MANGO is the operating name for the Missouri Association of Natural Gas Operators, Inc. (formerly the Missouri Gas Utilities Technical Committee). It’s organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and works primarily with the Missouri Public Service Commission to improve pipeline safety statewide through education and training, for both gas utilities and the public. Membership is open to any investor-owned or municipal natural gas operator in Missouri under PSC safety jurisdiction. Each operator designates one Voting Operator Member, who casts that company’s vote in general-meeting polls — a separate vote from any Board of Directors seat that person might also hold. There are no dues required to join or maintain membership.

MANGO’s day-to-day affairs are run by a seven-member, all-voting Board of Directors: a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer/Public Awareness Coordinator, and three additional members. Board members are elected by the general membership to staggered three-year terms — elections for two seats happen most years so no one serves consecutive terms in the same position. Two further non-voting Board seats, Conference Coordinator and Vendor Representative, handle the specialized duties covered in Articles XII–XIII. Vacancies are filled by Chairman appointment, subject to Board confirmation, for the remainder of the unexpired term only. The Chairman represents MANGO publicly, presides at meetings, and outlines the Board’s activities and committees. The Vice Chairman steps in when the Chairman is unavailable. The Secretary keeps meeting minutes. The Treasurer/Public Awareness Coordinator delivers a written financial report at every Board meeting. Any Board member must disclose a conflict of interest before the Board considers a transaction that could privately benefit that member.

General membership meetings happen at least twice a year, at dates and locations the Board sets. Voting members get at least 14 days’ notice, usually sent through the Missouri PSC’s All Operator Letter. Board meetings are called whenever the Chairman deems it necessary, or when at least three Board members request one, with 7 days’ notice when practical. When the Board authorizes it, a vote can also be taken by mail or email ballot instead of a meeting: ballots go out at least 14 days before the stated closing date, and the result is decided by majority of the ballots actually received.

Changes to these by-laws require a majority vote of the Board at any Board meeting, in person or by conference call, and any amendment is then distributed to the full membership electronically or in print. MANGO’s fiscal year runs November 1 through October 31 of the following year. A check written to MANGO that’s returned for insufficient funds carries a $30 service fee.

The Vendor Representative is a non-voting, one-year Board position, nominated each year by the vendor quorum at the annual MANGO conference and confirmed by a Board vote. This person is the main point of contact between MANGO and its vendors, works to retain current vendors and recruit new ones for the yearly conference, and organizes vendor booth placement on-site. The Conference Coordinator is a separate non-voting Board appointment responsible for overseeing every aspect of the annual conference — budgeting, assigning tasks, and paying conference invoices — and also arranges catering for General and Board Meetings.

If MANGO is ever dissolved, its remaining assets can’t be distributed to members. Instead, they must go toward another 501(c)(3) charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purpose, or be handed over to a federal, state, or local government for public use.