Join the SCB North America Board: Nominations are Open!

Make a positive difference in conservation and give back to our community. Nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the Society for Conservation Biology North America (SCBNA) Board of Directors. 

We are inviting you to help us nominate SCB North America members (or yourself) to stand for election! We are especially interested in increasing equity and inclusion at all levels, including on the board, and encourage nominations of individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Each nominee must be a current member of SCBNA and demonstrate relevant skills and experience to the position being covered. After reviewing nominees, the SCBNA Nominations Committee will put forward the slate of candidates for each office and announce the start of the voting period.

The call for nominations is open now through April 11, 2022. See the attached Board Code of Conduct and the SCBNA Bylaws for position descriptions and expectations of board members, and refer to the SCBNA website for further information on the North America section and its activities. Please contact Megan Keville, megan.keville@scbnorthamerica.org with additional questions regarding these positions.

Nominations are open for:

• President-Elect (5 year term total – 1 year as President-Elect, 2 years as President, 2 years as Past-President)
  • The President-Elect serves on the Executive Committee of the SCBNA Board, chairs the Conference Committee, and provides support for the President, including filling in as needed.  Chairing the conference committee includes playing a significant role in selecting the location for the upcoming NACCB as well as co-chairing the organizing committee for that meeting. Nominees for this position must have previously served on the SCBNA Board or another SCB Board (e.g., working group or SCB global board). For full descriptions of the other positions in the President Series (President and President-Elect), please see the Board Role Descriptions webpage.

• Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Officer (3-year term)
  • The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer serves on the Executive Committee of the SCBNA Board, chairs the standing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and participates regularly in quarterly board calls and meetings. The DEI Officer facilitates and carries out initiatives designed to promote equity, inclusion and diversity within SCBNA, and works to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of Conservation across all levels. This includes both mainstreaming diversity, equity and inclusion in all regular tasks and events (such as the biennial North American Congress for Conservation Biology) and carrying out special projects intended to mainstream diversity, equity and inclusion across the field of research and practice. The position requires exposure and experience in dealing with and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in an institutional setting. We acknowledge that no one candidate will be able to fully understand and anticipate all experiences and impacts relevant for this role, so the position requires someone willing to work broadly across the board and society at large. The DEI Officer will also engage with the SCB Global DEI Officer and serve on the global DEI committee as we move towards 2026.

• Chapters Representative (2-3-year term; must be a current or past member of an SCB chapter)
  • Currently, the SCBNA Chapters Representative serves as the North America (NA) Section Representative alongside other section representatives on the global SCB Chapters Committee (https://conbio.org/about-scb/who-we-are/committees/chapters).  As part of this role, one participates in chapters committee quarterly board calls and meetings and provides support to NA-based chapters through assisting with the chapter registration and/or new chapter formation processes, organizing chapter-focused events, programming and financial support at SCBNA’s biennial conferences, and communicating with chapters about other opportunities and resources available to Chapters. The Chapters representative also chairs the ad hoc North America Chapters Committee, which works to support NA chapters through the activities described above and maintains the NA Chapters webpage on the SCBNA website (https://scbnorthamerica.org/).

• Vice President for Education & Chapters (3-year term)
  • To represent the wider membership of SCBNA at a board level and to assist in board activity as required. This position chairs the standing Education Committee and participates regularly in quarterly board calls and meetings. This position requires carrying out initiatives designed to promote the education—at all levels, including preparatory and continuing of the public, of biologists, and of managers in the principles and practices of conservation biology. This includes, but is not limited to, coordinating and promoting education-related programming at NACCBs.

• Student Representative (2-3-year term; must be a student at the time of election in conservation biology or a closely related field and attending an accredited university or college)
  • The Student Representative chairs the ad hoc Student Affairs Committee, which organizes programs and events targeting undergraduates, graduates, and early career professionals in conservation or adjacent fields – some examples include a webinar series and programming at biennial conferences. The Student Representative also participates regularly in quarterly board calls and meetings. The Student Representative may also be involved in developing and organizing programming and conference planning for NACCB.

• Member at Large (2-3 year term)
  • There are two Members at large positions on the SCBN Board of Directors. Members at large participate in quarterly board calls and meetings, and often participate on one or more SCBNA committees. The Member at Large position is an accessible point of entry into board service for those who have never served on a board.

Every board member attends one in-person meeting (some financial support may be possible) and 4-5 virtual SCBNA Board meetings per year plus performs committee work (e.g., meetings, writing).

Submit a Nomination

To submit a nomination please fill out the this Google Form for yourself or whoever you are nominating. We wish you the best of luck and hope you will take the courageous step to support the SCB North America section!

If you have any questions about the nomination process, please email us: mail@scbnorthamerica.org