A Letter From the Executive Director

ESA members,

I am especially pleased with all that ESA was able to accomplish in 2024.  The year began with staff supporting the strategic planning process, led by President-elect Stephanie Hampton, gathering information and feedback from many constituents. The ESA Governing Board adopted a new 3-year strategic plan in May, and rolled it out to the membership at the Annual Meeting. The new plan highlights builds on our Vision: A future where people embrace science to understand and foster a thriving planet. It identifies three key goals for the society:

• Prioritize equity and inclusion to ensure a diverse membership
• Nurture a vibrant and inclusive community of knowledge and practice
• Ensure operational excellence and the stability of ESA as an inclusive society.

As noted in the letter from President Shahid Naeem, we continue to work on improving our governance.  In addition to approving the creation of two new sections, the Council approved a bylaw change in August 2024 that allows the nominees for officer positions of the board to run unopposed. The 2025 election will be the first one with a single slate for officers; Board member candidates still run opposed.

From our headquarters base in Washington, DC, 20 staff work in close collaboration with committees, sections, chapters, the Council and the Governing Board to advance our programs. We have an additional 6 staff that support the publishing program in New York state.

A number of staff changes took place in 2024. Long-time ESA CFO Elizabeth Biggs retired in December after 28 years of service. Rich Wallace also retired as Director of Publishing. We recruited several new staff this past year: Adrienne Sponberg moved into the role of Director of Publishing; Rashaun Poore became the new director of Finance and Administration; Holli Jones joined as the new Meetings Manager; Madeline Lee became a new Assistant Editor with journals; and Mary Joy Mulumba came as an Education Programs Assistant. Christi Nam was promoted to Director of Meetings and Operations.

We have built a great team and I’m proud of how we have worked together to strengthen ESA programs and meet new challenges. We have carried this momentum into 2025 and will continue to focus on improving the experience for all members.

These photos were taken at Liz Biggs’s retirement party in December 2024; they feature current and past staff, including former Executive Director Katherine McCarter.