WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED IN THE IH SECTION?

A number of IH Section members, some new and some continuing, want to know how they can “get involved” with the Section.  Since much of our organizing work originates during the Annual Meeting, attendance at that meeting is a good first step in further engagement with the Section.

Serving as a member or chair of a standing Committee is one specific way to have input into IH Section activities.  Committee chairs are formally appointed by the Section chair in consultation with the Section Council, and committee members are selected by the Section chair and committee chair.  Members are encouraged to volunteer their availability for positions of interest, as most years several committees are in need of members and/or chairs.  The best way to investigate these possibilities is to attend the business meetings at the Annual Meeting, and contact the Section chair about your interests.  You can also contact the chair of standing committees and let him or her know that you would like to volunteer to work on that committee.  For a list and description of the standing committees, see the IH Section manual on our Web site. 

The Section officer positions, in contrast, are elected each year in a Section-wide ballot.  Officers include the Section chair, secretary, Section Council members and Governing Council members.  Service on the Section Council is a good way for new members to find out about how the Section works, while the other positions, including Governing Council, are generally held by members who have been involved for some time in other capacities.  The APHA elections are held around May of each year.  If you are interested in running for office, please contact the nominations chair, Mary Anne Mercer, at mamercer@u.washington.edu.

This year's slate of candidates for IH Section officers was outstanding and resulted in two tied races that had to be decided in a runoff election.  Congratulations to the newly elected members of the leadership team.

Newly elected members of the Section Council, to take office in 2008, are Wendy Johnson and David Olufemi Adesanya.

Newly elected Governing Council members, also to begin their terms in 2008, are Laura Altobelli, Malcolm Bryant, and Carlos Castillo-Salgado.

We hope to see many of you at the annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in November.

--Mary Anne Mercer, mamercer@u.washington.edu