Officers
At its origins in 1916, ESA established the offices of President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer. A Business Manager was added in 1920, and the offices of Secretary and Treasurer were split in 1939. Council Members at Large were elected starting in 1948.
As the membership grew, ESA hired an Executive Director (Brian Keller) in April 1994, eliminated the Treasurer and Business Manager positions, and established a business office in Washington, D.C. It had become too cumbersome to have all decisions made by the rather large Council, with an Executive Committee filling in between the annual meetings, so the Constitution and Bylaws were completely rewritten effective spring 1995 so that a Governing Board now makes most decisions. This restructuring eliminated the single Vice-President position and created instead a President-Elect, who serves as President a year after his/her election. Four separate Vice-Presidents were initiated at the same time with differing portfolios. The Past-President also serves on the Governing Board.
The most recent restructuring, in 2022, eliminated all of the Vice-President positions except the VP for Finance, and converted the Members-at-Large to Board Members. The Governing Board now consists of the President, President-Elect, Past President, Vice-President for Finance, Secretary, and six elected Board Members.
New officers are installed at the conclusion of each annual meeting, with the President-Elect from the previous year becoming President. In 1968, the term of office was shifted from the calendar year to a mid-year changeover. All members of the Governing Board except the President serve 3-year terms.
