The purpose of the Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Advisory Board (Advisory Board) is to work together to provide strategic guidance, industry insights, and community perspective to the department head of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEC) to advance and promote the strategic priorities of the College through its teaching, research, and extension programs.

Members of the Advisory Board serve at the discretion of the department head. This board is a non-voting, advisory board. It does not engage in decision-making related to program personnel, budget, or internal policy development within AAEC, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), and Virginia Tech. 

In alignment with Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community and the university motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), the Advisory Board is committed to fostering a board where all identities, experiences, and backgrounds feel empowered to create a strong and welcoming community representative of Virginia Tech and all it serves. AAEC strives to facilitate accessible, flexible, enjoyable, and meaningful activities that honor and uplift the dignity of our members and the faculty, staff, and administrators who work with the board.

To support this purpose and provide meaningful engagement of advisory board members, we prepared the following set of guidelines to direct our work.

Mission or purpose statement

The Advisory Board is composed of leaders, stakeholders, and industry partners who serve in four key roles: advisors, advocates, ambassadors, and philanthropic supporters of the department. The majority of the board will be alumni members.  The board may include non-alumni as members.

Their mission aligns with Virginia Tech’s land-grant heritage and the motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) and supports AAEC’s mission in applied economics and agribusiness principles that help address the food, financial, health, development, policy, environmental, and social needs in Virginia and beyond. 

Member Responsibilities and Activities

Advisory Council members have four primary roles: Advisors to the department head, advocates, ambassadors, and philanthropic supporters of the department. 

  • Advisors: Serve as a thought leader with the department head to better understand the multiple facets of challenges and issues they are working through and to explore potential solutions to consider.
  • Ambassadors: As informed insiders, members serve as ambassadors for the department as well as in their business networks and home communities.
  • Advocates: Promote the university, CALS, and AAEC to the broader community by helping to increase public awareness of the institution, its programs and strategic priorities, and the talents of faculty and students, by sharing marketing and communications that CALS and AAEC send out, and by encouraging others to engage with the university.
  • Philanthropic champion

Help AAEC identify and secure gifts from other interested parties through conversations with alumni, friends, government agencies, and corporations.

All members are expected to make annual contributions to the department’s annual fund commensurate with their capacity and are asked to support the fundraising priorities of the department by helping to identify and engage other supporters.

  • Attend and participate in Advisory Board meetings

  • Stay apprised of AAEC priorities and challenges

  • Help identify and cultivate partnership engagement 

Benefits of membership

In addition to helping AAEC's strategic growth initiatives, advisory board members will benefit by:

  • Helping to identify and create strategic programs to benefit our industry professionals and employers moving forward
  • Partnering with AAEC in ways that may benefit your company, such as conducting student projects, recruiting future employees or interns, and interacting with faculty to learn about their research or expertise
  • Applying your experience and knowledge in a stress-free environment by mentoring students, sharing your knowledge with future generations, and giving back to your alma mater 
  • Interacting with and learning about the interests of a younger generation who will be entering the job market shortly
  • Participating in our programming to advertise your company’s name and brand
  • Broadening your network credibility through association with Virginia Tech, CALS, and AAEC

Membership Criteria, Selection, and Nomination

Requests for nominations will be sent out each year at the fall board meeting, with a due date for nominations by November 1. The Advisory Board will review nominations. The department head and Advisory Board chair will discuss expectations, requirements, and time commitment before the potential board member’s name is included on the slate. After all discussions, the Advisory Board will create a slate of Advisory Board members in accordance with the Advisory Board’s needs. Incoming board members will be voted on by membership at the spring meeting, with terms beginning in the new fiscal year (July 1).

Nominations are reviewed based on a combination of:

  • Demonstrated leadership and involvement in AAEC and CALS activities
  • Achievement of a significant leadership role in business, profession, or in community, education, or charitable organizations
  • Demonstrated philanthropic support for AAEC and CALS

If you would like to nominate someone for the Advisory Council, please review the position description and reach out to vtagecon@vt.edu with recommendations to the membership committee.

Terms

Members serve a three-year term, which starts on July 1. Members may be invited to serve three consecutive terms. After nine years, members must step down for a one-year break in service, but are eligible to be nominated again after the hiatus.

Officers

Officers assist AAEC with keeping the Advisory Board focused on its priorities, accomplishing its goals in a timely manner, and preserving a reliable record of the group’s activities. Advisory Board officers are recommended by the department head and Advisory Board chair, and voted on by the full Advisory Board. 

  • Chair: The advisory board chair works in partnership with the department head and marketing, communications, and partnerships manager to ensure the success of the Advisory Board by: helping to create meeting agendas, appointing committee chairs, delegating tasks to committees, leading the nominating process for new members, ensuring the Advisory Board promotes a culture of belonging, and making sure the Advisory Board fulfills all of its responsibilities.

  • Vice-Chair: The Advisory Board vice-chair works collaboratively with the Advisory Board chair, department head, and marketing, communications, and partnerships manager to learn the role of chair, with the expectation that they are the incoming chair.

  • Secretary: The Advisory Board secretary maintains records of the Advisory Board and sub-committees.

  • Committee Chairs: The committee chairs collaborate with the 1) department head, 2) Advisory Board chair, and the 3) marketing, communications, and partnerships manager to oversee all aspects of their committee’s meetings and responsibilities. 

Orientation

An orientation session will be held for incoming members before their first meeting to share the history of CALS and AAEC, Advisory Board policies and processes, functions of AAEC and the Advisory Board, the strategic plan, and ensure access to reference materials and documents. The session will be hosted by the advisory board chair, the department head, and the marketing, communications, and partnerships manager.

In addition to an orientation session, the Advisory Board is committed to continuous education and offboarding best practices. Each meeting will have a focus on learning through pre-reads and informative presentations to help members learn about issues impacting AAEC and to prepare to give sound counsel on those issues. As members rotate off the Advisory Board, the department head or the marketing, communications, and partnerships manager will conduct an offboarding interview or survey to learn about their experiences with the Advisory Board and to determine the board member’s future engagement with AAEC, CALS, or Virginia Tech.

Meetings

The full Advisory Board will meet in person twice each year (usually in October and April), with a third virtual meeting. Typically, meetings will occur over a two-day time period. The spring meeting (main meeting) location will be at our Blacksburg campus, and the fall meeting will rotate between Blacksburg, Northern Virginia, and Richmond. Committees will meet virtually at least once between each full board meeting.

In-person meetings tend to promote greater collaboration and discussion. Every effort should be made for each member to attend at least one in-person visit per year; however, when scheduling conflicts or travel distance make this impractical, virtual participation will be considered acceptable.

Committee descriptions: The Advisory Board committees are a structured way for board members to share their ideas and perspectives, study issues, and develop recommendations in a focused, small group. Committee membership consists of at least three Advisory Board members. 

The Advisory Board has three sub-committees:

  1. Executive Committee oversees the operational and nominating functions of the Advisory Board. The committee will conduct all affairs of the Advisory Board as necessary between meetings, and will inform the full Advisory Board of its actions at the next meeting. The executive committee is made up of all officers – chairs, vice-chair, secretary, and committee chairs.
  2. Strategic Initiatives & Development Committee offers support for AAEC’s strategic priorities and encourages alignment with the university’s strategic priorities. The committee provides strategic guidance on established priorities as determined by the department head, in alignment with the university's issues. The committee supports college/unit fundraising goals and strategies to ensure the case for support is based on current strategic priorities. The committee fosters a culture of philanthropic support and peer-to-peer engagement that will have a lasting impact on the college/unit specifically and the university generally.
  3. Marketing and Engagement Committee supports storytelling and raising awareness of the Advisory Board, CALS, and Virginia Tech. Their role is to act as a sounding board for marketing and communications strategies, provide feedback on these activities, and leverage AAEC communications efforts by sharing more broadly publications and announcements published by CALS/AAEC. The committee assists with efforts to foster a culture of involvement and participation among current students, alumni, friends, and donors by providing strategic guidance and support on college-based engagement efforts.

Conflict of Interest Statement

Conflicts of interest can arise in different ways, such as when an Advisory Board member has a financial interest in a company or when they have a personal relationship with a member of the organization's management team. To avoid conflicts of interest, Advisory Board members should disclose any potential conflicts and recuse themselves from discussions or advice that may be affected by the conflict.

Emeritus Members

As Advisory Board members rotate off the board due to term limits or other reasons, the department head may invite that member to our emeritus society. Emeritus status is an acknowledgement of your exemplary service and friendship to CALS and AAEC as a former Advisory Board member. Emeritus members will be kept in the loop via regular communications with the department head and marketing, communications, and partnerships manager, as well as being invited to events.