MINRC Planning and Operations Guide

The Minorities in Natural Resources Committee (MINRC) is a standing committee of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA).  All MINRC policies and operating procedures shall be in accordance with published committee by-laws.

Mission Statement – MINRC serves to assist state and federal natural resource agencies in efforts to eliminate the under-representation of women and minorities in professional natural resource occupations.

This planning document serves as a “blueprint” to MINRC operations and shall be used to assist Committee leadership and members in planning and carrying out the Committee’s general operating functions, with special programmatic emphasis on the SEAFWA Annual Conference. For planning purposes, the MINRC program year covers a rolling 12-month period from November to October and shall be aligned with the schedule for the SEAFWA Annual Conference.

Note: the SEAFWA Annual Conference is normally held in the timeframe from mid-October to early November.

Summary of Executive and Subcommittee Responsibilities:

1.      Executive Committee (Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Past Chair):  Responsible for overall MINRC leadership and committee activities to include planning, organizing and coordinating programs for the annual SEAFWA Conference; Chairperson serves as primary liaison and reports to the SEAFWA executive secretary/state directors and Southeast Section of the Wildlife Society. 

2.   Nominating Subcommittee – Responsible for recruiting and nominating interested candidates to fill the positions on the Executive Committee (i.e. chair, co-chair, secretary and treasurer) in accordance with Committee by-laws.

3.      Membership Subcommittee – Responsible for securing additional MINRC members and collecting membership fees to assist in the on-going efforts of MINRC.

4.      Fundraising Subcommittee – Responsible for leading fundraising activities in support of MINRC operational goals and objectives.

5.      Student Recruitment Subcommittee – Responsible for recruiting women and minority students for membership into the MINRC organization and to attend annual SEAFWA conference.

6.      Student Tracking Subcommittee – Responsible for maintaining accurate contact information (i.e. names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc.) for all MINRC-sponsored students, and for providing data related to their career outcomes and successes.

7.      Technical Assistance Subcommittee – Responsible for providing technical assistance to member organizations and sharing best practices to assist organizations in their diversity efforts.

8.      Diversity Awards Subcommittee – Responsible for recognizing efforts and accomplishments of member organizations in the areas of workforce and constituent diversity; develops nomination forms and selection criteria for annual Diversity Award.

9.      Professional Workshop Subcommittee – Responsible for coordinating topics and securing speakers for presentations to professional members and participants of the annual SEAFWA Conference.

10.  Student Workshop Subcommittee – Responsible for coordinating topics of interest and securing speakers for presentations to students attending the annual SEAFWA Conference

11.  News Letter Subcommittee – Responsible for informing MINRC members and the natural resources community about committee activities and related topics of interest through the publishing of a biannual (spring/fall) newsletter.

12.  Website Subcommittee – Responsible for the development and maintenance of a Committee internet website to facilitate the sharing of mission-related information between MINRC members, students, SEAFWA, and other interested parties.   

Committee Meetings:

The MINRC Chairperson, is responsible for coordinating meeting agendas and conducting regular committee meetings. The Committee typically holds face-to-face business meetings during spring and fall each year. The spring meeting is typically held in the member state hosting the SEAFWA Annual Conference and is used primarily for planning the fall conference activities. The fall meeting is held in conjunction with annual SEAFWA Conference and provides for the resolution of open business matters, including the seating of new officers.  Between the spring and fall meeting sessions, Committee members conduct general business via regular teleconferences (usually the 2^nd or 3^rd Wednesday of the month), email messages, telephone and general postal correspondence.  In addition to the regular Committee meetings, chairpersons of various sub-committees (see Key Subcommittee Responsibilities) coordinate and schedule meetings as necessary to complete their assigned functions.

Schedule of Key Activities:   The following activities and interactions typically occur between Committee members over the course of the program year (November to October) during the general timeframes indicated (note: to be used only as a guide; timing of activities subject to change):

On-going activities (conducted throughout program year)

• Schedule regular teleconferences (normally 2^nd or 3^rd Wednesday each month) to coordinate on-going business matters-POC: Executive Chair/Secretary.

• Provide appropriate informational materials (i.e. articles, pictures, career/job information, sponsorship information, etc.) to assist in publishing in the spring/fall News Letters- POC: News Letter Subcommittee/members.

• Solicit new MINRC members and collect new and annual renewal membership fees - POC: Membership Subcommittee.

• Update MINRC student tracking database to reflect most current contact information for student members - POC: Student Tracking Subcommittee.

•  Update MINRC website to reflect the most current Committee and program information and links to SEAFWA conference information -POC: Website Subcommittee.

November – December

• Fill all Executive Committee (e.g. chairman, chair-elect, secretary, and treasurer) and subcommittee leadership and member positions as required; solicit members for preferences on sub-committee assignments.  POC: Nominations Committee/Executive Chairperson.

• Initiate contact and begin program coordination with host state for next annual SEAFWA Conference – POC: Chairperson

• Compile the MINRC after-action report for the SEAFWA Conference; submit report to the SEAFWA Executive Secretary- POC: Executive Chair/Secretary/Subcommittee Chairpersons.

January –February

• Begin preliminary planning for spring meeting; determine tentative agenda and activities -POC: Chairperson/members.

• Update all SEAFWA/MINRC promotional information (i.e. brochures, recruitment application, etc.) as required -  POC: Student Recruitment Subcommittee

• Review and update fund solicitation letters as needed – POC: Fundraising Subcommittee

• Review and update the Diversity Award nomination materials and selection procedures as needed -POC Diversity Subcommittee.

March -April

• Conduct spring planning meeting in the host state of the annual SEAFWA Conference- POC: Executive Chair/Secretary. Meeting agenda includes:

• Discussions regarding the SEAFWA Conference program (i.e. tentative topics, speakers, student activities, etc.);

• Coordinate with host state representative regarding meeting facilities, program schedules, student hotel accommodations, etc.

• Conduct other business as required.

• Publish MINRC Spring Newsletter -POC: News Letter Subcommittee

• Coordinate for MINRC representation at State Directors spring meeting -POC: Executive Chair.

• Mail student recruitment funding solicitation letters to states, federal agencies, professional organizations, etc. 

May-June

• Finalize MINRC program agenda (i.e. student/professional workshops, speakers, activities, etc.) for SEAFWA Conference event - POC: Executive/Subcommittee Chairpersons.

• Mail out Diversity Award nomination packets to state directors- POC: Diversity Subcommittee.

July -August

• Coordinate final conference program schedule with host state point of contact.

• Mail out student recruitment application materials to colleges, professional organizations and other interested parties-POC: Student Recruitment Committee.

• Notify Committee members regarding annual membership renewal fees.

September-October

• Receive and process student applications to attend the annual SEAFWA Conference-POC: Student Recruitment Subcommittee.

• Receive and process Diversity Award nominations from SEAFWA member states; select award recipient- POC: Diversity Subcommittee

• Publish MINRC Fall News Letter -POC: News Letter Subcommittee.

• Notify students selected for sponsorship to attend SEAFWA Conference; coordinate hotel and travel arrangements – POC: Student Recruitment Subcommittee.

• Coordinate student arrival/orientation at annual SEAFWA Conference location.

• Conduct MINRC program at SEAFWA Annual Conference (mid-October to early November time frame)- (POC: Executive/Subcommittee chairpersons)

• Deliver professional and student workshop program activities

• Present Annual Diversity Award

• Conduct fall business meeting (Executive Chair/Secretary)

• Begin initial preparations for next year’s conference

• Begin preparing preliminary subcommittee after-action reports for SEAFWA Conference program

Attachments:  Subcommittee Activity Planning Guide

Summary Timeline of Key Events/Activities

MINRC Subcommittee Activity Planning Guide

Subcommittee Name: 

  Chair/Co-chair:

Subcommittee Goals/Objectives (i.e. Statement of what is to be accomplished):

A. Key Tasks (Things that need to be done to accomplished goals/objectives):

B. Status Check (Which tasks noted above still need to be completed?):

C.  Obstacles/Challenges encountered (What’s blocking your efforts?):

D.  Budget Requirements:

Does the committee need to allocated money or other resources to this project?

____Yes    ___ No

E. If the answer to item D above is “Yes”, identify amount and purpose of funds:     

F. Other recommendations/comments:

                                        MINRC –Summary and Timeline of Key Events /Activities 

Timeline of Key MINRC Events/Activities