Benjamin Zaitchik Elected AGU President-Elect for 2025-2026 Term

AGU members have elected Benjamin Zaitchik as the organization’s next president-elect, alongside 61 other Union officers, Board members, section and College of Fellows officers, and student/early career representatives to the AGU Council for the 2025-2026 leadership term.

Benjamin Zaitchik, Professor at Johns Hopkins University and 2025-2026 AGU President-elect

Benjamin Zaitchik, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences and department chair at Johns Hopkins University, has a diverse background in geosciences and public policy. His AGU involvement includes founding leadership roles in the GeoHealth section, participation in the AGU delegation to the UNFCCC COP28, and serving as a science advisor for Eos. Zaitchik’s career spans academia, government research and policy, providing him with a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the Earth and space sciences.

With 14.45% of our eligible membership participating in the election, Zaitchik was chosen to serve a two-year term as president-elect beginning in 2025. He will become AGU president-elect in 2025, and AGU president in 2027.

This year’s election also featured the first implementation of ranked choice voting in a few key AGU elections. Additionally, both candidates for president-elect will serve on the Board of Directors—Zaitchik as president-elect and Kevin Noone as a director—allowing AGU to benefit from both outstanding candidates’ leadership and expertise.

Planning for the 2025-2026 Term
Newly elected Board and Council members will begin familiarizing themselves with their roles in the coming weeks by observing the upcoming Board and/or Council meetings. In early 2025, they’ll join continuing members for a comprehensive leadership orientation. These sessions will ensure a smooth transition and alignment with AGU’s strategic goals.

Newly Elected Board, Council, Section and College of Fellows Members
The Leadership Development/Governance Committee is pleased to announce the following newly elected members for the 2025-2026 term:

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President-Elect: Ben Zaitchik
General Secretary (Treasurer): Adrian Borsa
International Secretary: Jean Pierre Ometto
Director (Early-Career): Natalie Raia
Directors: Tanya Furman, Kevin J. Noone, Christy Till

COUNCIL
Early-Career: Maya Almaraz, Yun Hang, Carlos Martinez, Elizabeth Patterson
Student: Somita Chaudhari, Bianca Corpuz, Maya Fields

COLLEGE OF FELLOWS
Chair-Elect: Dave Schimel

ATMOSPHERIC AND SPACE ELECTRICITY
President-Elect: Eric C. Bruning
Secretary: Ivana Kolmasova

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
President-Elect: Andrew Gettelman
Composition and Chemistry Secretary: Kelley Barsanti
Physics, Dynamics, and Climate Secretary: Kristen Lani Rasmussen

BIOGEOSCIENCES
President-Elect: Rodrigo Vargas
Secretary: Kate Heckman

CRYOSPHERE SCIENCES
President-Elect: S. McKenzie Skiles

EARTH AND PLANETARY SURFACE PROCESSES
President-Elect: Eric Kirby

EDUCATION
President-Elect: Sanlyn Buxner
Secretary: Sunday Siomades

GEODESY
President-Elect: Anne Socquet
Secretary: Karen Luttrell

GEOHEALTH
President-Elect: Kai Chen
Secretary: Morgan Gorris

GEOMAGNETISM, PALEOMAGNETISM AND ELECTROMAGNETISM
President-Elect: Julie Bowles
Secretary: Maggie Avery

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
President-Elect: Branwen Williams
Secretary: Richard Vachula

HYDROLOGY
President-Elect: Jay Famiglietti

INFORMATICS
President-Elect: Sudhir Shrestha
Secretary: Stephanie Jarmak

MINERAL AND ROCK PHYSICS
President-Elect: Marie Violay
Secretary: Han Hsu

NATURAL HAZARDS
President-Elect: Lauren Schaefer
Secretary: Leila Rahimi

NEAR-SURFACE GEOPHYSICS
President-Elect: Kristina Keating
Secretary: Sina Saneiyan

NONLINEAR GEOPHYSICS
President-Elect: Ian Grooms

OCEAN SCIENCES
President-Elect: Chuck Greene
Geochemistry and Chemical Oceanography Secretary: Randie Bundy
Geology and Geophysics Secretary: Emily Eidam

PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
President-Elect: Jessica Oster
Secretary: Sylvia Dee

PLANETARY SCIENCES
President-Elect: Ingrid Daubar
Secretary: Kerri Donaldson Hanna

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
President-Elect: Thushara Gunda
Secretary: Sara Turner

SEISMOLOGY
President-Elect: Ed Garnero
Secretary: Elizabeth S. Cochran

SPACE PHYSICS AND AERONOMY
President-Elect: Mike Liemohn
Magnetosphere Secretary: Weichao Tu

STUDY OF THE EARTH’S DEEP INTERIOR
President-Elect: Jin S. Zhang

TECTONOPHYSICS
President-Elect: Nadia Lapusta
Secretary: Noel M. Jackson

VOLCANOLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY, AND PETROLOGY
President-Elect: Tyrone Rooney
Volcanology and Petrology Secretary: Madison Myers