<P> The chairman (also chair) is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, a committee, or a deliberative assembly . The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group . The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an orderly fashion . When the group is not in session, the officer's duties often include acting as its head, its representative to the outside world and its spokesperson . In some organizations, this position is also called president (or other title), in others, where a board appoints a president (or other title), the two different terms are used for distinctly different positions . </P> <P> Other terms sometimes used for the office and its holder include chair, chairperson, chairwoman, presiding officer, president, moderator, facilitator, and convenor . The chairman of a parliamentary chamber is often called the speaker . </P>

Who elects the chair and the vice chair person