The Organization of the Oak Ridge Power Squadron

The day-to-day management of our squadron is accomplished by a group of officers collectively referred to as the Bridge, the term being adopted from that cadre of officers commanding a ship. These officers are elected by, and are responsible to all of the members. The Bridge consists of:

Description of Offices

The Commander (Cdr) is the highest ranking officer in the Squadron. He or she presides over all of our membership and Executive Committee meetings and performs all of the other tasks normally accomplished by the president or CEO of any corporation or similar group.

The Executive Officer (XO) is our "senior vice president." As second in command, the XO performs the Commander's duties when the Commander in unavailable. This member is responsible for the external functions of the squadron, such as public relations, cooperative charting, boat show booths and other forms of publicity, legislation of interest to us as boaters, radio technical information, and safety issues.

The Squadron Educational Officer (SEO) is responsible for the entire educational program of the squadron. This officer may well be our busiest member (having the most fun), because he or she supervises our busy educational program, both for courses offered to the public and those for our members only.

The Administrative Officer (AO) is responsible for all of the internal functions of the squadron (as opposed to the XO's external function). The AO's tasks include recruiting and retaining members; keeping us involved in squadron activities; arranging for membership meetings, programs, and entertainment; and setting up cruises and rendezvous.

The Secretary is our records keeper. This officer records and keeps minutes of all of our meetings and safeguards our legal documents. The Secretary maintains squadron membership records and is responsible for publishing our newsletter and roster of members.

The Treasurer manages all of the financial transactions of the squadron.

The Bridge Officers are elected at our annual meeting, installed at our Change of Watch (COW) meeting in March, and serve until our next Change of Watch. Usually our SEO serves for three consecutive one-year terms, but our other Bridge officers usually serve for one or two year terms.

The squadron membership is the primary customer for all of the activities and services provided by the squadron's various committees and officers. Hence the membership becomes the ruling body of the squadron. The squadron membership holds regular, usually monthly business meetings, and an annual meeting where each new slate of officers are elected and sworn in. The commander chairs the meetings, with the other elected officers assisting. All members are encouraged to attend.

The executive committee consists of the bridge officers (Cdr, XO, SEO, AO, Sec, and Treas.) and three or more members-at-large. The immediate past commander is normally a member as well. The executive committee usually meets monthly. It has general charge of the policy, management, and the finances of the squadron. The Executive Committee is responsible to all of our members to see that things are done properly, Its meetings are announced in our news letter, and we encourage you to attend them. They're open to all members. When you attend, your questions and suggestions will be welcomed. Remember - we are all volunteers and can use all the input and help we can get!

The General Committees are elected at the annual meeting. They are responsible only to the membership and include at least an auditing committee to monitor the squadron's finances, a nominating committee to select candidates for elective positions, and a rules committee to monitor the squadron's compliance with USPS rules.

Standing committees are appointed by the commander and approved by the Executive Committee. These committees provide analysis and specialized information needed to help guide Executive Committee decisions.