Accellera Designers Forum Operational Rules (ByLaws)

OPERATIONAL RULES (BYLAWS):

1. Name and Affiliation

The Accellera Designers Forum (ADF) is a professional organization of individuals active or interested in Electronic Design Automation. ADF is a duly recognized part of Accellera and its members are individual members of Accellera.

2. Charter and Mission
To provide an international forum to electronics design practitioners to promote the use of existing standards, to foster input on new methodologies and standards, and to share professional ideas and experiences.

3. Membership
Anyone with an interest in the Charter and Mission of ADF may become an individual member by submitting a written application.
3.1 Membership Renewal
Individual memberships shall be renewed once a year. Membership renewals shall be submitted in written form. No later than December 1st a notice of renewal shall be distributed to all the members. The aggregate of affirmative answers received by December 31 shall constitute the initial roster of members for the following calendar year.
3.2 Benefits of Membership
Individual members shall be promptly notified of all public activities of Accellera and any activity of ADF. Individual members shall have the right to participate to any and all activities sponsored by ADF. Some of the activities will require that a fee be paid for participation, others will be offered free of charge to ADF members.
3.3 Removal of Members
Members shall be removed if they do not indicate their interest and willingness to continue to be a member by responding in the affirmative to the yearly membership renewal solicitation. Members can also be removed for actions detrimental to ADF or Accellera by a majority vote of the Advisory Board.

4.0 Advisory Board
ADF activities shall be directed by an Advisory Boards consisting of an odd number of members. The total number of members shall be no less than seven and no more than seventeen.
4.1 Election and Tenure
Members of the Advisory Board shall be elected during February of every even year and shall hold office for a two year period. If the number of candidates is odd, greater than seven and less than seventeen, the candidates are elected by acclamation. If there are more than seventeen, or if the number is even, an election shall be held. Each ADF member is entitled to cast one vote. If the number of candidates is even then the candidate receiving the least number of votes shall not be elected to the Advisory Board. If there are more than seventeen candidates the seventeen that receive the greatest number of votes shall be elected to the Board.
4.2 Eligibility
Any member of ADF is eligible to run for a seat on the Advisory Board.
4.3 Meetings and Frequency
The Advisory Board shall meet in conjunction with the Design Automation Conference for the purposes of electing a Chair and conducting any such business as appropriate. The Advisory Board shall meet as required but no less than twice per calendar year to conduct the business of ADF as appropriate. The Chair or three members of the Advisory Board can call a meeting. Meetings of the Advisory Board can be held either in person or by conference call or other electronic means.
4.4 Voting Procedure
Each member of the Advisory Board shall have one vote. All decisions of the Advisory Board that require a vote shall be taken by majority, except when otherwise stipulated in this document.
4.5 Removal from Office
A member of the Advisory Board can be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Advisory Board for unprofessional conduct or abdication of duties. The member under question shall not have the right to cast a vote in this process. Any two members of the Advisory Board shall be entitled to provide evidence of the undesired behavior and ask for a vote of dismissal.

5.0 Chair
The Chair of ADF shall be elected by consensus or majority vote and will hold office for a period of two years. At the conclusion of the meeting during which the election has taken place, the Board of Directors of Accellera shall be notified of the selection. Once the selected individual is ratified by the Accellera Board of Directors the election is official and he or she shall also become an ex-officio member of the Accellera Board of Directors.
5.1 Removal from Office
The Chair can be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Advisory Board for unprofessional conduct or abdication of duties. Any two members of the Advisory Board shall be entitled to provide evidence of the undesired behavior and ask for a vote of dismissal.
5.2 Tenure
The maximum tenure of any individual as Chair of ADF shall be two consecutive terms.
5.3 Duties
The Chair shall represent ADF within Accellera by participating in its Board of Directors meetings. A thirty days notice is required for all meetings, unless the business to be conducted is time sensitive. In the latter case a 72-hour notice shall be sufficient.
5.4 Budget
The Chair shall prepare a budget each year and present it to the Advisory Board no later than September 30. The budget shall cover the activities of ADF for the next twelve months. Upon ratification by the Advisory Board the Chair shall present the budget to the Accellera Board of Directors for their approval.
5.5 Steering Committee
The Chair shall appoint a Steering Committee whose purpose is to assist in the conduct of ADF business. One of the members of the Steering Committee shall be designated as Secretary and such individual shall record minutes of every Advisory Board meeting and distribute such minutes to the Accellera Board of Directors and to the ADF membership. The Secretary shall also assume the temporary duties of the Chair should the Chair become incapacitated until a special election is called by the Advisory Board or the Chair is able to resume the duties of the office.

6.0 HDLCon
ADF is responsible for providing the volunteers required to organize and run HDLCon technical program. The Advisory Board shall identify an individual as Nominated HDLCon Program Chair no later than at its meeting in conjunction with the Design Automation Conference. The Nominated HDLCon Program Chair must be ratified by the Accellera Board of Directors.

7.0 Amendments
Changes to the Operational Rules of ADF can be made by the Advisory Board by a simple majority vote with the exception of the clauses dealing with removal of members of Chair which require a two-thirds majority. Any changes to the Operational Rules must be submitted to the Accellera Board of Directors for their ratification.