Structure & Committees

Mission

The mission of the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) is to reduce the impact of disasters through research-based education

This mission is carried out through the achievement of our strategic goals:

Enhance the abilities of individuals, families, organizations, agencies, and businesses to prepare for, prevent, mitigate, and recover from disasters.
Serve as a national source for research-based disaster education.
Strengthen Extension’s capacity and commitment to address disaster issues.
Strengthen EDEN’s capacity to provide research-based disaster education.

Membership

EDEN is an alliance of land-grant extension services: 1862, 1890, 1994, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and NOAA Sea Grant Programs. A land-grant extension institution or program becomes a member when the director or administrator names a point of contact and submits an EDEN Cooperative Agreement that says the institution or program will share its information and educational resources on disasters with other member institutions and, to the extent possible, support participation of the point of contact and delegates in the EDEN annual meeting.

Institutions, rather than individuals, are EDEN members. Institutional representatives serve as delegates with one representative serving as the point of contact. The Retiree category of membership is independent of institutions and as a result is a non-voting group.

All member institutions within a state should collaborate to enhance communication internally and externally to maximize effectiveness of Extension disaster education programs in the state.

- Point of Contact – Points of contact (POCs) are the delegates that serves as primary conduits of information in the network. These individuals are responsible for ensuring that state information on the website is accurate. POCs also are responsible for communicating information and issues of interest to colleagues within their institutions. POCs may appoint and dismiss delegates from their institution. The director or administrator must approve POC changes.
- Delegates – Delegates should represent different program areas. Delegates are encouraged to serve as committee members and perform other organizational functions of EDEN. The director, administrator or POC may name delegates. Each member institution, rather than each delegate, gets one vote, cast by the POC or designee, on official EDEN business.
- Retirees – A retiree from a member institution may become a retiree delegate with the approval of the EDEN Executive Committee provided they were a delegate prior to retiring.
  Retirees are encouraged to serve on committees and participate in organizational functions of EDEN. Retirees may not serve as committee chairs or elected officer of EDEN. Retirees shall not hold voting rights on official EDEN business.
- Affiliate – Affiliate membership is open to any individual, organization, institution or agency that are not from an EDEN institutional member. Organizations, institutions and agency affiliate members shall identify points of contact (POC) and individuals to be affiliate delegate. An individual person may request to be an affiliate delegate without their organization, institution or agency being an affiliate member. As an Affiliate delegates are:
  - Encouraged to serve on committees and participate in organizational functions of EDEN
  - Not able to serve as committee chairs, elected officer
  - Not eligible to vote on official EDEN business

Affiliate membership status may be approved by the Executive Committee at any time throughout the year upon receipt and review of Affiliate Membership Application. To apply for affiliate membership, the individual, organization, institution or agency representative shall submit a written request to the current EDEN chair. This request should include:

- - A statement on why they are requesting affiliate membership and the benefits that their involvement would bring to EDEN/Disaster Education.
  - Provide contact information for individuals to be affiliate delegates as well as a brief statement on the credentials or background information related to the individuals work or interest in developing education materials or programs, experiences in preparing for, responding to, or recovery from disaster or background in working with communities.
  - For organizations, institutions or agencies requesting affiliate membership, a Point of Contact (POC) should be identified and contact information provided.
  - Acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree to EDEN Operating Guidelines.

Affiliate member status will be reviewed by the Executive Committee on an annual basis at the annual meeting.

Administrative Representation – EDEN’s liaison from the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is appointed by ECOP. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and NOAA Sea Grant are federal partners for EDEN and each agency appoints a liaison. ECOP, NIFA, NOAA Sea Grant liaisons serve on the EDEN executive committee to provide advice and coordination and to help maintain communications between the parties. They are encouraged to attend the annual meeting.

No delegate, retiree or affiliate may access EDEN resources for commercial purposes.

Officers

Chair – The chair is responsible for providing leadership to EDEN. This person convenes executive committee meetings and the annual meeting. The chair is the primary communicator with membership and partners. The chair speaks on behalf of EDEN but may delegate that responsibility.
Chair-elect –The chair-elect serves as the executive committee’s liaison to the EDEN committees and as program chair for the annual meeting. The chair-elect succeeds to the chair at the end of the chair’s term. If the chair is unable to fulfill his/her obligations and duties, the chair-elect acts in his/her place.
Secretary – The secretary is responsible for taking and publishing minutes of executive committee meetings and the annual meeting.
Past Chair – The past chair convenes and leads the nominating committee and is available for consultation.

Committees

Standing committees and task forces are essential to EDEN’s achieving its mission. Standing committees and task forces are voluntary and open to EDEN delegates, retirees, and affiliates. Each committee elects its chair and vice-chair to serve one-year terms, with the chair limited to three consecutive terms. Elections occur by July 1 of each year; chairs will assume their roles at the close of EDEN Annual Meeting.

Executive Committee – The executive committee is comprised of the chair, chair-elect, secretary, chairs of all standing committees, ECOP, NIFA, and NOAA Sea Grant liaisons, and additional regional representatives if necessary. Others may be asked to take part in executive committee meetings as non-voting participants.

The executive committee will have representation from the following regions and Extension programs: Northeast, South, North Central, West, 1890 Institutions and Sea Grant Extension Programs. If a region or Extension program is not represented by one of the officers or a committee chair, the executive committee will select a representative to serve for a term of one year.

Standing Committees – EDEN standing committees are:

The committee chair is responsible for helping the committee set its annual goals and organizing its work, which can be done at the annual meeting, by email, over conference calls or through other means. If a committee chair is unable to participate in an executive committee meeting, the committee vice-chair shall be asked to participate.

Nominating – The nominating committee is appointed by the EDEN chair in even-numbered years and is chaired by the immediate past chair. This committee presents candidates for chair-elect and secretary to be voted on per voting requirements.

Task Forces – The chair and executive committee may establish task forces for particular functions and needs. These committees will serve at the pleasure of the executive committee or until their mission is completed.

Administrative Infrastructure

The Executive Committee may act on behalf of EDEN on time critical issues. Functions to support EDEN and the Executive Committee are coordinated by a single institution and funded by a competitive grant from NIFA. Individuals funded by the grant are liaisons’ to the Executive Committee but have no voting privileges. Executive committee recommends funding strategies to the NIFA liaison at the start of the third year of the funding cycle.

Since 2002, EDEN has been supported by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Food and Agricultural Defense Initiative. Purdue University has managed those funds on behalf of EDEN. The award was competitively granted under a four-year agreement most recently to Purdue in 2018.