Council Policy Committee

What We Do

The purpose of the ACS Council Policy Committee (CPC) is to serve as the Executive Committee of the Council and its duties include the following:

  • Planning the general agenda for each Council meeting
  • Planning the detailed agenda required to facilitate effective action by the Council
  • Acting as interim for the Council as authorized by the Council or the Bylaws
  • Nominating voting Councilors for membership on the Committee on Nominations and Elections
  • Conducting long-range planning studies concerning the future of the Society
  • Investigating allegations of improper election procedures in District or national elections and determining if violations have occurred; setting aside results of such an election when it finds sufficient cause; submitting charges of conduct as defined in the Constitution, Article IV, Sec.3, when it has reason to believe that significant election procedure violations have occurred
  • Serving as an appeals board for any member or candidate dissatisfied with an admission-related action of the Committee on Membership Affairs
  • Serving as the conduct committee for Council, with authority to address matters related to a Councilor or Alternate Councilor’s conduct that is adverse to the interests of the SOCIETY or any unit thereof. This authority includes but is not limited to the ability to remove a Councilor or Alternate Councilor from their position upon a determination of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Council Policy Committee that such action is warranted, provided that a Councilor or Alternate Councilor is sent electronic and written notice of the committee’s intention and has an opportunity to be heard and seek reconsideration by the committee prior to such action taking effect. The procedure governing the conduct review process may be found online

Who We Are 

The committee’s membership includes the ACS President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Executive Director and 12 elected members. The President serves as Chair of the committee, and a Vice Chair is elected among its members. The Secretary of the Society serves as the Secretary of the committee.

Subcommittees & Task Force

  • Governing Documents
  • Nominations
  • Long-Range Planning
  • Councilor Conduct Review
  • Future Council Representation

Get Involved

The Council Policy Committee serves Councilors by:

  • Communicating committee initiatives and projects through Councilor News and Committee Alerts
  • Offering a Handbook for Councilors
  • Providing Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures to committee chairs on reporting at Council meetings
  • Presenting an annual orientation for new Councilors at the spring national meeting
  • Overseeing the New Councilor Mentoring Program
  • Encouraging Councilor participation in its networking group on the ACS Network
  • Providing input on strategic initiatives to the Board Committee on Strategic Planning  through the CPC Vice Chair
  • Organizing dialogues on the strategic plan and other information at Councilor Caucuses
  • Strategy Café Toolkit –designed by the Council Policy Committee as an opportunity to engage ACS members in conversation about the important strategic goals of the Society. Local Section leaders can use the Toolkit slides (PDF) and outline (DOC) to facilitate such a program. 

Contact Us

Email or call (202) 872-4461 if you have questions or need more information about the Council Policy Committee.

Please visit www.acs.org/councilors regarding Council agenda and Councilor travel reimbursement information.