Past President – September 2011

If a person has been elected president of a club for a two-year term and then resigns after serving only ten days, is he a past president?

Opinion:  Yes, the president who resigned after serving ten days is a past president unless provided otherwise in the society’s rules. In the absence of such a provision, a person who has served as president for any period of time, no matter how brief, becomes a past president upon departure from office, either by resignation or by some other means. If an organization desires a different rule, or prefers to avoid a problem, the term “past president” should be defined in the bylaws.