Role of the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council (AC) will consist of a diverse array of representatives who have a stake in the mission of the Northeastern IPM Center:
The Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center fosters the development and adoption of IPM, a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that generate economic, environmental, and human health benefits. We work in partnership with stakeholders from agricultural, urban, and rural settings to identify and address regional priorities for research, education, and outreach.
The AC will provide a broad vision and guidance to the Steering Committee and Northeastern IPM Center staff and will be a key link for the Center to stakeholder needs and priorities for pest management programs. Moreover, the AC will be an important avenue for Center outreach. AC members will provide marketing and awareness of the Center to their own constituencies and beyond. Finally, the AC will afford its members the opportunity to communicate with and learn from each other.
Membership Expectations. AC members are expected to attend one annual meeting each year of their term. It is important to read and if necessary, respond to Northeastern IPM Center correspondences, and act as a conduit of Center activities to the particular group that they represent. In turn, they are also encouraged to give feedback to the Northeastern IPM Center from their representative group(s).
Determining New Members. The Northeastern IPM Center Directors are responsible for seeking out new AC members when a position is open. The Directors will accept input on potential members from any IPM stakeholder, and will actively seek input from the vacating member, state IPM Coordinators, existing AC members, and the SC. The Center Directors and the Steering Committee will make final determinations of membership. Nominations should be addressed to the Center Directors.
Size of the Advisory Council. The number of people on the AC is limited to approximately 36, excluding Northeastern IPM Center staff.
Advisory Council Composition. The AC will have representatives from the following stakeholder groups. The numbers in parentheses indicate the minimum representation. AC members can represent several categories.
• 1890’s schools (1) Rotate among the potential schools every three
years
• Non-land grant University (1)
• Agricultural Consultant (2)
• Production agriculture (2)
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) (1)
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (1)
• Other related agencies (e.g. NASS, Foundation for IPM Education) (2)
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (1) plus one guest when appropriate
• Northeast Plant Diagnostic Network (1)
• State lead agency (e.g., Dept. of Agriculture) (2)
• Non-Governmental Environmental Organization (2)
• Extension (3)
• Research (3)
• EPA – national (1)
• EPA – regional (3) non-rotating positions plus one ongoing guest
• Grower organization (2)
• IPM Coordinators from NEREAP-IPM including the current NEREAP chair
(3)
• IR-4 Project (1)
• Marketing (1)
• CSREES National IPM representative (1) non-rotating position
• Office of Pest Management Policy (1)
• Northeast Extension Service Directors (1) non-rotating position
• Northeast Research Station Directors (1) non-rotating position
• IPM Working Group leaders (2)
• State Network Project leaders (2) plus one guest SNP leader as appropriate
• Northeastern IPM Center Directors (2) non-rotating position
Guests. Stakeholders outside of the official AC may audit or participate in meetings, committees, and conference calls for specific reasons if approved by one of the Center Directors. Expenses incurred may be reimbursed on a case-by-case basis.
Membership Terms. To provide fresh ideas and be inclusive of stakeholders throughout the region, AC membership terms will be limited with very few exceptions. In this way, an institutional memory of the organization will be maintained while being open to new representation. Membership terms are 3 years with the first group rotating off in May 2005. To stagger the rotation, approximately one quarter of the AC will rotate off in a given year. Terms run from January 1 to December 31.
Renewal of Membership. After the initial 3-year term, an AC member may choose to have the SC grant them an additional 3-year term. Once this second term has expired, the AC member is required to withdraw from the AC for the period of one year (beginning January 1) before seeking another renewable 3-year term.
Expenses. The Northeastern IPM Center will pay for the following expenses incurred by the AC member during travel to AC meetings:
Travel expenses will be reimbursed by check sent to the AC member, but the majority of meeting expenses (hotel, dining) will be paid for directly by the Northeastern IPM Center when possible.
Lapsed Membership (Excusing Members). Members are considered inactive when no communication exists between an AC member and any Northeastern IPM Center staff in response to Northeastern IPM Center business either by email, telephone, or meeting attendance for the period of a year. Before excusing an AC member, the SC and all Northeastern IPM Center staff will be informed by a Center Director and upon the approval of the SC, a letter will be sent to the member informing them of the termination of their membership. Members may also excuse themselves by submitting a letter to one of the Center Directors who will then forward the information to the SC. If possible, the departing member is encouraged to recommend a potential replacement.
Representation Contingencies. If a search for replacements
to fulfill each representation category is unsuccessful after attempting recruitment
of nominees from IPM stakeholders, IPM Coordinators, AC members, and the SC,
the position will remain open until a representative can be found. Some categories
of AC membership have only one person who can serve as a representative of their
stakeholder group. These positions may remain unchanged indefinitely.