What You Need to Know about the Nominating Committee and the Nominations Process

Nominating Committee

Purpose: The charge of the American Physiological Society (APS) Nominating Committee is to select a slate for president-elect and councilors from candidates nominated by the membership.

Composition: The Nominating Committee consists of the immediate past president, who is the chair, and members of the Section Advisory Committee (the section chairs) or their representative. The immediate past president may cast a tie-breaking vote when needed. The APS executive director and the Section Advisory Committee (SAC) chair serve as ex officio members, without vote.

Duties:

• Select a competent and diverse slate for president‑elect and councilors from candidates nominated by Society membership: two candidates for the office of president‑elect and six candidates for three Council seats.
• Promote the inclusion of underrepresented groups in the Society’s leadership.

2023–2024 Nominations Process and Timeline

August 22—Nominations open to APS members

• Every dues-paying member will receive an email to submit nominations for president-elect and councilors.
  • Please see criteria listed below.
• Members will be provided a list of past and current councilors and presidents. Councilors and presidents may only serve one term.
• Nominees for president-elect must have served on Council as either an elected or ex officio member.
• Members will receive weekly reminders to submit their nominations.
• The portal will be open for 30 days.

September 21—Deadline for membership submissions

• Nominating Committee will begin the review process. APS staff will send each section a list of all eligible members who were nominated.
• Each section representative, in collaboration with their section’s steering committee, will review and identify two names for president-elect and three for councilor.
• Section chairs can share nominations with other section chairs.
• Nominating committee members will reach out to eligible candidates to confirm their willingness to serve.
• Candidates will be provided with required competencies, time expectations and position descriptions.
• Willing candidates must provide:
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Nomination form stating why they wish to serve on Council and a self-appraisal describing how they have served the Society; how they demonstrate the expected competencies; what they believe to be the major concerns facing the professional community; and their skills or experience that would contribute to the Council.
  • Support Letter completed by a Nominating Committee member. Candidates may be nominated by more than one section.

November 8—In-person Nominating Committee meeting

• Nominating Committee will convene to discuss candidate applications submitted by the Nominating Committee members.
• The meeting will be chaired by the immediate past president, who can also provide the tie-breaking vote if required.
• Executive Director and SAC chair will attend to provide context.
• When reviewing and selecting the candidates, important criteria to consider are the candidates’ competencies:
  • qualifications, skill set and merit;
  • past participation in APS activities;
  • potential contributions to the Society as a future officer; and
  • diversity background to foster an ongoing pipeline of diverse leaders with a diverse set of competencies.
• All discussions are confidential.
• Nominating Committee will provide a slate with:
• Two names for president-elect
• Six names for Councilor
• Section representatives will contact unsuccessful candidates who did not make the ballot.
• Executive director will contact the successful candidates who will be on the ballot.

December/January—‘Get to Know the Candidates’ town hall meeting for membership

• A 90-minutetown hall meeting will provide each potential candidate with an opportunity to give a brief description of their intent.
• Members will be able to ask questions.

Mid-January—APS-wide election will begin and stay open for 30 days

• The membership receives a ballot with:
  • Two names for president-elect
  • Six names for Councilor
• APS dues-paid members will choose one candidate for president-elect and three for councilors.

Mid-February—Elections close

• The current APS president will call all (successful and unsuccessful) candidates for president-elect and councilors to convey election results.

April 2024—Announcement of new leadership at the APS Summit

• An email will sent to membership.
• A notice will be placed in The Physiologist Magazine and News Update

April 3, 2024—New President-elect and Councilors will attend the Council Spring Meeting as guests. Their terms will begin at the close of the annual business meeting at the Summit.

Eligibility for President-elect

Candidates for APS president-elect must have prior experience on APS Council as an elected councilor or be a past or current committee chair who has served as ex officio on Council for the following: Center for Physiology Education Advisory Board, Program Working Group (formerly the Joint Program Committee) Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Finance, , Publication, Section Advisory or Science Policy committees. Candidates for president-elect must complete their term on Council before being eligible for president-elect.

Eligibility for Councilor

Candidates for APS Councilor should have recent experience serving the Society by participating in one or more of the following: APS section or interest group steering committees, an APS committee, APS Publications as an editor or editorial board member, or an APS task force or other special project.

Council Governance

The APS Council is the governing body of the Society responsible for the ultimate direction and fiduciary oversight of the organization. The Council consists of a president, president-elect, past president, secretary/executive director, nine regular members, one ex officio voting member and six ex officio nonvoting members. View current Council list. The Council has a fiduciary duty to the organization, including duties of care, loyalty and obedience. This means they are required to act reasonably, prudently and in the best interests of the organization to avoid negligence and conflicts of interest.

Nominating Committee Composition

Dee Silverthorn, PhD, FAPS, Chair, Immediate Past President
Gene Bidwell, PhD, Central Nervous System Section Chair  
Licy Yanes Cardozo, MD, Endocrinology & Metabolism Section Chair
Pradeep Dudeja, PhD, Gastrointestinal & Liver Section Chair
Robert Fenton, PhD, Renal Section, Chair
Lynn Hartzler, PhD, Comparative & Evolutionary Physiology Section Chair
Scott Kirkton, PhD, Section Advisory Committee Chair
Sandrine Pierre, PhD, Cell & Molecular Physiology Section Chair
David Poole, DSc, PhD, Environmental & Exercise Physiology Section Chair
Kamal Rahmouni, PhD, Neural Control & Autonomic Regulation Section Chair
Kathryn Sandberg, PhD, Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Chair
Farah Sheikh, PhD, Cardiovascular Section Chair
Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE, APS Executive Director
Alice Villalobos, PhD, Teaching of Physiology Section Chair
Christopher Waters, PhD, FAPS, Respiration Section Chair