Conflict of Interest Policy
A conflict of interest is defined
as an actual or perceived interest by a staff or Board member in an action that
results in, or has the appearance of resulting in, personal, organizational, or
professional gain. Officers and members are obligated to always act in the best
interest of the organization. This obligation requires that any officer or
member, in the performance of organization duties, seek only the furtherance of
the organization mission. At all times, officers and board members are
prohibited from using their job title or the organization's name or property,
for private profit or benefit.
A. The officers and members of
the AEPF organization should neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or
anything of monetary
value from contractors/vendors. This is not intended to preclude bona-fide
organization fund
raising-activities.
B. No officer, or member of the
AEPF organization shall participate in the selection, award, or administration
of a purchase or
contract with a vendor where, to his knowledge, any of the following has a
financial
interest in that
purchase or contract:
1. The officer or member;
2. Any member of their immediate
family;
3. Their partner;
4. An organization in which any
of the above is an officer, director or employee;
5. A person or organization with
whom any of the above individuals is negotiating or has an
arrangement concerning
prospective employment.
C. Disclosure--Any
possible conflict of interest shall be disclosed by the person or persons
concerned.
D. Board Action--When a
conflict of interest is relevant to a matter requiring action by the Board, the
interested person(s) shall
call it to the attention of the Board and said person(s) shall not vote on the
matter. In addition,
the person(s) shall not participate in the final decision or related
deliberation
regarding the matter
under consideration. When there is a doubt as to whether a conflict exists, the
matter shall be
resolved by vote of the Board of Trustees, excluding the person(s) concerning
whose
situation the doubt has
arisen.
E. Record of Conflict--The
official minutes of the Board shall reflect that the conflict of interest was
disclosed and the interested
person(s) did not participate in the final discussion or vote and did not
vote
on the matter.