5. a. The board shall appoint and employ an executive director, and fix the executive director’s compensation and conditions of employment. The executive director shall be the chief executive, administrative, and operational officer of the consortium and shall direct and supervise the administrative affairs and the general management of the consortium. The executive director shall oversee the consortium’s day-to-day operations, which includes working with the board to meet the consortium’s goals and grant-making requirements, hiring and managing program officers and administrative staff pursuant to subsection b. of this section, acting as spokesperson for the consortium’s work, and raising funds from external sources. The executive director shall attend all meetings of the board.

b. (1) The executive director shall employ program officers who shall be experienced practitioners with a strong understanding of the media or civic technology fields. The executive director shall strive to appoint program officers that represent the State‘s racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity within any limits allowed under law. The program officers shall manage the grant-making process, in accordance with the consortium’s goals. The grant-making process shall include soliciting, recommending, and processing grant proposals, working with grantees to ensure work on grant project ideas, and directing public engagement and evaluation efforts.

(2) The executive director shall employ no more than three administrative staff to provide operational support for the consortium, including office management, support for the executive director and program officers, coordination among member universities, payment to grantees, human resources, and logistics.

c. To save on startup, operating, and ongoing administrative costs, one member university shall be responsible for housing the consortium and providing back-office support.

L.2018, c.111, s.5.