At the end of this year, two of our colleagues –Aviva Sinervo and Heather Rae Espinoza — will be finishing their terms on the ACYIG Board. This is part of the Board’s planned rotation schedule, and I would like to thank Aviva and Heather for their leadership in supporting ACYIG over the years.

With these departures, there are now two open board positions to be filled. Per tradition, ACYIG conducts open board appointments whenever possible. The ACYIG Board appoints new board members from among a pool of candidates who have submitted letters of interest for open positions. Board appointments are two-year positions (with a possibility to renew for a third) and typically require attendance at the annual meeting of the AAA and one biennial ACYIG conference during one’s tenure.

ACYIG Board member duties include: maintaining official interest group status with AAA; optimizing professional opportunities for members available via AAA; overseeing and growing professional presence within and outside AAA; and organizing the biennial ACYIG joint conference.

Right now, the ACYIG Board is looking for colleagues to apply for the following Board positions:

1)  Communications Coordinator: manages a team of sub-committees for social media, Neos (a publication of ACYIG), and website, and supports listserv activity. Also manages board member transition files, takes and archives notes at board and organizational meetings, and works on initiatives to raise the profile of ACYIG within the AAA and to the general public.

2) Conference Co-coordinator: works with conference partners to advertise conference and review/coordinate ACYIG panels; organizes review of ACYIG-sponsored AAA panel(s); event planning for our Conference held at UCLA this year from March 3 to 6, 2017. Will also co-chair our conference in 2019. (*Please note: Heather has graciously agreed to remain with the board until March of 2017 to assist in ACYIG’s conference and transition for the new conference co-coordinator, alongside Jaymelee Kim as conference co-coordinator.)

If you would like to be considered for one of the two open positions above, please email one to two paragraphs to Lauren Heidbrink (lauren.heidbrink@csulb.edu) by October 14, 2016 stating why you would like to become an ACYIG Board member and what you feel you can bring to the position. Please be sure to include your name, title, affiliation (academic or otherwise) and email/phone number so that we can respond to you, and clearly list the position that you are interested in.

The ACYIG Board will make decisions by November 1, 2016, and notify you soon after. Your duties as an ACYIG Board member begin on January 2, 2017. Incoming members are invited to attend a portion of the Board meeting at the AAAs this fall, and are strongly encouraged to attend the Organizational meeting as well.

If you have any questions about ACYIG Board member duties or the open board appointment process, please do not hesitate to contact Lauren Heidbrink (lauren.heidbrink@csulb.edu).