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SCB needs you: call for new committee members

Every organization faces the challenge of keeping itself fresh through the continual renewal of its active leadership. As SCB continues to evolve as an organization, we must remain vigilant in bringing new ideas, perspectives, and experience into leadership positions. SCB is in a period of rapid evolution, and recent strategic planning efforts by the Board of Governors are leading to a number of new initiatives plus revitalization of old undertakings. Much of this work involves committees. Thus, we are seeking members who would like to serve on these committees. Below you will find brief descriptions of various committees; if you are interested in serving on one of them please send the committee chair a brief description of why you would like to serve on that committee and any particular assets you can bring to the committee. Please copy your letter to me (hunter@umenfa.maine.edu). Committees will generally work through email-based exchanges of ideas and documents so it is necessary that you are a regular email user. The need for new members varies greatly among committees so please don't be disappointed if you are not asked to join a given committee.

Awards. Walt Reid, waltreid@ibm.net. The Awards Committee helps generate a diverse set of nominations from around the world for SCB's Distinguished Service Awards and defines the policies and procedures for the awards process. Qualifications: willingness to help identify individuals and organizations that might be nominated for awards.

Chapters. Bob Curry, Robert.Curry@villanova.edu. This committee will work to enhance communication among local chapters and between chapters and the parent society, while also facilitating formation and reactivation of local chapters. Qualifications: interest in conservation at the local level and in involvement of chapters within SCB. Web development skills and active membership in a local chapter desirable.

Conferences. Rick Knight, knight@cnr.colostate.edu. This committee organizes the process for selecting the hosts for each meeting and provides guidance for the local organizing committee. Qualifications: be a regular attendee of SCB meetings and/or have experience organizing conferences.

Education. Steve Trombulak, trombulak@middlebury.edu. This committee will promote the education--at all levels, including preparatory and continuing--of the public, of biologists, and of managers in the principles of conservation biology. Qualifications: a broad-based interest in conservation biology education.

Internationalization. Mac Hunter, Hunter@umenfa.maine.edu. Seeking ways to internationalize the SCB membership and to form sibling societies of SCB on other continents are the main charges of this group. Qualifications: a network of international contacts and experience working with diverse international organizations.

Media. Amy Mathews-Amos, amy@mcbi.org. This committee will examine ways to improve SCB's relationship with the media, enhance understanding in the media of conservation biology, and improve coverage of conservation biology topics. Qualifications: recognition of the importance of media coverage to SCB's goals, strong interest in improving coverage of conservation biology topics, and some previous experience dealing with media.

Membership. Alice Blandin, conbio@u.washington.edu. This committee will refine our strategy for recruiting new members and retaining current members. Qualifications: a willingness to work on this issue and any experience with marketing.

Newsletter. Erica Fleishman, efleish@leland.stanford.edu. The newsletter serves as a main medium for communication of SCB business and for exchange of ideas and information between the Board of Governors and the general membership. This committee provides feedback and suggestions for ways to strengthen the publication and streamline communications. Qualifications: general interest in facilitating communications within SCB. Prior publications experience also helpful.

Nominations. Dee Boersma, boersma@u.washington.edu. Our by-laws require that this committee comprises the last three presidents; they would welcome ex-officio members who would help identify candidates for officers and the Board of Governors. Qualifications: a wide range of contacts among SCB members.

Planning and Development. Nick Salafsky, Nsalafsky@aol.com. This committee will help SCB develop its long-term strategic plan. The committee organizes SCB's strategic planning process. In addition, the committee will assist in fund-raising for specific projects as they are identified. Qualifications: an interest in and the time to commit to proposal writing. Also, on a more limited basis, interest in working with SCB on strategic planning.

Policy. Michael O'Connell, moconnell@tnc.org. The Policy Committee recommends positions and activities of SCB on public policy issues of relevance to the entire SCB and its mission. The committee develops and solicits topics for formally commissioned papers of SCB regarding current policy issues on which SCB may make a constructive contribution and where the scientific or management expertise of SCB will be of value. Qualifications: familiarity with application of science to public policy and experience with the national and/or international policy process.

Publications. Peter Kareiva, Peter.Kareiva@noaa.gov. This committee facilitates communication among SCB publications (Conservation Biology, Conservation Biology in Practice, SCB Newsletter, and the SCB web site) to ensure that publications are complementary. The committee also will work to streamline the flow of communications among the Board, the general membership, and the conservation community at large. Qualifications: prior publications, marketing, or communications experience.

Student Awards. Aram Calhoun, calhoun@maine.edu. This group selects winners of the student paper awards by reviewing extended abstracts and viewing the presentations of finalists at the annual meeting. Qualifications: experience from a wide range of disciplines is needed; attendance at the annual meeting is highly desirable but there is a role for people who only can read abstracts.

Website. Alan Thornhill, athornhi@rice.edu. This committee advises on development of the SCB website features, functions, layout, and content. Insofar as the internet can facilitate, this group also will work closely to assist the other committees in achieving their outreach and marketing goals. Qualifications: prior internet publications, internet marketing, website design, or communications experience.

Malcolm Hunter, President-Elect

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