ASPB Past-President
As we celebrate the passage of the Hunter’s moon a few weeks ago this past October, the weather has finally moderated a bit in the southern latitudes, although perhaps not quite enough to generate the beautiful color changes in the foliage that I’ve seen on my recent visits to Michigan and Pennsylvania. The change in seasons has me reflecting on the many changes happening at ASPB this fall, not the least of which is my transition from President to Immediate-Past President. This brings home the realization that our time in leadership service to ASPB is short, and yet there is so much to be done for our society’s members.
New Governance Year: October 1, 2026
In October, our new officers officially took their appointed or elected positions, including many new committee chairs, committee members, section representatives, as well as a new ASPB President (Tessa Burch-Smith) and President-elect (Gloria Muday). Our October ASPB Council meeting, which I now chair as part of my new responsibilities, was teeming with excitement for the new and ongoing activities planned in all parts of our plant biology community. Many of these activities you may be engaged in, like planning for Plant Biology 2027 in Albuquerque, setting dates and plans for section and international activities, advocacy for plant science, supporting our society publications, ambassador alliance functions, membership recruitment, fundraising, and many more. Please take a moment to review our ASPB committees and find a place where you’d like to volunteer. It is indeed a time of optimism in the backdrop of a season of change.
Changes Across ASPB
ASPB will see many changes in the coming months. On October 1, the ASPB Board of Directors appointed Frank Krause Interim CEO. Frank brings experienced executive leadership to ASPB, having recently served as CEO for the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB). Frank has quickly brought together ASPB staff, and they are working together to make improvements in operations and program support. I have long admired our staff for their dedication to our mission, and I look forward to their continued work with our committee volunteers to prioritize and implement ASPB’s strategic plan in the coming year.
Over the summer, the ASPB Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees commissioned Bernuth & Williamson consulting services to do an organization-wide evaluation of our operations, workforce, programming, governance structure and membership proposition. In September, B&W provided a comprehensive report that included many recommendations for improvements, and while the Boards and staff are still reviewing and prioritizing these recommended changes, several have already been targeted for action. For example, it was clear from the analysis of the 2026 membership survey, that although two-thirds of current members are satisfied or very satisfied with their membership, most find it difficult to do routine business with ASPB (e.g., renew membership, find information, register for meetings, etc.). Consequently, a high priority has been placed on an overdue website update and refresh, with a focus on accessibility and ease of use (Look for important changes soon!). In addition, the ASPB governance structure in its current form was viewed as cumbersome, and, in some cases, lacking the breadth of experience needed to address important aspects of a modern professional society. Hence, the Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees, and the Council will work on a new governance framework with associated updates to our constitution and bylaws. These improvements will be deliberate and aided by benchmarking and best practices identified in other professional societies like ASPB. Elsewhere, some operational processes were identified that were duplicative or unnecessarily occupied too much staff time, and these will be streamlined to improve efficiency across the organization. These and other areas of ASPB will see changes for the better, so that our professional society can better serve its members and its members can better carry out our mission of promoting plant science and supporting plant scientists.
Embrace Change Together
So, while large, external uncertainties loom, with OMB regulations, mid-term elections and government agency funding priorities, ASPB is embracing change to meet the challenges we face and to chart a positive trajectory for the next century of plant science. I hope you will join me and our fellow plant biologists to support our community of scientists and educators. We are stronger together.
