A. The Institute shall be governed by a 15-member board of trustees (the board) that shall consist of 11 nonlegislative citizen members and four ex officio members. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed as follows: one resident of the City of Danville, to be appointed by the Danville City Council; one resident of Pittsylvania County, to be appointed by the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors; and nine nonlegislative citizen members representing business and industry who (i) reside in Southside Virginia, (ii) own a business headquartered or otherwise operating in Southside Virginia, or (iii) serve as a member of either the board of directors or senior management of a business headquartered or otherwise operating in Southside Virginia, of whom three shall be appointed by the Governor, three shall be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and three shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates. The presidents of Averett University, Danville Community College, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or their designees and the chairman of the Board of the Future of the Piedmont Foundation or his designee shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the board shall be nonelected citizens of the Commonwealth.

B. Ex officio members of the board shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Appointments shall be for terms of three years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

No nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms; however, a member appointed to serve an unexpired term is eligible to serve two consecutive three-year terms immediately succeeding such unexpired term.

C. The board shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership and may establish bylaws as necessary.

D. Members of the board are not entitled to receive compensation. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for the cost of expenses of the members shall be provided by the Institute.

2002, cc. 581, 620, § 23-231.20; 2004, cc. 856, 889, 1000; 2015, c. 141; 2016, c. 588.