Nominating Committee Report, 2024-2025
Submitted by Scott McGill and Arum Park
February 13, 2025
Co-Chairs: Arum Park, Scott McGill
Members: Jackie Elliott, Lauren Ginsberg, Catherine Keene, Scott McGill, Arum Park, Chris Waldo, Elizabeth Mercier (ex officio), Matthew Roller (ex officio), Zoé Thomas (ex officio)
In late 2024, the Nominating Committee held three virtual meetings to nominate individuals to serve as President-Elect (two candidates to elect one); Vice President for Education (two candidates to elect one); Director with Special Responsibility for Equity (three candidates to elect one); Directors-at-Large (five candidates to elect two); and to serve as members of the Nominating Committee (four candidates to elect two); the Committee on Professional Ethics (four candidates to elect two); the Program Committee (four candidates to elect two); and the Goodwin Committee (two candidates to elect one).
Committee members were asked to prepare for each meeting by suggesting individuals for each position (per committee member, twice the number of names on each ballot) and by supplying institutional or personal websites for further information. Members were strongly encouraged to give special consideration to producing a diverse slate of candidates, with diversity defined by gender, race, and ethnicity, type of institution, geographic area, and academic specialization. In addition, members were asked to review several supporting documents provided by the Executive Director, including a summary of responsibilities, a list of current officers, a list of historical officers, a list of current SCS members, and a list of volunteers for SCS service. Information for each suggested individual, including brief notes about eligibility or past SCS service, were recorded on a collaborative spreadsheet and reviewed by all committee members before the conference calls.
The virtual meetings provided an opportunity for committee members to discuss the candidates. After deliberating, committee members ranked their top candidates (generally fifteen to twenty, depending on the number of candidates necessary for each position) and the ranked lists were then tallied. The committee co-chairs contacted individuals via email on the various lists in the order ranked with an invitation to stand for election and an offer to discuss the position or answer any questions, if desired, via Zoom, phone, or email. For candidates invited before the Annual Meeting, in person meetings in Philadelphia were also offered. Individuals were given roughly two weeks to respond. Several potential candidates did have questions and discussed the position with the co-chairs, both in person and via video call. Others decided either to stand for election or not based solely on the email invitation.
The committee wishes to reiterate two suggestions of previous Nominating Committee co-chairs. First, it would be useful to have the SCS volunteer form displayed more prominently on the website, to make it easier for co-chairs to encourage those who decline to stand for election to fill out the form, should they wish to serve the SCS in some capacity in the future. Second, the committee suggests that the SCS run periodic features on what it is like to serve in both elected and appointed positions: this could demystify the positions and thus encourage more volunteers and more individuals to accept invitations to stand for election.
As they review the slate, we remind SCS members that there are many reasons why an individual might agree to accept or decline an invitation to stand for election. The committee therefore has only a limited ability to determine the final composition of a slate. We are grateful to those who have agreed to stand; we are also grateful to those who considered our invitations, but who found themselves unable to stand at this time.
We thank Kelsey Skordal for her thoroughness in preparing materials to support the committee’s work; we thank Kelsey again as well as Zachary Slates for answering several questions in the fall. We also wish to thank Alison Keith, 2024 President, and Matthew Roller, 2024 Immediate Past President and ex officio member of the committee, for their counsel. In 2024, the co-chairing order was altered due to the unfortunate resignation of one of the elected committee members; the committee expresses thanks to Scott McGill for his willingness to co-chair this term, a year earlier than he was scheduled to, as well as to Jackie Elliott for her willingness to co-chair next term, also a year ahead of schedule. Finally, the co-chairs sincerely thank all the members of the committee for their time and their extremely helpful contributions.
The nominating process frequently served to remind the co-chairs of the SCS’s dependence upon the time and support of its membership. We are grateful to have such an engaged and committed pool of members who are willing to devote their time and energy to service that benefits the SCS and the broader Classics community.
To view the election slate, visit the 2025 SCS Election Slate page.