HistoryIn February 1987, a group of former Langley employees began working with the Office of External Affairs to establish a Langley Research Center Alumni Association. Gary Price in External Affairs had initiated the effort to explore such an organization, and their efforts led to the formation of the LAA. The acting Chairman of the Board of Directors was William J. Boyer, and the committees and their chairs were: Finance, Edmund A. Brummer; Membership, Domenic J. Maglieri; Nominating, Charles B. King; Program, Donald H. Ward; Social, Abraham Leiss. Betty Joyner was acting secretary/treasurer. These officers served until January 1988 when an annual membership meeting and election of a board was held. The Alumni’s purpose was to develop, maintain, and enhance the relationship among former employees of the Langley Research Center and provide a mechanism for the Centetr to maintain contact with its former employees. It also provided an organized way for members to support special events at the Center and other activities of mutual interest. All former NACA/NASA employees of LMAL/LaRC are eligible for membership. Former employees of contractors who had 5 or more years continuous support to the Center are also eligible. The dues were set at $5.00 per year. The LAA is an active alumni organization today, with a strong supporting relationship with the NASA Langley Research Center. The LaRC external affairs office is a key partner in this valuable alumni organization. Current Officers and Board of DirectorsThe 2019 LAA Officers are: President: Damodar Ambur; Vice President and Programs Chair: Sharon Stack; Secretary: Daniel Palumbo; Treasurer: Charles Cockrelll; Membership Chair: Charles Cockrell (Acting); Nominating Committee Chair Daniel Palumbo, and Chair, NACA/NASA Hall of Honor: Duncan McIver; Website Coordinators: Duncan McIver and Wayne Richie (Alternate); Registered Agent: Betty Joyner; Immediate Past President is Roger Ferguson. The LAA Board of Directors, by Class are: 2021: Carrie Walker Creedon; Fred Jones; George Allison; Dave Reubish; David Rudy; and Jim Pittman 2022: Linda Bangert; Pete Jacobs; Anthony Pototzky; Bill Tennis; Sharon Stack; Charles Cockrell; Ray Whipple 2023: Geoff Tennille; Doug Morris; Manjular Ambur; Todd Hodges; Dick Hueschen LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC. (LAA) BY-LAWS May 2019 ARTICLE I: Name The name of this organization shall be the Langley Research Center Alumni Association, Inc., hereinafter noted as the LAA. The LAA, Inc is registered in Virginia as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. ARTICLE II: Purpose The purpose of this organization is to maintain relationships among former civil service and contractor associate employees, herein called Alumni, of the Langley Research Center (LaRC) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and to provide a mechanism for the Center to maintain contact with Alumni to the mutual benefit of the Center and the Alumni. ARTICLE III: Membership of the LAA The LAA shall be open to:
Members shall pay annual dues to the Treasurer during the first quarter of each Calendar Year. For new members, dues for the first year are waived. ARTICLE IV: Management Section 1 – Board of Directors The control and management of the LAA shall be vested in the Board of Directors, hereinafter noted as the Board. The Board shall manage the affairs of the organization according to the objectives of the organization and in compliance with local, state, and federal laws as applicable to the mission and funding of the organization. Section 2 – Composition of the Board The Board shall be composed of the Executive Committee and no fewer than fifteen (15) and no more than twenty-one (21) Members-at-Large. Board complement shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Section 3 – Executive Committee
Section 4 – Meetings of the Board
Section 5 – Resignation or Removal from Office
Section 6 – Vacancies on the Board Vacancies on the Board may be filled from a slate presented by the Nominating Committee to the Board. Upon election by the Board, the Board member(s) shall fill the unexpired term(s). Section 7 – Dues The dues shall be used to facilitate the mission of the LAA, that is, to nurture relationships among Alumni and with the Langley Research Center. Examples of such expenditures are: maintenance costs of the LAA website, speaker honoraria and Hall of Honor plaques. Expenditures outside this scope, for example to a charity, may be considered as well. All expenditures shall be approved by the Board. Annual dues for the coming year shall be set by the Board before the 4thquarter of the current year. Section 8 – Order of Business The order of business for this Board shall be “Robert’s Rules of Order,” revised. ARTICLE V: Officers Section 1 – Nomination and Election of Officers The Board shall elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer from the Board’s membership. Nominees for Officers shall be voted upon at a meeting within 30 days after the Annual Meeting of the Membership. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall call and preside at the special meeting until the Officers are elected from the Board. Section 2 – Term of Office Officers will be elected for a term of one (1) year, or until their successor takes office. No Officer shall hold more than one office at a time, and no Officer shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. However, an exception can be made to the two-year term limit with Board approval. Members-at-Large are eligible to serve in any office of the Executive Committee (ARTICLE IV, Section 3) at the discretion of the Board. If a Member-at-Large is elected to serve as an Officer, then their Member-at-Large position will be considered vacant. Section 3 – Duties of the Officers
ARTICLE VI: Members-at-Large Section 1 – Nomination and Election of the Members-at-Large of the Board Nominations for Members-at-Large shall be submitted by the Nominating Committee and sent by email from the Secretary to the membership, and posted on the LAA website, http://www.larcalumni.org, at least three (3) weeks before the Annual Meeting of the Membership. Also, any dues paying member of the LAA may nominate other candidates to fill vacancies by filing the names of such candidates with the Secretary at least two (2) weeks before the Annual Meeting of the Membership. The dues paying members present at the Annual Meeting of the Membership in person and in good standing shall constitute a quorum, and these members shall vote on the nominees. To be elected, a nominee must receive a majority vote of the voters who are present. If there is no election on the first ballot for one or more of the vacancies, a vote shall be made on another ballot between the candidates not receiving a majority vote on the first ballot. In cases where the nomination slate is equal to the positions to be filled, then the ballot, on motion, may be dispensed with and the slate of Members-at-Large elected by acclamation. Section 2 – Terms of the Members-at-Large of the Board Terms of the Members-at-Large of the Board shall be for three (3) years.Once the term expires, a Member-at-Large cannot be nominated to serve on the Board for at least one year. One-third of the Members-at-Large, or as many as necessary to fill the Board complement, shall be elected yearly. All Members-at-Large shall officially take office at the Annual Meeting of the Membership. Section 3 – Duties of the Members-at-Large Members-at-Large will represent the general membership to the Board. ARTICLE VII: Committees of the Board The Board shall have the following Standing Committees: Membership Committee; Nominating Committee; NASA Hall of Honor Committee; and Programs Committee. The President may also appoint Ad Hoc committees as deemed necessary. Section 1 – Appointment of Committee Chairs The Chairs of the Standing Committees shall be appointed by the President in the first quarter of the Calendar Year. Section 2 – Term of Office The Chairs of the Standing Committees shall serve a term of one (1) year from the time of their appointment. They may be replaced by appointees of the President before their term expires. Section 3 – Duties of the Committees
The Membership Committee shall maintain a record of membership status to assist the Secretary.
The Nominating Committee shall provide the membership with a slate of nominees for Member-at-Large positions when such positions become vacant. The Nominating Committee shall also provide a slate of nominees for Executive Committee positions and oversee all elections.
Hall of Honor Committee, in partnership with the NASA Langley Research Center, shall develop a Hall of Honor (HoH), which provides a means by which distinguished Langley Research Center researchers and managers may be honored for their exemplary careers and contributions to NACA, NASA and the nation. The HoH also provides a focused opportunity for the local aerospace community to reflect on the contributions of these notable individuals who made enduring impacts on aerospace technologies.
The Chair of the Programs Committee shall be the Vice President unless otherwise appointed by the Board. The Programs Committee is responsible for scheduling speakers for the membership’s monthly meetings and organizing activities such as the Summer Picnic and Fall Luncheon as well as other activities as determined by the Board.
Ad Hoc committees are authorized for a period of one (1) year. Any LAA member can propose an Ad Hoc committee to the President. ARTICLE VIII: Memberships and Affiliations Section 1 – Liaison with LaRC The official LAA interface with the Langley Research Center shall be through the Langley Office of External Affairs (or the LaRC organizational unit currently responsible for this function). The Head of this Office will serve as or designate the Ex Officio Member of the Executive Committee. Section 2 – Cooperative Relations The Board shall work cooperatively with NACA/NASA organizations or any other organizations with similar goals. The Board shall review such memberships and affiliations annually. ARTICLE IX: Amendment of the By-Laws These By-Laws may be amended by written notice of the proposed change to the Board and membership two (2) weeks prior to the Annual Meeting of the Membership or a special meeting of the Membership, at which time the change will be presented to the membership for comment. The amendment shall be voted upon at the next Board meeting. Two-thirds vote of the Board, providing a quorum is present as defined in Article IV, Section 4(b), is necessary to ratify an amendment to the By-Laws. ARTICLE X: Dissolution In the event of dissolution of the LAA, assets of the Corporation shall be disbursed, per recommendation of the then current Board, to other appropriate non-profit corporations qualifying as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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