NASW regular members are invited to participate in the election of NASW's 2020-2022 volunteer leadership.
We will have a virtual, online meeting to elect new board members
Tuesday, September 22 at 1 PM ET (Time updated on 9.3.20)
Meet the candidates and offer your thanks to the retiring board members. Details on how to join the virtual meeting are below. Please read the instructions early and test your tech well-ahead! Polls open August 27 and close at 3PM ET on September 22.
Who's running?
We are fortunate to have 19 committed volunteers running for the 15 board slots. Several candidates are running for an additional term of service. Many are running for the first time but are decidedly not new to volunteering on behalf of science writers and science writing! The generosity of each candidate in offering their time, dedication, and passion is all the more special in a year when each of us feels the incalculable weight of personal, professional, and societal tumult.
Candidate bios are listed within the form and via nasw.org/article/meet-2020-2022-nasw-board-candidates. You can also read about the candidates in the latest issue of ScienceWriters magazine. During the September 22 meeting, candidates will offer short introductions and comments via video.
Thank you candidates, and thank you to the Nominating Committee for recruiting a fantastic group of volunteers this spring. The Nominating Committee was chaired by Laura Helmuth, with members Siri Carpenter, Jeff Grabmeier, Apoorva Mandavilli, Ashley Smart, and Emily Sohn.
How do I make my choices?
With a virtual election meeting, there will be no paper ballots. Everyone will make their choices online via eballot. If you have made your choices online in the past, the process is very similar.
On August 27, all regular members of NASW received a personalized link via email to the online proxy system. The email was sent from eballot.com with the subject line "Make your choices in the 2020 NASW Elections by September 22" On September 18, an email reminder was sent to those who had not yet voted. Each contains a link unique to you. The system will ask you to enter a username and password provided in the email invitation. The process should take you fewer than 10 minutes. The online form can be accessed from any smartphone or device that has full browser capabilities. The link is unique to you and will expire after your choices are submitted. Once submitted, your choices may not be altered. If you want to wait and hear from candidates via video during the September 22 online meeting, simply save the eballot email (or future reminders) and complete the form during that meeting. As long as you submit the form by 3PM ET on Tuesday, September 22, it will be counted.
The system will give you a confirmation number. This number is proof to you that your vote has been successfully transmitted to eBallot’s secure database.
How do I attend the virtual meeting?
The virtual meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 22 at 1PM ET will be held on the virtual platform Remo. Remo is a networking and presentation space that looks like a conference room floor plan, and attendees can move around the space to meet and video chat with others. This is a new platform to many so please read the details carefully and test your tech well-ahead of the meeting. We will be using Remo for some of our ScienceWriters2020 events and the October 23 NASW general membership meeting so this is a great chance to get familiar with it.
The meeting will start at 1:00 ET with 15 minutes of social time. Attendees can mingle via video by clicking on virtual tables and joining the conversation with up to 5 other people who have landed at the same table. Move around as much as you wish. Presentations from candidates will begin at 1:15 ET. When presentation mode is on, all attendees' cameras and mics will be automatically turned off and everyone will see the main screen.
The link for the meeting is: live.remo.co/e/nasw-election-meeting You must use the email that matches the one associated with your NASW membership.
The meeting is available on mobile devices, desktops, or laptops; tablets are not supported. Make sure your browser is updated to the latest version. Check your tech and troubleshoot ahead of time via https://remo.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Event-Guide-for-Remo-Attendees-FINAL-200610.pdf
You can register at the link well-ahead of the meeting (i.e. now) and take time to create a profile if you choose, simply visit live.remo.co/e/nasw-election-meeting and click on "Confirm my attendance."
As with any online event, please do not wait until one minute before the start to test your tech or show up. You can log in early, make sure everything is working, and then turn off your camera and mic until the meeting starts.
You do NOT attend this online event to vote. Use the personalized link provided in your email from eballot.com to make your choices before 3PM ET on Sept 22. (Voting is limited to regular members.)
Thank you to our retiring board members
Finally, an enormous thank you to those current board members who are retiring from NASW service. With only one full-time staff member, the projects, programs, and services NASW offers are really by members, for members and the larger field. Without volunteers at every level, from award judges to committees to the board, we simply could not do what we do. Board members each offer different perspectives and views based on their experiences. What they do have in common is the ability to bring these perspectives to the question of what's best for NASW. They are available at a moment's notice, they talk about hard issues, they get familiar with the intricacies of filings required of nonprofits, they plan ahead while ensuring the present moment serves members, and they do it all on top of already demanding jobs and their own personal lives. I've served as executive director for more than ten years and nothing dampens my awe (and gratitude!) for the commitment that volunteers who serve on the board bring to their roles.
Retiring board members:
- Siri Carpenter, first elected in 2016
- Lila Guterman, first elected in 2018
- Kathryn Jepsen, first elected in 2017
- Seth Mnookin, first elected in 2014
- Hillary Rosner, first elected in 2012
- Alexandra Witze, first elected in 2016
And thank you for participating in the election.
-Tinsley Davis
Executive Director
