IPM PIPE Steering Committee Bylaws

An MS Word version of this document is also available here.

On March 6-7, 2007 a quorum of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Pest Information Platform for Extension Education (PIPE) Steering Committee met in Washington, DC. This policy was approved by e-mail (March 12-17, 2007) subsequent to that meeting.

1. Role of the Steering Committee:

The Steering Committee (SC) considers input from all interested stakeholders to make decisions for the IPM PIPE in pursuit of the IPM PIPE vision and mission. Policies may include, but are not limited to, IPM PIPE bylaws, program priorities and funding priorities

Specific functions include:

2. Membership

A. Expectations:

SC members are engaged in IPM PIPE issues throughout the year as needed. They are expected to regularly participate in conference calls (approximately 12 annually), and to respond to email or other requests from the SC Chairperson in a timely fashion.

SC members are expected to attend as many as two two-day meetings annually. They are expected to respond quickly to requests for input on scheduling these meetings. In appropriate cases, members may send proxies from the organization they represent.

Members are strongly encouraged to attend meetings of the IPM PIPE Advisory Council should such an organization be formed.

Members may be required to review and approve or reject various proposals or pre-proposals that are submitted on an infrequent and irregular basis. Timely response is required, and if explicitly stated as such, lack of timely response may be interpreted as approval.

B. Committee Composition:

The Steering Committee comprises representatives of organizations, programs, or perspectives that are important to the work of the IPM PIPE. Its composition, described below, may be changed through an act of the Steering Committee.

Unless otherwise noted, seats on the SC are distributed to stakeholder groups rather than to individuals, and each stakeholder group with a seat is expected to identify the individual who serves. Seats are held by organizations or stakeholder groups but terms apply to individuals. At the end of an individual's term, the organization or group represented appoints someone to a new term.

Membership terms are staggered across the SC to the extent possible in order to maintain institutional memory and to allow for rotation of membership. Eventually all terms will be for three (3) years. Founding SC members have terms as detailed in the table below (Current Roster).

C. Lapsed Membership and Resignation:

Members are considered inactive when no communication exists between an SC member and project leadership in response to IPM PIPE business either by e-mail, telephone, or meeting attendance for a period of six (6) months. The following process will be used to replace inactive members.

1. The Executive Committee initiates proceedings by documenting lack of participation and calling for Steering Committee action.

2. If the Steering Committee approves,
   • the Chairperson informs the individual of the decision
   • the Chairperson requests that the stakeholder group appoint a new representative to fill out the remaining term
3. Participation by a new representative of the stakeholder group must occur within 6 months of the request for a new representative

4. If participation is not renewed within 6 months of the request for a new appointment, the Executive Committee may call for Steering Committee action to remove the stakeholder group from SC representation.

Members may also excuse themselves by submitting a letter to the Chairperson, who will then forward the information to the SC. The departing member is encouraged to recommend a potential replacement to the stakeholder group and plan for a smooth transition. If a term is vacated before the end date, the replacement will fill out the original term.

D. Recruiting members

If a search for replacements to fulfill each representation category is unsuccessful the position will remain open until a representative can be found or until the Steering Committee as a whole ratifies a change in its composition. Some categories of SC membership have only one person who can serve as a representative of their stakeholder group. These positions may remain unchanged indefinitely.

E. Proxies and Representatives

In the event of unavoidable absence at a single meeting or deliberation, any member may delegate a representative to participate in the member's place. Replacement representatives do not hold voting or other decision-making rights.

3. Officers: Responsibilities and Term

A. Chairperson:

The Steering Committee Chairperson has a two-year term, with terms changing on December 31. The term of the initial chairperson ends December. 31, 2008. The term of the Chairperson supersedes the membership term of a Steering Committee member - i.e., if the Chair's term is slated to continue longer than the membership term would last, the Chair retains the seat on the Steering Committee until the scheduled end of the Chair term. The role of the Chairperson includes but may not be limited to the following:

• Serve on and lead the Executive Committee to schedule and plan for SC meetings and other deliberations.
• Moderate SC and Executive Committee deliberations.
• Serve as a contact and provide guidance for IPM PIPE throughout the year, representing the entire SC on matters that require timely consultation.
• Occasionally represent the IPM PIPE Project to the public in letters or other communications regarding important issues.

B. Chair-elect:

The chair-elect serves a two-year term and assumes the Chairperson position at the end of the term. The term of the initial Chair-Elect ends December 31, 2008. A new chair-elect must be elected by the SC by that date. The term of the Chair-Elect supersedes the membership term of a Steering Committee member - i.e., if the Chair-Elect's term is slated to continue longer than the membership term would last, the Chair-Elect retains the seat on the Steering Committee until the scheduled end of the Chair-Elect term (and the subsequent Chair term). The role of the Chair-Elect is as follows:

• Substitute for the Chairperson when necessary
• Serve as a member of the Executive Committee
• Prepare to assume the role of Chairperson

C. Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee comprises the Chairperson, the Chair-Elect, at least one private-sector representative, at least one IPM Center representative, at least one Extension Specialist (or comparable position), and an ex officio member representing the USDA agency administrating the IPM PIPE grant.

Executive Committee members serve two-year terms, staggered among the committee to provide continuity. Initially, Kitty Cardwell will serve as ex officio USDA representative with term ending December 31, 2007. Terms of two members (to be determined) will end on December 31, 2008. Terms of the remaining three members will end on December 31, 2009. Steering Committee terms supersede the terms of Executive Committee terms, i.e. if a member of the Executive Committee rotates off the SC then that person must also rotate off the Executive Committee and an election held to make a replacement.

Executive Committee members are limited to two consecutive terms.

New Executive Committee members with terms starting on January 1 are elected from the SC membership and by the SC membership no later than Oct. 31 of the preceding year. The election may be held at a meeting or via remote communications. The responsibilities of Executive Committee include:

• Advise the Chairperson on planning for all SC deliberations.
• Serve as a contact and provide guidance for the project throughout the year, representing the entire SC on matters that require timely consultation.
• Occasionally represent the IPM PIPE Project in letters or other communications regarding important issues.

In the interests of efficiency and timeliness, the Executive Committee may occasionally make decisions on behalf of the Steering Committee. Determination of whether a decision is "substantive" and thus may only be made by the full Steering Committee is at the Executive Committee's discretion. All decisions made on behalf of the Steering Committee must be reported to the full Steering Committee in a timely fashion.

The EC can call upon any SC member to work with the EC in an ex officio capacity, as needed.

4. Subcommittees, Task Forces and Work Groups:

The Steering Committee may appoint subcommittees, task forces, or work groups to address particular issues. Membership of these groups is not limited to SC membership. All subcommittees, task forces, and work groups should include at least one Steering Committee member who will act as liaison to the Steering Committee.

5. Guests:

The IPM PIPE strives to make all decisions using open and transparent processes, and decisions will be made public through appropriate and timely methods. To promote uninhibited discussion, however, guest participation at meetings will not be encouraged except in circumstances deemed beneficial by the Executive Committee. Observation of any IPM PIPE meeting or process by any person will only be prohibited in extraordinary circumstances when issues such as safety, expense, protection of intellectual property, appearance of a conflict of interest, etc. are concerned AND when such prohibition is clearly legal AND when the reasons for this prohibition are clearly stated.

6. Policy Describing How Decisions Are Made

A. Purpose of this policy:

The Steering Committee (SC) considers input from the IPM PIPE Project staff, the Advisory Council (if one is formed), and other interested stakeholders to develop and ratify policies in pursuit of the IPM PIPE mission. There are a number of valid ways that policies may be developed and instituted. This policy is to outline procedures that may be used.

B. Deliberations of the Steering Committee:

The Steering Committee interacts at meetings, on conference calls, and through the internet.

C. Definition of a Quorum

A quorum is defined as a simple majority (more than 50%) of current Steering Committee membership. Participation of a quorum is always required to institute or amend any policy, or to make any substantive decisions.

In normal circumstances, meetings or conference calls shall not be scheduled unless we have a reasonable expectation of a quorum in attendance at the meeting.

Email and other online interaction methods may occur at any time, but no policies may be instituted or amended using online methods unless a quorum participates in the deliberation and decision.

When online interaction methods confer the benefits of asynchronous communications, SC decisions made using such methods should usually derive from agreement of a majority of the entire membership rather than merely a majority of a quorum.

D. Steering Committee consensus and voting:

Consensus is the preferred model of decision-making for the SC. In meetings and conference calls, the first approach to decisions will be made to attempt to gain consensus. If consensus is unreachable within a reasonable length of time, as judged by the meeting moderator, decisions will be made using a majority of voting members participating.

E. Amendments to policies and decisions:

Any policy or decision may be amended entirely or in part in any of the following ways:

• consensus of a meeting or conference call at which a quorum is present
• affirmative vote of a majority of voting members participating in a meeting or conference call where a quorum is present
• affirmative vote by a majority of  Steering Committee members with votes cast in an internet (email or WWW) ballot.

Current Roster