Dear All,
Sharon, Bill and I agreed at the last meeting to make a recommendation back to the group on the
role of Chair and Vice-Chair.  Sending this for all to review prior to our conference call tomorrow.

Below is our proposal, with acknowledgment that we adopted Susan's recommendation and language.

The purpose of a Chair is the following:
 
1)      call meetings
 
2)      preside over group deliberations
 
3)      manage the process so that all participants have the opportunity to contribute
 
4)      Compile reports on the results of the team
 
Chair's key functions are:
  1. To ensure an attendance list is made
  2. to be responsible for fulfilling the terms of reference in the time specified,
  3. to be responsible for working group discipline, focus and achievements,
  4. to prepare and chair face-to-face and on-line sessions,
  5. to ensure that the Group operates in an open and fair manner,
  6. to ensure that discussions are relevant (the Chair should propose a set of topics for e-mail subject headers),
  7. to intervene to stop off-topic communication,
  8. to summarize outcomes of each issue and
  9. to achieve interim and final objectives in conformance with the terms of reference.
The Chair – and any Vice-Chair(s) – must play a neutral role by refraining from pushing a specific agenda, ensuring fair treatment for all legitimate views and guaranteeing objectivity in identifying areas of agreement.

The purpose of the Vice-Chair is to assist the Chair and serve as acting Chair when the Chair is unavailable.