Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

This Code of Ethics for Financial Professionals applies to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA).

Notwithstanding this limitation TCIA expects all of its employees to act in accordance with the highest standards of personal and professional integrity in all aspects of their activities, to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and to abide by the TCIA Code of Ethics and other policies and procedures adopted by TCIA that govern the conduct of employees. In addition, as members of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) the CEO and CFO must abide by the Standards of Conduct adopted by ASAE (see attached).

The CEO and CFO agree to:

· Engage in and promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships;

· Avoid conflicts of interest and to disclose to the Audit Committee any material transaction or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to such a conflict;

· Respect the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of your duties;

· Provide colleagues with information that is, complete, accurate, objective, relevant, timely and understandable;

· Comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations of federal, state, and local governments (both United States and foreign);

· Promptly report any violation of this Code of Ethics to the Chairman of the Audit Committee;

· Act in good faith, with due care, competence and diligence, without misrepresenting material facts or allowing independent judgment to be compromised;

· Assure the responsible use of and control of all assets, resources, and information in the possession of TCIA and any related organizations.

· Officers, directors, and persons acting under the direction of an officer or director are prohibited from taking any action to fraudulently influence, coerce, manipulate or mislead the auditor of the Association’s financial statements for the purpose of rendering those financial statements materially misleading.

The Finance Committee, The Audit Committee, or the Board of Directors shall have the discretionary authority to approve any amendment to this Code of Ethics for Financial Professionals and what actions, if appropriate, for any violations.

ASAE Standards of Conduct
As a member of the American Society of Association Executives, I pledge myself to:

1. Maintain the highest standards of personal conduct.

2. Actively promote and encourage the highest level of ethics within the industry or profession my association represents.

3. Maintain loyalty to the association that employs me, and pursue its objectives in ways that are consistent with the public interest.

4. Recognize and discharge my responsibility and that of my association to uphold all laws and regulations relating to my association's policies and activities.

5. Strive for excellence in all aspects of management of my association.

6. Use only legal and ethical means in all association activities.

7. Serve all members of my association impartially, provide no special privilege to any individual member, and accept no personal compensation from a member, except with full disclosure and with the knowledge and consent of my association's governing board.

8. Maintain the confidentiality of privileged information entrusted or known to me by virtue of my office.

9. Refuse to engage in or countenance activities for personal gain at the expense of my association or its industry or profession.

10. Refuse to engage in or countenance discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.

11. Always communicate association internal and external statements in a truthful and accurate manner by assuring that there is integrity in the data and information used by my association.

12. Cooperate in every reasonable and proper way with other association executives, and work with them in the advancement of the profession of association management.

13. Use every opportunity to improve public understanding of the role of associations.

This Code of Standards of Conduct for members of the American Society of Association Executives has been adopted to promote and maintain the highest standards of association service and personal conduct among its members. Adherence to these standards is expected from members of the society, and serves to assure public confidence in the integrity and service of association executives.