PUI 2019 Leadership Nominations

The ASPB PUI section needs a new leader! Since our approval for probationary status 18 months ago, the section has been led by a steering committee that includes a President, a Vice-President, three general committee members, and a section representative to ASPB council. The general steering committee members are starting to take ownership of section duties that may eventually lead to specifically named positions. As President, I will be shifting into the Past-President and the Vice-President will move into the President role. We need to elect a new Vice-President to join the leadership team for the continuation of the probationary period.

In short, please carefully consider whether you are willing and able to serve the ASPB PUI Section in a leadership capacity. Nominations are due to me (gingerdj@uwec.edu) by June 14. Read on for more details.

As a reminder from last year, the leadership team/steering committee is leading the section through its three-year probationary period. Tasks for this leadership group will include (but are not limited to):

  1. Creating by-laws and a constitution for the section.
  2. Initiating and implementing PUI-focused activities that benefit the ASPB membership and the larger plant community.
  3. Working to grow the membership of the section and ASPB in general.
  4. Establishing funding sources to help support the section’s activities.

This work is critical to the section’s long-term health. We will have a full report at the 2019 PUI business meeting, but the current leadership team is making progress in all four categories.

The steering committee structure for the probationary period for the PUI has the following roles:

President (one-year term)- This individual will preside over the leadership team and will have ultimate responsibility for moving the section forward on the tasks listed above. At the end of the term, this person will move into a one-year Past-President position on the committee.

Vice-President (one-year term)- This individual will support the president and will also be responsible for leading group initiatives. At the end of the term, the vice-president will assume the President role for a one-year term, then the Past-President role for one year.

Steering Committee Members (General) (three total, each serving three-year terms)- These individuals will assist in leadership tasks according to their interests and abilities. The committee may choose to assign specific responsibilities (e.g. treasurer, secretary, outreach/communication) to individual members or may choose to spread those responsibilities over the group. Keeping this flexible allows the steering committee freedom to make their decisions based on the composition of the group.

Section Representative to ASPB Council (three-year term)- This individual will fill the PUI section seat in ASPB Council and the ASPB Membership Committee as a liaison between the section and ASPB leadership.

Past-President (one-year term)- This individual will support the president, as well as the work of the committee more generally, by bringing experience and perspective to the leadership team.

We will hold the election in July and announce the new Vice-President during the Plant Biology 2019 meeting in August. We are now asking for nominations for Vice -President. Please consider serving ASPB and the PUI section by nominating yourself or encouraging your well-qualified colleagues for one of these positions!

Nominations can be submitted to Derek Gingerich (gingerdj@uwec.edu), by Friday, June 14th. We will be asking each person who is putting themselves forward for election to write a brief description of their interest in the position, their qualifications for it, and their past activities with the ASPB PUI group or other sections/committees of ASPB. These descriptions will be made available with the ballot. The election will be conducted electronically, so all PUI section members will have the opportunity to vote, even if you are not able to attend the business meeting in San Jose.

ASPB is a leader in supporting a PUI Section of the general society membership. We have an opportunity to set the example for how large societies can support scientists at PUIs. Please consider being part of it!