Conferences: Evolution Meetings Seek Assistant Meeting Officer for 2023

Contributed by kjm34 on May 06, 2022 - 03:14 PM

White and dark blue background. Text: Now Seeking: Assistant Meeting Officer, Starting summer 2022 for the Evolution 2023 meeting in Albuquerque, NM. Logos: Evolution Meetings, Society for the Study of Evolution, Society of Systematic Biologists, American Society of Naturalists. [1]


The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), on behalf of the Joint ASN/SSB/SSE council, seeks a member of one or more of our societies to help plan and run our annual scientific conference – the Evolution meetings [2]. Continue reading to learn more.

About the Annual Conference
The Evolution meeting is the joint conference of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. The conference is held in a different location every year, primarily in the United States but occasionally in other countries. Recent and future locations include Portland OR, Providence RI, Cleveland OH, and Albuquerque NM. The meeting is the premier opportunity for sharing research on evolutionary biology. The conference attracts between 1500–2000 attendees and includes more than 1,000 oral presentations, 400–500 posters, a diverse array of social events, and a variety of workshops.  It runs for approximately 5 days (depending on satellite events) in mid-late June. Evolution 2022 will be our first hybrid meeting, with options for virtual and in-person participation, and we anticipate this continuing in future years. Evolution has an enforced meeting Code of Conduct and a strong commitment to promoting equity and inclusion. More information is available on the conference web site: http://www.evolutionmeetings.org [3], including complete programs from recent meetings. Conferences are run on a break-even basis with careful attention given to minimizing registration costs for attendees.

About the Position
The meetings are coordinated by a Chief Meeting Officer (CMO), an academic who oversees all aspects of the meeting and who is responsible for final decisions about schedules, activities, and venues, in consultation with a tri-society Joint Meeting Committee (JMC) and the larger ASN/SSB/SSE Joint Council. The CMO also acts as the principal liaison with a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO), whose responsibilities include executing the logistics of conference management, interactions with vendors and service providers, and helping identify and negotiate contracts with future meeting venues. Joint CMOs are also possible.

We are currently seeking an Assistant Meeting Officer who will help the CMO(s) with organization, including interfacing with society councils and other stakeholders, producing the scientific program, and providing academic insight to help guide the work of the PCO. Specific duties will be determined by the CMO and the JMC, in consultation with the AMO. Assistants normally serve a 3-year term and, if interested, may transition into the lead CMO role at some point, with approval of the JMC. 

Compensation
Helping run our meetings is an important and valuable service to our societies and our field which is largely a volunteer effort, but the AMO will be given a stipend of $5000/year in appreciation. All meeting attendance costs will also be covered, as well as any other costs associated with carrying out meeting responsibilities.

Responsibilities
The time commitment is variable but is expected to average a few hours/week, ramping up at certain times depending on particular tasks and in the month preceding the meeting. Much of the time is spent in electronic communication and virtual meetings, but there are also some duties at the conference.

Requirements
This position is best suited to someone who has attended several of our recent meetings, has academic organizational and leadership experience, enjoys teamwork, and would find it rewarding to serve the societies by fostering dynamic and high-quality meetings. There are no geographic restrictions, nor citizenship or residency requirements, but attendance at the 2023 and subsequent meetings is expected and in-person attendance at the 2022 meeting would be an asset.

How to Apply
We welcome expressions of interest; please email these to evolution.meetings@gmail.com with 'AMO position' in the subject and include any relevant experience and a CV. These will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the goal of filling this position by summer 2022, with work starting then on the 2023 meeting (to be held in Albuquerque, NM from June 21-25). 

Links
  1. https://evolutionsociety.org/https://www.evolutionmeetings.org/assistant-meeting-officer.html
  2. https://evolutionsociety.org/https://www.evolutionmeetings.org/
  3. http://www.evolutionmeetings.org