Section I: Purpose of the Maize Genetics Advocacy Committee

The mission of the Maize Genetics Advocacy Committee (MGAC) is to advance the interests of the international Maize Genetics community and to support advocacy-related activities such as communications with national funding agencies and stakeholders. The MGAC’s role is to identify both the needs and the opportunities for maize genetics, and to communicate this information to the broadest possible life science community. This life science community includes scientists, funding sources for scientists, educators, and the end users for the accomplishments of maize genetics, from farmers to consumers. MGAC conducts community surveys and identifies mechanisms to support relevant efforts, and supports communications with national funding agencies, such as NSF, USDA and DOE, within the U.S. and internationally, and with relevant stakeholders.

Section II: Organization of the Maize Genetics Advocacy Committee

The Maize Genetics Advocacy Committee consists of: 1) four elected members of the Maize Genetics Cooperation Board of Directors (MGC BoD) currently serving as the incoming, outgoing and current Chair, and Communications Director of the BoD; 2) three At-large members, one elected per year by the full MGC membership; and 3) up to six appointed members each representing Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, Industry, and Primarily Undergraduate Research Institutions. Appointed positions are filled via an election within the MGAC and all positions will be for a maximum of three years. The MGAC chair position is filled annually following this priority: 1) an MGAC member with at least one year of service can volunteer and then be approved by the MGAC membership; newly appointed members will not be eligible. This is to ensure continuity and to give members time to participate as a member of the MGAC prior to taking this leadership role. 2) If no member with a previous year’s service on the MGAC is willing to serve as MGAC chair, the position will default to the MGC BoD former/Outgoing Chair.

Section III: Activities and Responsibilities of the Maize Genetics Advocacy Committee

The activities assumed by the MGAC include, but are not limited to:

1. Convening, at a minimum, quarterly MGAC meetings. To facilitate MGAC functions and interactions, one of the scheduled meetings should coincide with the annual Maize Genetics Meeting.
   • MGAC meeting agendas shall be distributed to all committee members ahead of the meeting.
   • Minutes of the meeting taken by an At-large member shall be archived for future MGAC reference.
2. Defined MGAC activities including, but not limited to:
   • Plan one event each year related to increasing the relevance and impact of MGC before stakeholders such as funding agencies and other interested parties (for example, the Community Session during the annual Maize Genetics Meeting or participation in MGC RCN events).
   • Establish & maintain relationships with key funding and stakeholder groups including National Corn Growers Society and Government members and comment on policies affecting the science or training opportunities in our community
   • Develop and carry out a yearly, post-conference survey that is inclusive of all MGC committees, to assess the main needs and wants of the community. The MGAC will report the findings back to the community and identify key action items as follow-ups based on survey feedback.
   • Partner with the Awards & Nominations Committee (ANC) in the selection process for the annual MGC McClintock Prize. Specifically, the MGAC chair is responsible for setting up a meeting to review the finalist nomination packages and is responsible for setting up a voting mechanism. MGAC members are responsible for reviewing the ANC-proposed finalists and voting to select a winner. The MGAC chair will notify the selected awardee and work with the awardee’s institution to develop a press release for October 10, in honor of the date McClintock was notified of her Nobel Prize award.