The Society of Toxicology (SOT) Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of nominees for the 2017‒2018 elected officers and elected standing committees this fall. Please consider nominating individuals committed to the SOT mission of "creating a safer and healthier world by advancing the science and increasing the impact of toxicology." Names for the offices of Vice President‒Elect, Secretary‒Elect, and two Councilors will be on the ballot. Also, the ballot will include candidates for the Awards Committee (4 members), Membership Committee (6 members), and the Nominating Committee (4 members). For the Nominating Committee, the candidates will serve as a Past President representative or as a representative from a Specialty Section, Regional Chapter, or Special Interest Group. Please send your candidate recommendations to SOT Headquarters by Monday, August 1, 2016.
In the summer, the Nominating Committee, which includes representatives from the component groups, solicits nominations from the membership, reviews member volunteer service lists, and, ultimately, forwards the names of individuals who have provided stellar service to the Society. Each member of the Nominating Committee is asked to select four names for consideration for each position.
In the fall, the Nominating Committee meets at the SOT Headquarters office and prepares a list of candidates for each elected position based on the names submitted by the committee members. Traditionally, the candidates for elected committees (Awards and Membership) come from the lists of members who have served SOT as leaders in the Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, Specialty Sections, Graduate Student and Postdoctoral leadership positions as well as from the Toxicological Sciences editorial board. Council candidates are drawn from those lists, plus the elected committee lists, and for positions such as the Vice President-Elect and Secretary-Elect, candidates often are from those individuals who previously served on the SOT Council.
I believe I can speak for most former Councilors who found their service on SOT Council to be meaningful, both personally gratifying and of importance in fostering the future awareness and impact of toxicology. The Council brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds whose collective perspectives determine the most strategic path forward for the Society and its members, who are from a wide range of disciplines and sectors. If you are called to serve, I encourage you to seize this opportunity with enthusiasm.