Special Election to Fill Student Vacancy on AGU Council

Today, AGU members will receive voting credentials for a special election to fill a vacancy for a student member on the AGU Council. The email came from Survey and Ballot Systems, our election vendor (email: [email protected]). Please take a few minutes to click the link, review the two candidates and cast your vote by Tuesday, 5 September.

The AGU Council has six student and early career members who are elected by the members every other year. Over the past 10 years, the perspectives brought by these Council members have been invaluable to AGU. In fact, we work to include students and/or early career members in every volunteer group that is formed.

Involving those to whom the future belongs in conversations has significantly affected decision-making and the direction of AGU. We view this as not just a diversity measure but a leadership opportunity; this philosophy has sparked conversations with other organizations. Including student and early career perspectives throughout AGU is a win for the organization, the individuals given the leadership opportunity, and their institutions as well.

Nomination Process

Two student Council members have resigned this year due to family medical situations. These are the first resignations of student and early career members since the positions were added to the Council in 2012.

The first vacancy was filled by following a precedent set a few years ago. Because it was early in the year, we asked the student candidate who was not elected in the 2022 election to fill the position. The full nomination process for an AGU election takes a long time. This shortened process was used successfully in the past to fill a vacant position on the AGU Board.

With only one student position on the ballot last year, filling a second vacancy that way was not an option. Leaders of the Leadership Development/Governance Committee, in consultation with governance staff, AGU president Lisa Graumlich, and AGU president-elect Brandon Jones, decided that it was important to fill the position rather than leave it vacant for another year and a half. Committee leaders went back to the nominations from the 2022 election to identify two qualified candidates for the special election.

Please vote!

The Leadership Development/Governance Committee encourages you to vote in this special election, which will remain open for two weeks. Eligible voters will be contacted by Survey and Ballot Systems via email from [email protected] with a unique link to the voting site. To be eligible to vote, your membership must be up to date.

If you have any questions or have not received a ballot, please contact the AGU Member Services Center via email at [email protected] or by calling +1-202-462-6900 (international calls) or +1-800-966-2481 (toll-free for North America). AGU Member Services is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Leadership Development/Governance Committee: Rick Murray, current chair; Robin Bell, AGU Past President and past chair; Eileen Hofmann, past Vice Chair; Janice Lachance, Interim CEO; and Cheryl Enderlein, Vice President, Leadership and Governance