(a) (1) A board of 19 trustees has and shall exercise the powers and duties of the Trust.
(2) The Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates are ex officio members of the board of trustees.
(3) (i) Subject to subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) of this paragraph, beginning on June 1, 2017, of the remaining 16 trustees, four shall be elected each year for a term of four years at any regular or special meeting by a majority vote of the trustees present.
(ii) In order to bring the composition of the board of trustees up to 16 elected trustees, four trustees shall be elected in October 2016.
(iii) The trustees shall elect a trustee as follows:
1. The Governor shall submit three recommendations to the board of trustees, of which two shall be elected;
2. The President of the Senate shall submit three recommendations to the board of trustees, of which one shall be elected; and
3. The Speaker of the House of Delegates shall submit three recommendations to the board of trustees, of which one shall be elected.
(iv) Insofar as is practicable and consistent with the purposes of the Trust, the recommendations for an elected trustee shall:
1. Represent a broad distribution of professions and geographies;
2. Reflect the diversity of the State; and
3. Represent individuals with experience in one or more of the following categories:
A. Conservation or preservation of parklands, agricultural land, forest land, historic and cultural properties, natural areas, or important recreational lands;
B. Agriculture, including the horse industry;
C. Community planning and land use policy, with an emphasis on community sustainability, health communities, community food systems, youth development and education, or green infrastructure;
D. Academic work in natural science, social science, or cultural science at the university level; and
E. Business leadership, governance, or fund–raising in any of the categories identified under this item.
(v) 1. Except as provided under subsubparagraph 2 of this subparagraph, an elected trustee may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
2. The chair may serve a third consecutive term if elected as chair during or after the second year of the chair’s second term.
3. The terms of elected trustees are staggered as required by the terms provided for trustees of the Trust on June 1, 2016.
4. A trustee who is elected to fill a vacancy that arises after a term has begun:
A. Shall be elected from recommendations submitted by the Governor, the President of the Senate, or the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, as applicable; and
B. Serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is elected.
(b) A trustee:
(1) May not receive compensation as a trustee of the Trust; but
(2) Is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.
(c) (1) An ex officio member of the board of trustees may delegate any of the powers or duties of the member to an authorized representative.
(2) (i) The representative of the Governor shall be a member of the Executive Department of this State.
(ii) The representative of the President of the Senate shall be a member of the Senate.
(iii) The representative of the Speaker of the House shall be a member of the House of Delegates.