The powers of the Institute shall be vested in a Board of Directors unless otherwise specified in this chapter.

The Board shall consist of fifteen voting members as follows:

(1) The Secretary of State (or if the Secretary so designates, another officer of the Department of State who was appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate).

(2) The Secretary of Defense (or if the Secretary so designates, another officer of the Department of Defense who was appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate).

(3) The president of the National Defense University (or if the president so designates, the vice president of the National Defense University).

(4) Twelve individuals appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Not more than eight voting members of the Board (including members described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection (b)) may be members of the same political party.

Each individual appointed to the Board under subsection (b)(4) shall have appropriate practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution efforts of the United States.

(1) Each individual appointed to the Board under subsection (b)(4) shall have appropriate practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution efforts of the United States.

(2) Officers and employees of the United States Government may not be appointed to the Board under subsection (b)(4).

Members of the Board appointed under subsection (b)(4) shall be appointed to four year terms, except that—

Members of the Board appointed under subsection (b)(4) shall be appointed to four year terms, except that—

(A) the term of six of the members initially appointed shall be two years, as designated by the President at the time of their nomination;

(B) a member may continue to serve until his or her successor is appointed; and

(C) a member appointed to replace a member whose term has not expired shall be appointed to serve the remainder of that term.

(2) The terms of the members of the Board initially appointed under subsection (b)(4) shall begin on January 20, 1985, and subsequent terms shall begin upon the expiration of the preceding term, regardless of when a member is appointed to fill that term.

(3) The President may not nominate an individual for appointment to the Board under subsection (b)(4) prior to January 20, 1985, but shall submit the names of eleven nominees for initial Board membership under subsection (b)(4) not later than ninety days after that date. If the Senate rejects such a nomination or if such a nomination is withdrawn, the President shall submit the name of a new nominee within fifteen days.

(4) An individual appointed as a member of the Board under subsection (b)(4) may not be appointed to more than two terms on the Board.

(5) The term of a member of the Board shall not commence until the member is confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as a member of the Board.

A member of the Board appointed under subsection (b)(4) may be removed by the President—

(1) in consultation with the Board, for conviction of a felony, malfeasance in office, persistent neglect of duties, or inability to discharge duties;

(2) upon the recommendation of eight voting members of the Board; or

(3) upon the recommendation of a majority of the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and a majority of the members of the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate.

No member of the Board may participate in any decision, action, or recommendation with respect to any matter which directly and financially benefits the member or pertains specifically to any public body or any private or nonprofit firm or organization with which the member is then formally associated or has been formally associated within a period of two years, except that this subsection shall not be construed to prohibit an ex officio member of the Board from participation in actions of the Board which pertain specifically to the public body of which that member is an officer.

Meetings of the Board shall be conducted as follows:

(1) The President shall stipulate by name the nominee who shall be the first Chairman of the Board. The first Chairman shall serve for a term of three years. Thereafter, the Board shall elect a Chairman every three years from among the directors appointed by the President under subsection (b)(4) and may elect a Vice Chairman if so provided by the Institute’s bylaws.

(2) The Board shall meet at least semiannually, at any time pursuant to the call of the Chairman or as requested in writing to the Chairman by at least five members of the Board. A majority of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for any Board meeting.

(3) All meetings of the Board shall be open to public observation and shall be preceded by reasonable public notice. Notice in the Federal Register shall be deemed to be reasonable public notice for purposes of the preceding sentence. In exceptional circumstances, the Board may close those portions of a meeting, upon a majority vote of its members present and with the vote taken in public session, which are likely to disclose information likely to affect adversely any ongoing peace proceeding or activity or to disclose information or matters exempted from public disclosure pursuant to subsection (c) of section 552b of title 5.

A director appointed by the President under subsection (b)(4) shall be entitled to receive the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for grade GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5 for each day during which the director is engaged in the performance of duties as a member of the Board.

While away from his home or regular place of business in the performance of duties for the Institute, a director shall be allowed travel expenses, including a per diem in lieu of subsistence, not to exceed the expenses allowed persons employed intermittently in Government service under section 5703(b) [1] of title 5.

(Pub. L. 98–525, title XVII, § 1706, Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2654; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. A, title XII, § 1225(c)(1), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–773; Pub. L. 110–315, title IX, § 921(b)(1), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3456.)