The board of Governors shall appoint a board of West Virginia citizens to advise the center director on matters of policy. The advisory board shall be composed of fifty percent parents or guardians of clients eligible for the center's program; forty percent persons from professional fields related to autism, such as special education, psychology, hearing and speech, neurology and pediatrics; and ten percent knowledgeable lay citizens such as legislators or other lay community leaders. The director of the center shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of the advisory board.