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MORE ABOUT MICHAEL MOURITSEN
In addition to being a Registered Parliamentarian, Michael Mouritsen has over 45 years of professional experience providing advice and support to boards, committees, conventions, and other governing bodies in the not-for-profit, public, and labour union sectors.
Professional Governance Experience
During his career, Michael has served as the secretary to a hospital board of trustees, a university board of governors and the executive board of a labour union. He has drafted new and revised hospital, university and union bylaws and committee terms of reference; prepared minutes of meetings; drafted agendas, reports, resolutions and motions; and written scripts for presiding officers.
He also worked for 12 years as a senior policy advisor in the Ontario Public Service, where he conducted policy reviews, drafted briefing notes with recommendations for Ministers, and wrote Cabinet Submissions.
In addition, Michael has:
- Served as a committee chair and a presiding officer at conventions (both in-person and virtual);
- Staffed numerous constitutional, bylaw and governance structure reviews, drafting the final reports and recommendations of each;
- Written codes of conduct for board directors;
- Served as a staff parliamentarian, interpreted bylaws and rules of order, and provided procedural advice to governing bodies;
- Written formal parliamentary opinions for organizations seeking clarification of their rules or bylaws;
- Supervised nominations and elections (both in-person and online);
- Prepared orientation manuals for board members;
- Conducted training workshops on parliamentary procedure (both in-person and using the Zoom platform).
More information on Michael's professional experience can be found on his LinkedIn profile.
Parliamentary Credentials and Education
Michael was certified as a Registered Parliamentarian (RP), after successfully completing a series of examinations supervised by the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP). He is a member of the NAP, the American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP), the Ontario Association of Parliamentarians, and the Parliamentary Society of Toronto (which he has served in the past as president, vice-president, and program director).
Michael has a BA in History from York University, where, as a student representative, he was first exposed to parliamentary procedure in action.
As a Registered Parliamentarian, Michael is required to engage in continuing education and relevant professional activities in order to maintain his credential. He has delivered workshops to fellow parliamentarians and has contributed articles to the NAP and AIP journals. He has expertise in Robert’s Rules of Order, the AIP Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, and Bourinot's Rules of Order, and is well-versed in other parliamentary authorities.
Michael works both as a sole practitioner and in association with Canadian parliamentarian James (Jim) Lochrie, a former AIP President who wrote his own manual, Meeting Procedures: Parliamentary Law and Rules of Order for the 21st Century.
In his practice as a parliamentarian, Michael is committed to following the Code of Professional Responsibility for Parliamentarians, which was jointly adopted by the NAP and the AIP in 2001, and updated in 2020.
Clients
Since becoming a Registered Parliamentarian, Michael has worked with individuals and organizations (large and small) in both Canada and the United States, including national and local professional associations; unions (teachers, public service employees, university faculty); student organizations; school board trustees and staff; condo boards; religious bodies; municipal council staff; real estate associations; librarians; and community boards. Some clients need advice on a one-time basis, while others seek ongoing parliamentary services.
In one case, Michael was appointed under a court order to organize and chair a corporate AGM because of litigation between members. The procedural requirements of most clients, however, are usually not so dire!
Other clients have asked him to review bylaw amendments; to advise on whether a particular motion was in order; or to attend a meeting to assist the chair with potential issues. Most clients have also asked him to provide training - basic, advanced, or targeting specific groups such as committee chairs or newly-elected convention delegates.
Michael Mouritsen is based in Kincardine and Toronto, Ontario, and can provide services either virtually or in person, depending on client needs.
Michael Mouritsen, when he was Director of the York University Secretariat (York Gazette photo).