Message from 2012 NESF Chair

Fellow NSEF members,

I hope your summer was as enjoyable and fun as mine and that you are now looking forward to the fall and its promise of cooler weather. As we move into the latter stages of 2012 I see my time as chair coming to a close. My tenure in office ends December 31 when I will be succeeded by Dr. Kirk Ziegler. For those who do not know Kirk, I hope you can meet him by joining us at the AIChE National Meeting in Pittsburgh where he will be giving a presentation during our NSEF Plenary Session Monday morning, October 29th (the session runs from 8:30 to 11:00).

In addition to the chair position, terms of office for a number of other NSEF officials are coming to a close. We will be holding elections in the month of October for these positions with the goal of receiving enough votes to announce the 2013/2014 slate of officers during the NSEF reception in Pittsburgh. Prior to the elections I would like to ask each of you to consider nominating colleagues whom you feel have the energy, background, and desire to serve a two-year term on the Executive Committee. Per our bylaws, each of you may nominate a colleague (or yourself) for any position. The current Executive Committee will then review all nominations, confirm interest of prospective nominees, develop the final list, and establish the specific mechanism for an electronic ballot (additional information will be provided in the coming weeks).

Current positions requiring nominees are:

• Two directors (“at-large Executive Committee members”);
• Secretary-Treasurer; and,
• Vice Chair.

Each position requires a two-year commitment. However, the vice chair is expected to succeed the chair (Kirk Ziegler two years from now in this case), and then serve as the “past chair”; essentially a six-year commitment.

I can tell you from personal experience as both a former director and the current chair that the job requires time and effort – but it is extremely rewarding. The contacts I have made with world-renowned experts, the corresponding experiences of working with them on a wide variety of issues, and the knowledge I have gained from interacting with these people regarding fields of science that are sometimes outside my personal area of expertise has been truly invaluable and amazing. I hope each of you consider increasing your level of involvement with NSEF, possibly as an officer yourself.

Nominations must be received by Friday, September 21st such that we can contact potential nominees, finalize the list, and establish the formal elections by the following Friday (September 28th). I request that all nominations be submitted directly to me (for subsequent dissemination to other officers).

Please send nominations and any supporting information directly to: kurt.rindfusz@erg.com

Also, please note that our current slate of officers have worked extremely hard and should be congratulated for their efforts. There are no term limits, so they are eligible for nomination and re-election.

For information purposes, I have included a short excerpt from the NSEF bylaws regarding elections at the end of this message.

Finally, please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like additional information regarding the expectations of any position.

Sincerely,

Kurt Rindfusz
NSEF Chair, 2011 - 2012

Per Article III; Section 1 of the NSEF Bylaws: “The activities of the Forum will be directed by an Executive Committee consisting of six representatives (at least two of whom will be members from non-academic professions). The Executive Committee will include a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, immediate Past-Chair, and two at large members.”

Per Artilce V: “Two at-large Executive Committee members, the Vice-Chair, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall stand for general election every two years. …Nominations for the elected offices in Section 1 shall come from the Executive Committee. Under the leadership of the Chair, the Executive Committee shall formulate a slate of one or more candidates for each of the remaining offices to be filled for proposal to the membership. Other nominations from the membership shall be solicited and will be accepted if received by the Chair by September 24 before the election.”