may employ counsel, accountants and other consultants to assist it in the exercise of authority. The creation of a committee, delegation of authority to a committee or action by a committee does not relieve the Board of Directors or any of its members of any responsibility imposed on the Board of Directors or its members by law.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
4.01. Appointment. The officers shall include a Chairman of the Board, a President, one or more Vice Presidents (the number and designations to be determined by the Board of Directors), a Secretary and such other officers if any, as may be deemed necessary by the Board of Directors, each of whom shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person.
4.02. Resignation and Removal. An officer or assistant officer shall hold office until he or she resigns, dies, is removed hereunder, or a different person is appointed to the office. An officer or assistant officer may resign at any time by delivering an appropriate written notice to the corporation. The resignation is effective when the notice is delivered, unless the notice specifies a later effective date and the corporation accepts the later effective date. Any officer, assistant officer or agent may be removed by the Board of Directors with or without cause, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officer or assistant officer so removed and the corporation. Appointment shall not of itself create contract rights.
4.03. Vacancies. A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation, removal or otherwise, shall be filled by the Board of Directors. If a resignation is effective at a later date, the Board of Directors may fill the vacancy before the effective date if the Board of Directors provides that the successor may not take office until the effective date.
4.04. Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors may elect a Chairman of the Board and shall elect a President. The Board of Directors shall designate one of them as Chief Executive Officer.
In the event that there are both a Chairman and a President, and the Chairman is designated as Chief Executive Officer, then the President shall perform such duties as the Chief Executive Officer may prescribe. If there is a Chairman he shall preside at all meetings of the shareholders and of the Board of Directors; in the absence of a Chairman the President shall preside at such meetings.
The Chief Executive Officer shall supervise and control all of the business and affairs of the corporation and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors from time to time. The Chief Executive Officer shall have authority, subject to such rules as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors, to appoint such agents and employees of the corporation as he or she shall deem necessary, to prescribe their powers, duties and compensation, and to delegate authority to them. Such agents and employees shall hold office at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall have authority to sign, execute and acknowledge, on behalf of the corporation, all deeds, mortgages, bonds, stock certificates, contracts, leases, reports and all other documents or instruments necessary or proper to be executed in the course of the corporation's regular business, or which shall be authorized by resolution of the Board of Directors; and, except as otherwise provided by law or the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer may authorize the President or any Vice President or other officer or agent of the corporation to sign, execute and acknowledge such documents or instruments in his or her place and stead.
4.05. Vice Presidents. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board, and the President, or in the event of their inability or refusal to act, or in the event for any reason it shall be impractical for the Chairman or the President to act personally, a Vice President (or in the event there be more than one Vice President, the Vice Presidents in the order designated by the Board of Directors, or in the absence of any designation, then in the order of their election) shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. Any Vice President may sign, with the Secretary or Assistant Secretary, certificates for shares of the corporation; and shall perform such other duties and have such authority as from time to time may be delegated or assigned to him or her by the President or the Board of Directors. The execution of any instrument of the corporation by any Vice President shall be conclusive evidence, as to third parties, of the Vice President's authority to act in the stead of the President.
4.06. Secretary. The Secretary shall: (a) keep (or cause to be kept) regular minutes of all meetings of the shareholders, the Board of Directors and any committees of the Board of Directors in one or more books provided for that purpose; (b) see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required