The CILER Executive Board will provide executive oversight to the Cooperative Institute through the Management Team (see below). The Executive Board shall consist of: 1) the Deputy Assistant Administrator of Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR) (or his/her designee); 2) Deputy Assistant Administrators of other NOAA Line Offices with substantive involvement in the Institute (or their designees); 3) the Vice Presidents for Research of the seven co-PI's (Sea Grant Directors) Institutions (or their designees); 4) the Dean of the unit housing CILER, if not in the office of the Vice President; 5) other members appointed by NOAA to achieve equivalent representation on the Board by NOAA and the Sea Grant Institutions; and 6) the CILER and GLERL Directors, as ex officio. The Executive Board will convene 1-2 times per year. The Executive Board will be responsible for:

• Making recommendations to the Management Team concerning the administrative policies of the Institute.
• Reviewing the annual budget of the Institute and making recommendations regarding budgetary issues.
• Reviewing and implementing agreements or addenda to the Institute's cooperative agreement as may be entered into in the future and making recommendations in regard to such agreements to the Management Team.
• Reviewing the general policies of the Cooperative Institute and initiating appropriate recommendations.
• Approving the appointments of Fellows to the Council of Fellows of the Institute.

The Council of Fellows will provide programmatic advice to the Cooperative Institute. The Council of Fellows will include the Great Lakes Sea Grant Directors (or their designees), as well an equal number of representatives (e.g., heads of offices or other senior scientists) of NOAA Line Offices with substantive involvement in the Institute and other scientists who may be appointed by the Executive Board to provide disciplinary breadth. To reflect the broader research interests of the new CILER, the scientists appointed to the Council of Fellows will include representatives from both the social and natural sciences. The members of the Council will be recommended by the CILER Director and approved by the Executive Board and Management Team. Additional Fellows will be nominated by the Council of Fellows and then recommended by the CILER Director for approval by the Executive Board and Management Team. The CILER and GLERL Directors will be ex officio members of the Council of Fellows. The Council of Fellows will convene for meetings approximately quarterly (and via teleconferences).

The Council of Fellows will be responsible for:

• Providing leadership in maintaining high standards of research of the Institute.
• Developing the direction of interdisciplinary, regional research to be conducted by the Cooperative Institute, including developing its Strategic Plan.
• Analyzing the Institutes' programs and scientific direction and recommending new research theme areas.
• Advising the Director on the selection of new Fellows for and reappointment of current Fellows to the Council.
• Reviewing grants and applications from Task I non-administrative programs, including the Postdoctoral Program, the Visiting Fellows, and the Undergraduate and Graduate Grants Program and making recommendations to the Management Team about priority applicants.
• Providing a forum for generation of new partnerships and for generation of new grants, proposals or programs.

The Management Team will make programmatic and operational decisions for the Cooperative Institute consortium with feedback from the Executive Board and Council of Fellows. The Management Team should include the Director and Administrative Officer of GLERL, the Director and Administrative Executive of CILER, and one CILER scientist. The Management Team will meet every one to two months and will be responsible for providing annual updates to the Executive Board about CILER executive issues. The Management Team will oversee combined NOAA and university contributions to CILER including Task 1b (Education and Outreach) activities.