Again, there is no hard and fast number of members required for boards and councils. Most range from 8 to 24 members, not including ex-officio representatives (i.e., members who hold positions on a board by virtue of other offices they hold, such as a state representative or political cabinet member, but do not regularly attend meetings or hold official voting privileges). All boards – and, especially, advisory councils, as specified in the previously cited Older Americans Act language (1) – should have membership that strives to represent constituents in terms of age, race and social strata. All should live in the geographic area that they represent. (Special mandates for advisory council composition can be found a few pages forward in this manual under the heading Duties and Responsibilities of Advisory Councils.) (read more…)
(1) U.S. Online Code: Older Americans Act: Grants for State and Community Programs on Aging: General Provisions: frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+42USC3026