in a range of leadership roles over an extended period of time. The individual’s contributions should have had an impact on the society and the broader field of Bayesian analysis beyond the time of his or her incumbency.
6. To be eligible for fellowship, the candidate should be a current ISBA member, and have been an ISBA member for the last three years at least. Exceptions to the “3 year rule” may be considered for ISBA members who are retired from gainful employment. Honorary lifetime members are also eligible. The individual’s contributions should have had a significant impact in promoting Bayesian ideas and methods in society, through scientific works and other activities, such as teaching, consulting and past service to ISBA.
7. Any individual may be nominated by a current ISBA member for a Certificate of Appreciation for service to ISBA. Nominations should be submitted to a member of the ISBA Executive Committee no later than one calendar year from the time that the service was completed.
Determination of Awards:
1. The Program Chair of each ISBA meeting determines the process for selecting travel awardees.
2. The Zellner Medal will be given every even year to, at most, two recipients, selected by a Committee consisting of three former ISBA Presidents, not serving ISBA as current officers, appointed in the preceding odd year by the ISBA Board of Directors. The Committee will be chaired by the person who was ISBA President first. The Committee will choose recipients among the nominees supported by endorsement letters by five ISBA members, other than the nominee.
3. The Committee on Fellows shall consist of eight fellows, four of whom shall be designated by the ISBA Board of Directors at the beginning of each odd year for a term of four years. Fellows may be reappointed to the Committee, but shall not serve two consecutive terms, A member of the Committee with longest continuous service shall be designated as chair for a two-year term by the ISBA Board of Directors. The Committee will elect recipients among the nominees supported by endorsement letters by three ISBA members, other than the nominator. The maximum number of fellows for each election is determined by the ISBA Executive Committee, as a percentage of the ISBA membership at the end of the latest even year preceding the election. The suggested steady-state target for the total number of Fellows should be 8% of membership. In steady-state, the number of fellows inducted at each ISBA World Meeting should not exceed 1% of the ISBA membership. If the ISBA World Meeting becomes annual, a maximum of 1/2% of membership should be inducted.
4. A Certificate of Appreciation shall be awarded by a resolution of the Board of Directors. Any member of the ISBA Board of Directors who has a conflict of interest as defined in Bylaw C.4.b with a nominee shall be excluded from all discussion and voting regarding the proposed certificate.
Announcement of Awards
1. The Program Committee of each ISBA meeting assigns travel awards according to a schedule defined in advance for each meeting. The recipients of the ISBA Lifetime Members Junior Researchers Award will receive a certificate during the ISBA World meeting.
2. The Zellner Medal is announced at the ISBA World meeting, with no advance communication to the awardee(s).
3. Election of ISBA Fellows is announced at the ISBA World meeting, with previous communication to the awardees, but no public announcement in advance.
4. Certificates of Appreciation are announced upon assignment and presented at the ISBA World meeting.

E. Voting and Elections

As specified in the ISBA Constitution, the Past President chairs the Nominating Committee. There are six other members of the Nominating Committee.
The President requests suggestions for membership on the Nominating Committee from the ISBA Board and ISBA membership by March 31.
In April, the Board of ISBA elects members of the Nominating Committee by approval voting from among the suggestions received by the President.
As specified in the ISBA Constitution, the Nominating Committee selects and gets consent to stand for election from, at least two candidates for each office. The Nominating Committee reports its results to the Executive Secretary by August 15.
The Executive Secretary posts the Nominating Committee’s nominations on the ISBA website promptly, and otherwise notifies the members of these nominations.
Additional nominations may be made by petition of the membership. Such petitions are presented to the Executive Secretary by September 15. It requires the request of 30 ISBA members or 10% of the membership, whichever is less, to nominate by petition. Written consent of the nominee(s) is also required. Email to the Executive Secretary is an acceptable method of petitioning.
The Executive Secretary makes ballots available, physical or electronic or both, by October 15, to be returned by November 15.
The Executive Secretary announces the winners of each office by December 1.

F. Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees

Standing Committees are established in the Bylaws.
Ad-Hoc Committees are established by resolution of the Board, for a task to be done in a specified period of time. Such a resolution specifies the task, the date the Committee’s mandate ends, the number of members and how they are to be appointed, and to whom and when the committee is to report.
Constitution and Bylaws Committee
1. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee is a standing committee. It drafts recommendations for changes in the ISBA Constitution and Bylaws for consideration by the Board.
2. There are five members of this committee. They serve for terms of five years ending on June 30, and may be reappointed.
3. The ISBA President appoints new members of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee as vacancies occur, either by expiration of term or by resignation or incapacity, subject to approval by a majority vote of the Board.
4. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee elects its chair each year.
Continuing Education Committee
1. The Continuing Education (CE) Committee shall be a standing subcommittee of the ISBA Program Council. The CE Committee shall coordinate all continuing education activities for ISBA, where continuing education is broadly interpreted as formal and informal educational programs and activities designed to promote knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes. The primary purpose of the committee is to support ISBA educational goals and increase the visibility of the society. The CE Committee shall solicit proposals for CE, which can include summer schools, short courses (standalone events or in conjunction with meetings), webinars, educational videos, books or monographs to support educational activities or other educational material. The CE Committee may liaise with other societies or organizations for development of joint educational activities.
2. In January of each year, the ISBA President-Elect appoints a Vice CE Chair who serves until Dec 31, and then succeeds to CE Chair for a term of one year (Jan 1 to Dec 31) and then to Past CE chair for a year (Jan 1 to Dec 31). The CE Chair co-ordinates all activities associated with continuing education in which ISBA is involved, and chairs the CE Committee, consisting of the Vice CE Chair, CE Chair and Past CE Chair. The CE Chair reports to the ISBA Program Chair. The CE Chair may appoint additional members to organize activities.
3. All proposals for CE activities must be submitted to the CE committee and must include a budget or state that the activity has no cost. CE proposals may be submitted by any ISBA member, section or chapter of ISBA or outside society.
4. Budgets for CE proposals must be approved by the ISBA Executive Committee. The ISBA Executive Committee reserves the right to cancel any ISBA sponsored CE activity that is seriously under-enrolled where ISBA is at risk of incurring a loss.
5. ISBA members should receive a member discount on any fee-based ISBA CE activity.
6. The CE committee in conjunction with the ISBA Secretary or webmaster will be responsible for maintaining a “CE Book of Procedures” to assist in the preparation of CE activities.
7. The CE committee shall be responsible for advertising CE activities in ISBA publications (including the ISBA website and Bulletin) and other outlets.
8. The CE Chair shall submit an annual report on CE activities to the ISBA Board by May 30th.
9. All proposed activities shall be compatible with the ISBA Bylaws and Constitution.
Professional Conduct Committee
1. A standing Professional Conduct Committee (“Committee”) will be responsible for administering the Code of Conduct, handling reports of violations and managing the review of any reported conduct and recommended actions. The Committee will also
  conduct an annual review of the Code of Conduct, the associated Procedures, and any other related documents. Proposed revisions will require support from 2/3 of the Committee members and 2/3 of the ISBA Board members.
2. Members of the Committee will serve overlapping five year terms beginning on January 1, with one new person appointed per year by the Past President and approved by the ISBA Board of Directors. The President and Past President will be exofficio members. The committee will be chaired by the Past President. The Past President will also appoint new members as vacancies occur by other reasons, such as resignation or incapacity, subject to approval by the ISBA Board of Directors. In the case of resignation or incapacity, the appointment will be for the remainder of the term of the vacated position. Members may be reappointed for additional terms.
3. Real or perceived conflicts of interest between any Committee member and the alleged offender or the person making the formal conduct statement will be declared to the Committee Chair by the committee members themselves or by any other member. The Chair will follow the protocols outlined in the Procedures document to address the complaints.
4. A decision regarding violations of the Code of Conduct made by the Committee will require a majority vote. The Chair shall vote in the case of a tie.
5. The Board may delegate authority to the Committee to determine appropriate outcomes for violations of the Code of Conduct.The Committee, at their discretion, may refer decisions to the Board, who will determine the final outcome. A recommendation
  to revoke honors bestowed by ISBA or suspension/termination of ISBA membership must be approved by the Board.
6. The Committee shall maintain procedures for appealing decisions made by the Committee or the Board.

G. Vacancies

If a vacancy in an elected office occurs, the Board of Directors chooses a member of ISBA to act in that office until the next election.
If an elected officer is otherwise a member of the Board, the Board vacancy created by his or her election is filed by the Board candidate receiving the next highest number of votes. The person thus elected fills the vacancy for the remainder of the term.
Other Board vacancies remain vacancies until the next election.
Vacancies in an appointed position are filled by the appointing officer subject to whatever rules apply to that appointment.

H. Membership and Dues

Membership entitles a Member to receive, free of charge, the ISBA Bulletin, and to register for any ISBA meeting at a reduced rate.
Membership dues are payable annually in advance on the 1st of January. Members who have not paid their dues by March 31st shall receive a second notice requesting renewal of membership dues. If dues remain unpaid by July 1, then membership is suspended. A Member who has been suspended for non-payment of dues may be re-instated on payment of the full dues for the corresponding calendar year.
Any change to membership dues is to be approved by the Board of Directors by 15 November in any year in order to have effect from the following January.
Only paid-up Members may vote in elections. Returned ballots will be checked against the current list of members to confirm paid-up ISBA membership of all voters.
Only paid-up Members may nominate, be nominated, stand for election, or serve as ISBA Officers and Directors. Any serving ISBA Officer or Director whose ISBA Membership is suspended will be automatically removed from office.
The ISBA Board of Directors may suspend or terminate membership in ISBA for a Member found to be in violation of the Code of Conduct. No dues will be refunded.

I. Accounts maintained by the Treasurer

The designated funds include the funds for each Prize and each Award administered by ISBA.
The ISBA Treasurer maintains a separate account for each designated fund containing contributions to the fund and the interest, capital gains and dividends accrued by the fund.

J. Publications

The publications of ISBA are
1. Bayesian Analysis
2. The ISBA Bulletin
3. ISBA website
Each publication is overseen by an editor, who appoints editors, associate editors and others as needed and assigns their functions.
1. The editor of Bayesian Analysis has the title of “Editor in Chief”.
2. The editor of the Bulletin has the title of “Editor”.
3. The editor of the ISBA website has the title of “ISBA Webmaster”.
The term of each editor is ordinarily 3 years, but this may be extended or shortened by the Board of Directors.
When an editor position becomes vacant, the President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, appoints a search committee consisting of three to six members, depending on the number of vacancies to be filled. The President will appoint one of the committee members to chair the committee. The committee to select editors will provide a recommendation for each vacancy after confirming that the candidate(s) is(are) willing to serve if approved by the Board. The new editor is approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors before he/she can be confirmed for the position.

K. Finance

Finance Committee
1. The Finance Committee is a standing committee. It makes recommendations to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors on matters of financial policy
2. The committee shall consist of the ISBA Past-President, serving as chair, the ISBA Treasurer, and 5 members appointed from the ISBA general membership. Additional members may be appointed to provide needed expertise. With the exception of the ISBA Treasurer and committee Chair, committee members serve staggered five year terms running Jan 1 – Dec 31.
3. The ISBA President appoints new (non-Executive) committee members as vacancies occur, either by expiration of term, resignation or incapacity, subject to approval by a majority vote by the Board.
4. The Committee shall review ISBA’s finances, including investments or areas of potential financial liability, and produce at minimum an annual report to the Board on the state of ISBA’s finances and recommendations. Reviews may be initiated by the committee or at the bequest of the Executive Committee.
The right to enter into legal contracts for ISBA is vested solely in the ISBA Executive Committee.
Changes in how ISBA’s funds are invested requires majority approval by the Board

L. Sections of ISBA

A group of at least 30 ISBA members may petition the ISBA Board to be designated as a section of ISBA.
Such a petition states:
1. The purpose of the section and how it fits within the overall aims of ISBA.
2. The initial bylaws of the section. These bylaws shall include the list below, and may include additional provisions subject to L.3 below.
  1. The name of the section.
  2. The offices, duties and terms of offices.
  3. Procedure for nominating section officers by the section.
  4. Procedure for modifying dues.
  5. The method of amendment of the bylaws, which shall include approval of amendments by the ISBA Board.
  6. Procedure for making decisions
3. The identities of the initial officers of the section each of whom shall be an ISBA member and any special provisions for initial elections of officers.
4. Initial dues
The bylaws and activities of the section shall be in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of ISBA, as interpreted by the ISBA Board of Directors. Provisions in the ISBA Bylaws and Constitution shall apply for any issues that are not specifically addressed in the Section Bylaws. The ISBA Constitution and Bylaws committee shall resolve any issues that are not addressed in the ISBA Bylaws and Constitution. In case of conflict, ISBA Bylaws and Constitution take precedence over the Section Bylaws. Section Bylaws take precedence over resolutions of the ISBA Board.
Section members must be current members of ISBA.
1. Any current ISBA member may join a section of ISBA by paying the section dues.
2. Any section member whose ISBA membership is suspended will have their section membership suspended.
3. Only current section members may be nominated for section office, vote in section elections, or hold section office.
4. Any section officer whose section membership is suspended will be automatically removed from office.
The slate of candidates for section office shall include at least two candidates for each section office and must be submitted to the ISBA secretary by August 15th. Section elections will be held concurrently with ISBA elections.
Section dues shall be concurrent with ISBA dues, which run annually from January 1 to December 31th. Dues may be paid concurrently with ISBA dues. The ISBA treasurer will provide a mechanism for ISBA Lifetime members to pay section dues separately. Changes in section membership dues shall follow the same procedure as in ISBA bylaw H.3.
Sections shall be revenue neutral as defined by the ISBA Board of Directors.
1. Dues and any net revenue from section activities will be retained in a section account maintained by the ISBA treasurer, who will provide periodic reports to the section officers.
2. The section will prepare an annual financial report which includes section income and expenses and a proposed budget for the coming year.
3. Sections shall submit a proposal with a budget for any section meeting to the ISBA Program Council. All budgets require approval of the ISBA Executive Committee.
4. The ISBA treasurer shall be responsible for reimbursement of section expenses from the section account.
The right to enter into legal contracts on behalf of the section is vested solely in the ISBA Executive Committee.
Each section submits an annual report, which includes the section financial report, to the ISBA President by May 30th. If over three consecutive years a section fails to submit a report, or has fewer than 30 members, or runs a deficit, the section shall be considered as having ceased functioning and will be abolished or suspended after approval by majority vote of the Board. In the case of abolition, any remaining balance in the section account shall be transferred to the ISBA general fund and the account closed. In the case of suspension, use of the section account requires prior approval from the ISBA Executive.
Each section’s purpose, bylaws and the names of the officers shall be posted on the ISBA website.
News of the section activities will be reported in the ISBA Bulletin.

M. Chapters of ISBA

Chapters are defined by the geographic representation of the members of ISBA.
A group of at least 5 ISBA members may petition the ISBA Board to be designated as a Chapter of ISBA. Formation of a new Chapter is by a resolution of the Board and requires an absolute majority for approval. A petition to form a new chapter should be submitted to the ISBA Executive Secretary and states:
1. The purpose of the Chapter and how it fits within the overall aims of ISBA.
2. The initial bylaws which govern the Chapter. These bylaws should include the list below, and may include additional provisions subject to M.3 below. Bylaws may be replaced by charter, constitution, etc where locally mandated.
  1. The name of the Chapter.
  2. The offices, duties and terms of offices.
  3. Procedure for electing or appointing Chapter officers by the Chapter
  4. Procedures for conducting Chapter elections if any
  5. Procedures for modifying dues.
  6. The method of amendment of the bylaws.
3. The identities of the initial officers of the Chapter each of whom shall be an ISBA member and any special provisions for initial elections or appointments.
4. Initial Chapter dues (which may be $0)
The bylaws and activities of the Chapter shall be in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of ISBA, as interpreted by the ISBA Board of Directors. Provisions in the ISBA Bylaws and Constitution shall apply for any issues that are not specifically addressed in the Chapter Bylaws. The ISBA Constitution and Bylaws committee shall resolve any issues that are not addressed in the ISBA Bylaws and Constitution. In case of conflict, local laws take precedence over ISBA Bylaws and Constitution, which take precedence over the Chapter Bylaws. Chapter Bylaws take precedence over resolutions of the ISBA Board.
Chapter members must be current members of ISBA.
1. Any current ISBA member may join a Chapter of ISBA by paying the Chapter dues.
2. Any Chapter member whose ISBA membership is suspended will have their Chapter membership suspended.
3. Only current Chapter members may be nominated for Chapter office, vote in Chapter elections, or hold Chapter office.
4. Any Chapter officer whose Chapter membership is suspended will be automatically removed from office.
Chapter elections may be held concurrently with ISBA elections or independent of ISBA elections, if legally required. If Chapter elections are to be concurrent with ISBA elections, the Chapter Nominating Committee shall provide the slate of candidates to the ISBA Executive Secretary by August 15th. Concurrent Chapter elections will follow ISBA Bylaws E.7 and E.8.
Annual chapter membership shall be concurrent with ISBA membership, which runs annually from January 1 to December 31th. Dues should be paid concurrently with ISBA dues, where feasible. The ISBA treasurer will provide a mechanism for ISBA Lifetime members to pay Chapter dues separately. Chapter dues and any net revenue from Chapter activities paid to ISBA will be retained in a Chapter account maintained by the ISBA treasurer, who will provide periodic reports to the Chapter officers. The ISBA treasurer will disperse chapter funds as requested to the Chapter treasurer or designated individuals. Changes to Chapter dues should be provided to the ISBA Executive Secretary by November 15th in order to take effect January 1 of the following year.
The ISBA Executive Secretary will provide a list of chapter members to the Chapter Secretary or designated Chapter representative. The current list of chapter members should be provided at least quarterly (suggested times January, April, July, and October of each year).
ISBA bears no legal responsibility for Chapters.
Each Chapter shall submit an annual report about chapter activities and how funds from the ISBA Chapter account were spent. The report should be submitted to the ISBA Secretary to distribute to the ISBA Board by May 30th. If over three consecutive years a Chapter fails to submit a report, the chapter shall be considered as having ceased functioning and will be suspended or abolished after approval by majority vote of the Board. In the case of abolition, any remaining balance in the Chapter account shall be transferred to the ISBA general fund and the account closed.
Each Chapter’s purpose and the names of the officers shall be posted on the ISBA website. The Chapter bylaws and any ammendments shall be filed with the Executive Secretary of ISBA.
News of the Chapter activities shall be reported in the ISBA Bulletin.

N. ISBA Named Lectures

ISBA Named Lectures are established to honor individuals who have had a fundamental role in the advancement of Bayesian Statistics. These ISBA Lectures will be named after historical figures who made breakthrough contributions to the theory or application of Bayesian methods, and who have been deceased for at least 20 years. The Board can make an exception to the 20-year rule in specific and rare occasions.
1. ISBA Named Lectures will be delivered in plenary sessions with discussant(s) at the ISBA World Meetings. Each Lecture is delivered no more often than every two years.
2. Named Lectures are highlighted events at the World Meeting. To ensure that their impact will not be reduced, the Board will consider the existing number of lectures before approving new proposals, and can decide to limit the maximum number of named lectures. A general guideline is to limit the number of Lectures delivered at any one World Meeting to 4; named Lectures in excess to such limit can rotate between Meetings.
3. All Named Lectures will include documentation – annotated bibliography, photos, videos of lectures if available, appropriate links to sources of references, etc. – about the Scholar to whom the Lecture is dedicated. The proponents of the Lecture will be responsible for preparing and organizing this material, in coordination with the ISBA Continuing Education Committee. The background material attached to each Named Lecture will be accessible widely on a dedicated page on the ISBA website.
4. Upon approval by the ISBA Board of Directors, Named Lectures can be established in collaboration with other Scientific Societies. Joint Named Lectures must also meet the ISBA bylaws for Named Lectures.
The ISBA Named Lectures are:
1. Bruno de Finetti Lecture
2. Susie Bayarri Lecture
Establishing Named Lectures. Any ISBA member can propose a Named Lecture, according to a submission procedure that will be provided in the ISBA Book of Procedures. If the Lecture is approved by the ISBA Board, proponents will be responsible to raise the required endowment of at least 30,000 USD. This minimum amount requirement can be increased over time by the Board. The establishment of a new Named Lecture is decided through a formal vote by the ISBA Board. The Board may require the proper documentation (see bylaw N1c) before approval. The Board’s approval is definitive, conditionally on the fulfillment, by the proponents, of the endowment fund requirement.
Nominations. Any ISBA member can nominate potential lecturers to the Committee on Named Lectures, according to nomination rules that will be provided in the ISBA Book of Procedures.
Committee on Named Lectures. The Committee on Named Lectures is composed of 3 members each of whom serves two years. Members are proposed by the Board of Directors and approved by the ISBA Executive Committee. The Committee members are renewed on July 15th of even-numbered years. The Committee on Named Lectures also includes the members of the ISBA Program Council and the Editor in Chief of Bayesian Analysis. A component of the Committee shall be designated as Chair. The Committee on Named Lectures
- Selects the lecturers and discussants for the Named Lectures;
- Receives and prepares a report on proposals of new Named Lectures for the Executive Committee, who can also ask the Committee for a recommendation, before the formal vote by the ISBA Board;
- Decides, in collaboration with the ISBA Treasurer and after approval by the ISBA Executive Council, the expenses that can be covered for each Lecture in the corresponding year. The ISBA Treasurer provides a report on the financial status of the endowments to the Committee on Named Lectures and to the Executive Council to help with these decisions. The general principle is that the endowment should cover the costs associated with the Lecture;
- Suggests to the ISBA Board, whether a rotation of Named Lectures is appropriate, and if so, how the rotation should occur.
ISBA is mandated to strive towards gender equality in terms of naming lectures and delivering them.