4 minute read
Message from the President
Message from
The President
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Dear ASPET members,
This is my inaugural message to the membership as the 91st President of ASPET. It is truly an honor to serve ASPET in this capacity and I am greatly indebted for the mentorship and patience provided to me by my fellow ASPET leaders and exceptional staff. I want to specifically acknowledge the exemplary contributions to ASPET by Peggy Gnegy, ASPET Past- President and former ASPET Presidents, Charles France and Wayne Backes for their efforts to guide ASPET during the pandemic and their strategic preparations in anticipation of the conclusion of the annual Experimental Biology meetings. I also want to extend a warm welcome to our new Council members; Nina Isoherranen, Councilor; Xinxin Ding, Secretary/Treasurer; and Namandjé Bumpus, President-Elect.
It is an exciting time for ASPET as we look forward to the ASPET 2023 Annual Meeting, May 18-21 at St. Louis Union Station. ASPET 2023 represents a milestone for our Society, and I am delighted that we have this architecturally significant National Historic Landmark as our venue to showcase state-of-the-art pharmacology research, education, and professional development activities. All attendees can expect quality science, many innovative interactive experiences, and a dynamic social program that is consistent with ASPET’s mission and vision. Tell your colleagues that ASPET 2023 will be the meeting not to be missed next year!
The membership of ASPET grew in 2021 due in no small part to the tireless efforts of our Member Services Senior Manager Yennifer Hernandez to recruit new members and retain existing members during the pandemic. ASPET’s presence on social media has also seen significant growth. Compared to May, in June, ASPET experienced a 138% increase in new followers and 54% increase in post impressions on LinkedIn and a 62% increase in post impressions on Twitter. Collectively, ASPET content made over 20,000 impressions during June. Consistent with ASPET’s global presence, ASPET will be a Platinum Sponsor of the upcoming IUPHAR World Congress of Pharmacology in Glasgow Scotland, July 2-7, 2023.
Over the last several months, our outstanding ASPET staff have successfully recruited new association experts into key roles. These efforts have strengthened the Society and will provide important capabilities and leadership to ensure the continued growth of ASPET. As many will know, Lynne Harris joined ASPET in March as Director of Marketing and Communications. Additionally, Robert Stanley joined ASPET in May as Chief Financial Officer. Other new additions to the ASPET staff include Kristine Styron, Sr. Peer Review Coordinator, Tricia McCarter, Marketing and Communications Coordinator and Carter Alleman, Director of Government Affairs and Science Policy. Please join me in welcoming these new colleagues to Team ASPET. Additionally, all ASPET staff are now members of the American Society of Association Executives and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives.
ASPET has also undertaken multiple new initiatives to further enhance the Society and provide improved service to our membership. As ASPET’s IDEA Task Force continues its important work to improve ASPET’s culture, Catherine Fry, PhD, Director of Education, successfully secured an ACCESS (Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success) grant to expand ASPET’s demographic data collection when members join or renew. This initiative will be critical to the development of accurate benchmarking and metrics for ASPET’s IDEA initiatives.
Other ongoing activities include updating ASPET’s Bylaws. This is a key governance improvement initiative that is long overdue. Portions of ASPET’s bylaws date back multiple decades. The final draft of ASPET’s Bylaws is nearing completion and will require a vote of the membership for final adoption. These revisions are aligned with the best practices of nonprofit associations and will greatly streamline ASPET operations, modernize ASPET’s governance structure, and ensure a greater level of transparency and opportunity for participation and engagement by the membership.
ASPET’s Publications Committee along with other ASPET leaders are currently assessing our journal’s publication model and infrastructure to develop strategies for gaining efficiencies and economies associated with the operation of our journals. Further, this group is also charged with the generation of innovative ideas to further enhance the financial stability of our journals and the ASPET organization to maximize value for our members.
Finally, efforts are underway to refresh ASPET’s strategic plan. The current strategic plan was developed in 2017 and has served the Society well. Now is the time to revisit ASPET’s strategic priorities to enhance our service to membership and increase collaboration and engagement between the ASPET staff and Council. As you can see, these are dynamic times for ASPET. I am continually impressed by the dedication and commitment of the ASPET staff and volunteer leaders to further enhance ASPET’s ability to support our members and advance pharmacology. I look forward to updating the ASPET community as these important projects come to fruition.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Jarvis, PhD ASPET President
