Coffee Technicians Guild BYLAWS
Coffee Technicians Guild (CTG) is a guild of the Specialty Coffee Association, consisting of members dedicated to promoting excellence in equipment service and developing qualified technicians through advocacy, education, and networking.
Article 1: Mission, Vision
I. Mission: Coffee professionals dedicated to promoting excellence in equipment service and developing qualified technicians through advocacy, education, and networking.
II. Vision: To be the global voice for the coffee technician community.
Article 2: Membership
I. History
A. The Coffee Technicians Guild (CTG) was formed in 2016.
II. Membership Criteria
A. Membership is available to individuals interested in advancing the mission to empower, develop and unite professional coffee technicians.
B. Membership is available through the CTG Individual Membership of the SCA or by assigning the Coffee Technicians Guild category to an individual as part of an SCA Business Membership
C. Membership in the CTG includes membership in SCA.
III. Membership Dues
A. Membership fees are paid annually for a membership of one year following purchase date.
B. Membership can be renewed indefinitely.
IV. Membership Benefits
A. Benefits include exclusive, discounted, or otherwise specific access to events, education, research, sustainability strategies, networking, and other professional tools geared to realizing our community vision.
V. General Membership Meetings
A. A meeting of the general CTG shall be held annually at a time and place chosen by the CTG Leadership Council and SCA staff. The annual meeting may take place online or in person, or at a venue that offers both types of participation simultaneously as circumstances allow.
Article 3: Leadership Council and Officers
I. Governance
A. The CTG is governed by a group of elected leaders, the CTG Leadership Council (“The Council” or CTGLC).
B. The CTGLC exists to facilitate ongoing delivery of member benefits and services specific to the Guild and as outlined in the SCA Strategic Plan.
C. Council members bring professional experience to new and ongoing initiatives of the SCA, the CTG and the industry. The Council will provide SCA specialized expertise in its focused area through the contributions of knowledgeable, influential experts.
D. The CTGLC is comprised of a collaborative team of 4 officers and 8 directors.
II. General Responsibilities of the CTGLC
A. Assist SCA senior staff with developing strategic objectives on an annual basis, including recommendations for needed resources (e.g. budget).
B. Implement objectives and activities according to the SCA and CTG strategic plan
C. Report progress on ongoing initiatives to CTG members and to SCA
D. Seek to understand the needs of current members.
E. Provide SCA staff with strategic input and direction on existing objectives throughout the year, adjusting them as necessary.
F. Provide a direct link and feedback loop to the SCA Board of Directors via the CTG ex-officio seat on the SCA Board of Directors:
1. The CTGLC may make recommendations to the SCA Board of Directors. Recommendations may be submitted to the Board via senior staff, or through CTG’s ex-officio seat on the Board. Under the SCA Bylaws, depending on the time of year, the ex-officio director will be either the current CTGLC Chair or CTGLC Immediate Past Chair.
2. The CTGLC may also provide background information to the Board regarding specific issues or projects.
G. Attend in-person and online CTGLC meetings, as outlined in the CTG Rules of Procedure.
H. Promote a culture of transparency and responsiveness to communications
III. Meeting and Event Attendance Requirements
A. General current meeting and event attendance requirements and protocols are detailed in CTG Rules of Procedure.
IV. CTGLC Officers (4) Terms, Duties, and Resignations
A. Term: Officers shall serve a one-year term from August 15 to August 14 of each year.
B. Duties: All responsibilities outlined in above section II. General Responsibilities of the CTGLC, as well as specific responsibilities per each Officer as follows:
1. Chair
a. Lead all CTGLC meetings
b. Lead the annual in-person or online CTG Membership meeting.
c. Represent the CTG to the larger SCA membership, the coffee industry and trade associations
d. As needed, create ad-hoc CTGLC Roles or committees for important CTGAC work
2. Vice Chair
a. Serve in one of the CTGLC Lead Roles (see section V.B.2)
b. Assist the Chair as needed and serve as acting Chair in his or her absence from a meeting or when required
c. Act as facilitator for collaboration and overall workflow of the CTGLC Roles and working groups, emphasizing oversight and reporting from each working group via each LC Role.
3. Second Vice Chair
a. Serve in one of the CTGLC Lead Roles (see section V.B.2)
b. Assist the Vice Chair in facilitating collaboration and overall workflow of the CTG projects and working groups.
c. Assist the Vice-Chair and Chair as needed
4. Immediate Past Chair
a. Represent the CTG by attending and reporting at SCA Board meetings as an ex-officio member of the Board under the SCA Bylaws. The SCA Board follows a calendar (January to December) term and in the capacity of SCA Director only, the CTG Chair term follows SCA’s calendar. In practice, this means that the CTGLC Past Chair will attend all SCA Board meetings in the calendar year following transfer of their role from Chair to Immediate Past Chair on August 15.
b. Chair the ad-hoc Elections Committee and work with SCA staff to conduct annual elections.
C. Resignation of Officers
1. Election as a CTG officer is both an honor and a position of trust. It is anticipated that officers will not resign in the absence of changed circumstances that present major obstacles to their continued service. In such circumstances officers may resign by giving written notice (electronic or otherwise) to all of the other officers.
2. The remainder of the resigning officer’s term can be filled by any of the following processes and following below guidelines:
a. Appointment of a current CTGLC director to complete the term.
b. By succession of remaining officers to fill Immediate Past Chair, Chair, and Vice Chair positions, and appointment of a new Second Vice Chair from the eligible CTG membership.
c. Leaving the position vacant for the remainder of the term.
d. Any of the above options may be selected by majority vote of the CTGLC at any regular or special CTGLC meeting.
e. If the Immediate Past Chair resigns mid-term, appointment of a replacement is restricted to any previous CTG Chairs that are CTG members.
f. Any member filling a vacant seat will hold it for the remainder of the term of the resigning officer.
g. If the CTGLC fails to fill a vacancy caused by a mid-term resignation, succession continues with the next election cycle and two posts are elected (Second Vice Chair and the additional vacancy) as described in section VII.B. The exception to this is if an Immediate Past Chair resigns mid-term.
V. CTGLC Directors (8) Terms, Duties, and Resignations
A. Term: Officers shall serve a two-year term from August 15 to August 14 of each year.
B. Duties:
1. All responsibilities outlined in above section II. ‘General Responsibilities of the CTGLC’.
2. Directors are also required to serve in one or two of the Lead Roles listed below. Roles can have a strategic or tactical focus. Role assignments are determined by the incoming Chair after elections have concluded. Specific Lead Role responsibilities are outlined in the CTG Rules of Procedure.
a. Events AC Rep (for the 2nd Vice?)
b. Membership AC Rep (for the Vice?)
c. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce Rep
d. Events EU Lead
e. Events US Lead
f. Skills Program Development Lead
g. (Emerging) Content Lead
h. Membership Value Lead
i. Membership Outreach Lead
j. Communications Lead
3. Directors in tactical roles are encouraged to form working groups of CTG members within the scope of their Role to support important CTG projects. Working group sizes will be variable at the discretion of the Director. Directors may assign working group leads, or take on the lead position themselves.
C. Resignation of CTGLC Directors
1. Election to the CTGLC is both an honor and a position of trust. It is anticipated that the CTGLC member will not resign from the CTGLC in the absence of changed circumstances that present major obstacles to their continued service. In such circumstances, they may resign by giving written notice (electronic or otherwise) to the CTGLC Chair.
2. The remainder of the term may be filled by appointment of an eligible CTG member.
3. Appointment of a candidate to fill the vacancy is by majority vote of the CTGLC at any regular or special CTGLC meeting.
4. The CTGLC may choose to leave a seat vacant for the remainder of the term.
5. Any candidate filling a vacant seat is eligible to complete three additional terms according to the process outlined in section VII.
VI. Removal of CTGLC Members
A. The CTGLC may by resolution declare vacant the office of an officer or director who has been declared of unsound mind by an order of court, or convicted of a felony, or has engaged in misconduct found by the CTGLC to bring the CTG into disrepute or to put the CTG or SCA into material risk of liability or criminal prosecution.
B. The CTGLC may also by resolution declare vacant the office of an officer or director who fails to attend the minimum number of CTGLC meetings during any calendar year or otherwise materially fails to perform such person’s CTGLC duties as described above and in the Rules of Procedure.
C. Any director who fails or ceases to meet any required qualification that was in effect at the beginning of that person’s current term of office, may be removed by a majority vote of the CTGLC members who continue to meet all of the required qualifications.
D. Before any removal described in this article, the subject member of the CTGLC shall be given at least 30 days’ advance notice of the causes for such removal, stated in writing in reasonable detail and an opportunity to respond to the CTGLC in person, by electronic conference or conference call, or in writing within 15 days after receiving such notice.
VII. CTGLC Elections and Terms
A. Terms and Limits
1. CTGLC directors are elected to serve two-year terms.
2. The seats of any CTGLC members who have resigned or been removed from their seats will be included in the election. By design, terms are staggered so only a portion of the Council will turn over each year.
3. Eligible members may seek up to three successive terms as directors. Following the completion of the third term, a Council member may seek the Second Vice Chair position or must not stand for re-election.
B. Elections timeline
1. Elections are held annually and managed by the Ad-hoc Elections Committee (see section VII.C)
2. Calendar. This is an indication of the timeline for elections. Slight alterations may occur.
Before April 1: Next Second Vice Chair determined
By April 1: Immediate Past Chair forms Elections Committee
April 15 - June 30: Call for nominations from members (from Expo to WOC)
June 30 - July 15: Nominees vetting by Elections Committee
By July 20: Slate of candidates is presented to CTGLC members
By August 1: Any write-in candidates are added to ballot
August 1-15: Voting by eligible CTG members
August 15: Winners announced, new terms begin
C. Election process and Ad-hoc Elections Committee
1. The Immediate Past Chair shall create and chair an Elections Committee consisting of two CTGLC members not standing for re-election and two non-CTGLC members from the voting membership to vet nominees.
2. The Election Committee will seek potential candidates for service on the CTCLC through an open nominations process, announced on CTG website and social media.
3. Individuals may also seek election as a write-in candidate.
4. The Elections Committee will vet all nominated individuals, determine eligibility (see section VII.E) and confirmation of commitment (see section VII.F), and will present a slate of candidates for approval by the CTGLC and then the membership at large. The slate of nominees shall be announced on the CTG website, and short biographies made available.
5. Candidates who are not added to the slate may be added to the ballot as
a write-in candidate, provided they submit (electronically) a list of 25 signatures of CTG members, accompanied by printed name and company of all 25 signatories, to SCA staff, by August 1.
6. The election shall be conducted by an email ballot sent to all eligible voting members at least fourteen days prior to the due date for the return of ballots.
D. Eligibility requirements
1. Individuals must be current members in good standing under SCA or CTG membership rules.
2. Previous service on a CTG or SCA committee is preferred, but not required. See section VII.H. below.
3. Candidates must sign the SCA Code of Conduct to be elected.
E. Commitment of candidates
1. Candidates must review the CTG Bylaws, Rules of Procedure, and Guild Handbook, and acknowledge commitment to required meeting and event attendance, including online meetings and calls.
2. For incumbents, their record during their previous term must be consistent with these same expectations.
3. CTGLC members must attend two in-person meetings and other events per year as described in the CTG Rules of Procedure. Travel expenses is will be paid as outlined in the SCA Travel Policy and CTG Rules of Procedure.
F. Balance of the slate
1. Diversity: The elections committee will follow the SCA ED&I Taskforce guidelines for optimal balance and diversity of the LC slate.
a. The ideal slate reflects the demographics of the membership or membership aspirations.
b. Categories that will be considered to seek diversity and balance on the slate of candidates include, but are not limited to, gender, age, race, geography, position type (e.g. retail barista, trainer or educator, cafe manager/owner), and company size.
2. Prior service on a CTG or SCA Committee or Working Group
a. Nominated individuals that have served effectively on a CTG Working Group will be given priority consideration provided eligibility requirements are satisfied.
b. Individuals who have served on other committees with SCA (or heritage SCAE/SCAA) will be given secondary priority in consideration, again provided eligibility requirements are satisfied.
3. Skills: In order for the CTGLC to function effectively, sometimes specific skills or experience is important. Provided the above (sections VII.D-F.2.) items are satisfied, the Elections Committee should strive to incorporate the candidates who have skills that are in demand in the Council.
G. Officer Elections
1. Officers must have served at least one year on the CTGLC.
2. The (incoming) Second Vice Chair will be determined by a majority vote of the CTGLC at any meeting prior to April 1. Any eligible directors interested in the position will be allowed to announce their interest at any CTGLC meeting. This will create a vacancy for one two-year term on the slate, to be filled during the election cycle as described in section VII.B. above.
3. Succession from Vice Chair to Chair to Immediate Past Chair will be automatic, subject to the resignation or removal of such officer. The Second Vice Chair has the option not to succeed into the Vice Chair position after their year of service. In case the Second Vice Chair does not decide to move into the Vice Chair position, both positions will be appointed by the CTGLC during the election cycle as described in section VII.B. above.
VIII. Voting
A. A majority of CTGLC members, 7 or more, present at the beginning of a meeting constitutes quorum. If any members leave the meeting before it ends, there will still be a quorum unless the number falls below 5. No votes may be considered at a meeting where quorum is not present.
B. CTG and CTGLC business shall be conducted according to best practices of Robert’s Rules of Order.
C. In case of a tie, the vote of the Chair indicates majority vote.
IX. Conflicts of Interest
A. As public representatives of the Association, CTGLC members will act in the best interests of SCA and conduct themselves to reflect well on it. They will deal with other Council members, Board members, officers and staff fairly and honestly. They will not use their positions for their personal advantage or benefit, or for the advantage or benefit of their companies. CTGLC members must be sensitive to advocating policies, standards, professional engagements or assignments to committees that may put themselves at an advantage over other providers of services and products. In such cases CTGLC members shall bring such conflicts or potential conflicts to the attention of staff for review.
X. Antitrust
A. SCA is committed to full compliance with the letter and spirit of European Union, United States, state and other applicable antitrust and trade regulation laws. CTGLC members shall, at all times avoid words and actions which may restrict or appear to restrict competition in our industry. Through CTG activities, SCA brings together companies and individuals throughout the coffee trade. While the subject matter of the Councils’ activities is usually technical or educational in nature, they can also provide opportunities for anticompetitive conduct. The following activities, whether by formal or informal agreement, are recognized by the Association as either being illegal or having the potential to result in illegal conduct and are, therefore, prohibited:
1. Agreeing to set minimum, maximum, or fixed prices
2. Competitors or potential competitors agreeing to allocate or divide markets, customers, territories, suppliers or specific bids
3. Agreeing not to deal with another party (boycotts)
XI. Confidentiality
A. Confidentiality and other governance practices shall follow current SCA Governance policies for Advisory Councils.
Article 4: Amendments
I. These Bylaws may be amended, restated or repealed by the CTGLC, subject to ratification by SCA. Proposed amendment, restatement or repeal of these Bylaws must be presented to the CTGLC and the CTG membership for review and comment at least one month prior to the vote by the CTGLC. The proposed new bylaws will be presented on the CTG website with opportunity for member comment. Any views expressed by the membership must be clearly considered and documented.
Approved by CTG Leadership Council on April 17, 2018