"How are you structured?" and "How do you operate?" are questions Agricultural Division staff are frequently asked. The purpose of this article is to answer those questions. The organizational structure begins with a 12-member board of trustees and two advisory trustees. The majority of the trustees are Noble family members (some are great-grandchildren of the founder), although some members are not family. The Noble Foundation president, Michael Cawley, is accountable to the board and oversees day-to-day operations. Operating division directors and administration department heads report to the president.

The Agricultural Division structure includes a director, accountable to the president, and six managers. Each manager is responsible for specific programs and groups of staff. The structure is illustrated in the diagram.

In addition to the full-time staff, another group of people has been a very important part of the Ag Division operations. In 2003, six persons representing the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), agricultural universities, farmers/ranchers, agricultural industries and agricultural consultants were selected to be the first Agricultural Division nonresident fellows (NRFs). The Agricultural Division NRFs, as well as those from the Plant Biology and Forage Improvement divisions, are asked to perform candid review of the division's programs, offer objective advice and guidance, and provide fresh perspectives.

Our NRFs come to the Noble Foundation two times each year to meet with staff and discuss plans, goals, accomplishments and all aspects of division activities. During each visit they write a report that provides their evaluations and recommendations. The evaluations and recommendations have definitely helped the Ag Division achieve a significant level of accomplishment.

Persons who previously served as NRFs are Mike Brooks, rancher; Dr. Floyd Horn, administrator of USDA Agricultural Research Service; Dr. William Mies, director of Supply Chain Management, eMerge Interactive; Dr. Clint Roush, rancher; Michael Salisbury, chairman and CEO of Salisbury Management Services, Inc., and Dr. William Richard Teague, associate professor, Texas A&M University. The titles listed are as they were in 2003 and may have changed since then.

The current nonresident fellows are Mary Sue Clyne, management consultant and former IBM Alliance executive - HyPerformix, Inc.; John Merrill, rancher and former director of the Ranch Management Program,Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth, Texas; Dr. William Turner, rancher and former San Antonio Livestock Exposition Chair professor, Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; and Dr. Dennis White, rancher and former senior technical advisor, Elanco Animal Health, Indianapolis, Ind.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Additional information about staff and programs is available at www.noble.org/Ag.