DCAT Code of Ethics

DCAT Code Of Ethics For Volunteers

DCAT member company representatives and others who assume a leadership role in the organization by election or appointment to the Board of Directors, the Advisory Council, the chair or vice chair of one of the committees of DCAT, or a person selected to lead in the management of a program, activity or initiative, and all employees of the association shall at all times abide by and conform to the following code of conduct in their capacity as volunteer members:

Each will abide in all respects by the DCAT’s Members’ Code of Ethics and all other rules and regulations of the association (including but not limited to the association’s articles of incorporation, bylaws and policies) and will ensure that their membership remains in good standing at all times. Furthermore, each will at all times obey all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and will provide or cause to provide the full cooperation of the association when requested to do so by those institutions and their persons set in authority as are required to uphold the law.
Each will conduct the business affairs of the association in good faith and with honesty, integrity, due diligence, and reasonable competence.
Except as the association president may otherwise require or as otherwise required by law, each agrees not to share, copy, reproduce, transmit, divulge or otherwise disclose any confidential information related to the affairs of the association outside of the association and each will uphold the strict confidentiality of all meetings and other deliberations and communications.
Each will exercise proper authority and good judgment in his or her dealings with association staff, suppliers, and the general public and will respond to the needs of the association’s members in a responsible, respectful, and professional manner.
Each agrees not to use any information provided by the association or acquired as a consequence of his or her service to the association in any manner other than in furtherance of his or her association duties. Further, each agrees not to misuse association property or resources and will at all times keep the association’s property secure and not allow any person not authorized by the president to have or use such property.
Each will use his or her best efforts to regularly participate in professional development activities and will perform his or her assigned duties in a professional and timely manner pursuant to the board’s direction and oversight.
Upon termination of service, each will promptly return to the association all documents, electronic and hard files, reference materials, and other property entrusted to him or her. Such return will not abrogate such person’s continuing obligations of confidentiality with respect to information acquired as a consequence of his or her tenure.
Each will dedicate him or herself to leading by example in serving the needs of the association and its members and also in representing the interests and ideals of the industry represented by the membership at large.
Each shall not persuade or attempt to persuade any employee of the association to leave the employ of the association or to become employed by any person or entity other than the association. Furthermore, each shall not persuade or attempt to persuade any member, exhibitor, advertiser, sponsor, subscriber, supplier, contractor, or any other person or entity with an actual or potential relationship to or with the association to terminate, curtail, or not enter into its relationship to or with the association, or to in any way reduce the monetary or other benefits to the association of such relationship, unless specifically authorized to do so by the president or the Executive Committee.
Each person must act at all times in the best interests of the association and not for personal or third-party gain or financial enrichment. When encountering potential conflicts of interest, Each must identify the conflict and, as required, remove themselves from all discussion and voting on the matter. Specifically, each shall follow these guidelines:
1. Avoid placing (and avoid the appearance of placing) one’s own self-interest, member company interest or any third-party interest above that of the association; while the receipt of incidental personal or third-party benefit may necessarily flow from certain association activities, such benefit must be merely incidental to the primary benefit to the association and its purposes;
2. Not abuse leadership status by improperly using the association’s staff, services, equipment, resources, or property for personal or third-party gain or pleasure; each shall not represent to third parties that their authority extends any further than that to which it actually extends;
3. Not engage in any outside business, professional or other activities that would directly or indirectly materially adversely affect the association;
4. Not engage in or facilitate any discriminatory or harassing behavior directed toward association staff, members, officers, directors, meeting attendees, exhibitors, advertisers, sponsors, suppliers, contractors, or others in the context of activities relating to the association;
5. Not solicit or accept gifts, gratuities, free trips, honoraria, personal property, or any other item of value from any person or entity as a direct or indirect inducement to provide special treatment to such donor with respect to matters pertaining to the association without fully disclosing such items to the president; and
6. Provide goods or services to the association as a paid vendor to the association only after full disclosure to, and advance approval by, the Board of Directors, and pursuant to any related procedures adopted by the board.
With respect to any person who has agreed to, and signed, this Code of Ethics, the association shall indemnify and hold harmless that person’s member company from any action or proceeding brought against that person, the member company, or the association by reason of the fact that the person is or was in a leadership position of the association, and the association shall indemnify and hold harmless that company against judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, which resulted from that action or proceeding.

This policy was adopted by the leadership of the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association on January 4, 2007.