§5-31-4. West Virginia First Foundation Board composition; executive director.

(a) The governing board shall consist of 11 members representing:

(1) The interests of the State of West Virginia. The Governor shall appoint five members to the governing board with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Governor may not appoint more than one member from a region, unless authorized by a vote of four of the six governing board members selected by the regions; and

(2) The interests of local government. The local governments in each of the six regions shall make the selection of the governing board member to represent their region.

(b) The terms for governing board members shall be staggered three-year terms. Governing board members may be reappointed.

(c) Governing board members shall serve as fiduciaries of the West Virginia First Foundation separate and apart from any representational capacity of the entity approving the governing board member. Members of any regional governing structure shall also serve as fiduciaries of their region separate and distinct from any representational capacity of the entity appointing the member.

(d) Governing board members should have expertise in a variety of disciplines, such as substance abuse treatment, mental health, law enforcement, pharmacology, finance, and health care policy and management. Drawing governing board members from these disciplines will help to ensure that the governing board makes appropriate and prudent investments in order to meet short-term and long-term goals and ensure that expenditures by the governing board are consistent with the mission and purpose of the foundation.

(e) The Attorney General shall appoint an executive director after consultation with the board. The governing board may reject the Attorney General's selection of the executive director only on the affirmative vote of eight members of the governing board. The executive director shall have at least six years of experience in health care, finance, and management and is responsible for the management, organization, and preservation of the public/private partnership's records. The executive director may be removed by the governing board upon the concurrence of the votes of three fourths of the members of the governing board.