16.6 MB pdf - IRIS

Governance
The nine-member IRIS Board of Directors acts on behalf of the
Member Institutions, and serves as the major decision-making
forum for IRIS in guiding the programmatic, management,
and fiscal activities of the Corporation and Consortium. It sets
goals and policies, reviews and approves program plans and
budgets, receives advice from Board-appointed committees,
and directs the activities of the President and staff. The IRIS
bylaws stipulate “the Board of Directors may designate one or
more standing committees for each major scientific, educational,
or research program to which the Corporation provides
scientific counsel and advice or management direction.” In
addition, the President and the Board of Directors can appoint
special advisory committees and ad hoc working groups. It is
the role of all appointed committees to develop recommendations
for the Board, which in turn, evaluates and acts upon
such recommendations on behalf of the Member Institutions.
The Board of Directors has three subcommittees drawn
from Board membership—Budget and Finance, Membership,
and Legal Affairs—that are responsible for coordination of
key Board functions. The Board also appoints membership to
the Nominations Committee to prepare a slate for the annual
election. A Program Coordination Committee is led by the
Board vice-Chair and includes a second Board representative,
standing committee chairs, and program managers. It
integrates activities that crosscut the individual programs and
is charged with developing a coordinated program budget
each year for presentation to the Board. The chairs of all
Board-level committees participate in Board meetings on a
nonvoting basis.
Special joint committees have been established to provide
oversight to IRIS programmatic activities that intersect with
other organizations. The Polar Networks Science Committee
is a joint committee with UNAVCO to guide development of
geophysical facilities in the Arctic and Antarctic. An OBSIP
Oversight Committee has been formed recently to guide new
IRIS responsibilities in managing national facilities for ocean
bottom seismic observations. The GSN Standing Committee
plays a special role in coordinating activities and providing
advice to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
Currently, standing committees represent each of the
core IRIS programs (GSN, PASSCAL, DMS, and EPO), and
a USArray Advisory Committee (formed in 2003) provides
advice and coordination of the special USArray activities and
their intersection with the core programs. With the recent
Board-sanctioned reorganization of the IRIS management
structure (described below), and the integration of the core
and USArray programs presented in this proposal, the Board
is in the process of developing adjustments to the governance
structure that will streamline the interface among the Board,
programs, and management, in parallel with the new management
organization under Instrumentation Services, Data
Services, and EPO. In its is deliberations, the Board is giving
careful consideration to simplifying the governance structure
and reducing the number (and expense) of committee meetings,
while at the same time maintaining the essential engagement
and direct input of the community through their
participation on committees and working groups. These
adjustments will be finalized over the next year, during
ongoing consultation with the community membership, IRIS
management, NSF, and other stakeholders, and implemented
with the start of the anticipated new Cooperative Agreement
in October 2013.
One of the greatest strengths of IRIS continues to be the
strong engagement of a broad sector of the scientific community
in the governance and management of the Consortium and
facilities. Membership on the Board of Directors is restricted
to individuals from Consortium Member Institutions, but the
standing committees, other committees, and working groups
can draw from any institution. Indeed, a number of scientists
from government agencies and labs participate, enriching the
input to the committees and enhancing interagency collaboration.
While a number of committed individuals have been
exemplary in their dedication through continued service over
the years, often on multiple committees, there has also been an
explicit effort to engage new committee members, especially
younger scientists. This process of engagement and refreshment
in governance is an important part of sustaining many
of the underlying goals of IRIS and the principles under which
the Consortium operates, such as the culture of open data
sharing. The constant feedback and advice from a community
of active scientists has been essential to the success and evolution
of the programs and facilities operated by IRIS.
Management Structure
IRIS facility management is based on linked operational structures
for the main programmatic areas—Instrumentation
Services (GSN, Portable Seismology, USArray, Polar Support
Services, and OBSIP), Data Services, and EPO. The central
administrative and business functions are carried out through
a Headquarters Office in Washington, DC. The programs are
managed through offices or subawards linked to each of the
programs. Overall management is under the direction of a
full-time President, appointed by the Board, who works with
a Senior Management Team that includes the directors of
each of the primary program directorates (Instrumentation
Services, Data Services, and Education and Public Outreach),
Director of Program Support and Special Projects, and Chief
Financial Officer.
Each IRIS program operates under a standardized management
and oversight structure (program manager and advisory
committee) and is implemented through a combination
of direct employees, subawards, and partnerships that varies
depending on the requirements of the individual program.
USArray has had a parallel management and oversight
structure consisting of a director and advisory committee.
Additional oversight and management of USArray, as part of
the EarthScope Program, has been provided by NSF, through
I-20 VOLUME 1 | Section I | GOVERNANCE AND Management