Editing Order of the Arrow (section)

==Organization==
[[File:Unami Lodge F1.png|thumb|Original emblem of [[Unami Lodge]], the first OA lodge on a latter pocket flap patch]]
The Order of the Arrow places great emphasis on being a youth-led organization. Only youth under the age 21 are voting members and are eligible to hold elected offices. Professional and volunteer adults are appointed to non-voting advisory positions at the chapter, lodge, and section levels.

=== Chapters and lodges ===
The smallest level of organization in the Order of the Arrow is the chapter. The chapter is usually corresponding to a district in the local council. The chapter is led by the elected youth chapter chief, chapter vice chiefs, secretary, and a volunteer adult is appointed as the adviser, the district executive is the professional (staff) adviser. The chapters often hold monthly or weekly meetings together. The next largest unit of the OA is the lodge, which is chartered by a local Scouting America council. The lodge chief is the elected youth leader, the lodge adviser is a Scouting America adult volunteer appointed by the Scout Executive, and the lodge staff adviser is the council Scout executive or his designated council professional Scouter. The lodge youth officers, consisting of the lodge chief, one or more vice chiefs, a secretary, and a treasurer are responsible for organizing and leading the various programs and activities of the lodge.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://oa-bsa.org/uploads/publications/GOA-201901.pdf |title=Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers |publisher=Order of the Arrow |page=8 |access-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403130125/https://oa-bsa.org/uploads/publications/GOA-201901.pdf |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many lodges have standing committees responsible for ceremonies, service projects, publications, unit elections, camp promotions, and dance teams composed of youth members.<ref name="Guide" />

===Sections===
Lodges are grouped into sections that are then grouped into regions. The section chief is the elected youth leader, a volunteer adult is appointed as the section adviser, and the area director (or his designate) is the professional (staff) adviser. In addition to the section chief, the section has two additional elected officers. The vice chief and secretary are elected immediately following the election of the section chief at the section's annual business meeting. All sections gather annually at a section conclave held in the late spring or early fall. It is the main duty of the section officers to lead the planning of this weekend with the help of the lodge chiefs in the section.<ref name="Guide">{{Cite web |title=Field Operations Guide |url=http://oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/FOG-2008.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327032201/http://oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/FOG-2008.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2009 |access-date=December 4, 2008 |publisher=Order of the Arrow |page=15}}</ref>

Like Scouting America’s areas, the Order of the Arrow was formerly organized into four regions, Central, Southern, Northeast, and Western; the boundaries of each OA region correspond with the boundaries of Scouting America's areas. As of 2021, following Scouting America's restructuring of these areas, the OA changed their region boundaries, now having only two. Each region has an elected region chief, a volunteer adult who is appointed as the region chairman to oversee its region Committee, and an appointed professional (staff) adviser, forming a 'Key Three' much like the lodge and chapter system described above. Each region chief is elected by a caucus of the section chiefs from the region at the national planning meeting. Region chief elections are held the day after the election of the national chief and vice chief. The members of the region committee consist of the region chief, the region chair, all national committee members from the region, and other appointed adult volunteers. Each region annually has a gathering of all section officers and advisers. As a region, they are trained in topics relevant to their jobs. Each region also provides opportunities for Order of the Arrow members to go through a National Leadership Seminar, a weekend training course.<ref name="Guide" />

=== National leadership ===
The national chief and the national vice chief are selected by a caucus of the section chiefs at the outset of the Order of the Arrow's national planning meeting. At the national level, the OA is headed by the National Order of the Arrow committee, of which the national chief and national vice chief are voting members. The national adult leadership includes the volunteer chairman and the director, a professional Scouter.<ref name="Guide" />