On Thursday, September 8, 2016, the Palau International Coral Reef Center’s (PICRC) Board of Directors met for their final meeting of 2016 Fiscal Year (FY) to review and approve the Center’s FY 2017 Workplan and Budget. PICRC Board of Directors meet quarterly and when necessary, they would hold special meetings as well. For their final meeting of the year, the Board of Directors decided to hold it in Ngeremlengui State, at the Palau Community College (PCC) Cooperative Research and Extension (CRE) Hatchery conference room. The reason behind having the Board Meeting outside and away from the usual setting at the Center is to allow for better and effective consultation as well as interaction with the local community.
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The Board of Directors began their meeting in the morning where Business Manager, Mingrang Kloulechad, Research and Aquarium Director, Geraldine Rengiil, Palau Cora Reef Island Ecosystem (P-CoRIE) Project Coordinator, Dr. Seiji Nakaya, and Development Director, Ilebrang Olkeriil presented their respective parts of the FY 2017 Annual Workplan. After the presentations and further review and discussions, the Board of Directors approved the FY 2017 Workplan along with its Annual Budget. Furthermore, the Directors discussed how they could make better efforts for implementing policies based on the research and the learnings being done at the Center.
Following the Board Meeting was an informal lunch meeting with Ngeremlengui State Governor, Mary Frances R. Vogt, Speaker of the Legislator, Samil Beouch, along with other community members. This setting had allowed the Board of Directors and the Governor to discuss some of the environmental issues facing Palau and Ngeremlengui today.
Members of the PICRC Board of Directors include Chairman Noah Idechong, Vice Chairman Hiroyuki Tanaka, Treasurer Alfonsa Koshiba; members Wayne Andrew, Matthew Cruz, Vernice Yuzi and Dr. Robert Richmond; and Ex- Officio Members, Minister of Finance Elbuchel Sadang, Bureau of Marine Resources (BMR) Director Leon Remengesau, and PICRC CEO, Dr. Yimnang Golbuu. PICRC is governed by a Board of Directors, who are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. In addition to their governing role, board members are expected to donate their time, their experiences, and their resources to help the Center in line with its Vision and Mission. [/restrict]