APS News

2015 APS Election Results

APS members took to the polls over the past month to select new leadership, and the votes have now been tallied.

July 6, 2015  |  Emily Conover

Members selected Roger Falcone to fill the office of vice president beginning January 1, 2016. Falcone, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, is the director of the Advanced Light Source x-ray synchrotron facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

Under APS governance structure, the vice president joins the presidential line, eventually ascending to the presidency through a series of one-year terms. After one year, the vice president assumes the role of president-elect, and finally president.

In January 2016, the current president, Samuel Aronson, will step down to become past president, and the current president-elect, Homer Neal, will assume the position of president. The current vice president, Laura Greene, will become president-elect, and Falcone will assume the vice presidency. Falcone will become president of the Society in 2018.

"I'm very pleased to be able to serve the society and the physicists within APS," Falcone said. "I will be spending a lot of time listening to understand the work of the APS more close-up, and also hearing from people who are members of the society."

Falcone also cited the important role that physicists can play in influencing science policy in the nation. "APS can strengthen the collective impact of physicists, and improve the educational, industrial, private, and government institutions within which science is carried out," Falcone said in his candidate statement.

The election is the first since the corporate reform that was instituted last year, which included amendments to the APS Constitution & Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. Members decisively supported the reform in a November 2014 vote.

This year's election marks the first time APS members have voted for a treasurer, a position on the APS Board of Directors that was created in the restructuring.  James Hollenhorst, Senior Director of Technology for Agilent Technologies, will be the first elected treasurer of APS. In his candidate statement, Hollenhorst cited sound financial management as a top priority. "Without it, none of the exciting goals of APS will survive the test of time."

The changing face of scientific publishing is one of many challenges that APS will face, Hollenhorst added. "Open access is the rallying cry from the government, the universities, and from the readers and authors of our journal articles; but someone has to pay for the added value that APS brings."

Voters elected Deborah Jin of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado, Boulder to the position of chair-elect of the APS Nominating Committee. This committee prepares a roster of candidates for APS elections each year and Jin will serve for one year as chair-elect before becoming its chair.

"The American Physical Society is a great resource for our community and an important advocate for physics," Jin said in her candidate statement. "The institution's success is built on the willingness of many of its members to serve in various capacities."

Two council positions were up for grabs in this year's election. The APS Council of Representatives comprises four general councilors, four international councilors, the presidential line, the treasurer, councilors representing APS committees, and councilors representing the divisions, forums, and sections. The council's responsibilities include sharing oversight of society publications with the Board of Directors, approval of science policy statements, election of APS Fellows, prizes and awards bestowed by APS, and final approval of amendments to the Constitution & Bylaws.

The position of international councilor will go to Johanna Stachel, a physicist at the University of Heidelberg. Stachel has previously served as president of the German Physical Society (DPG), and is currently serving as vice president.

Bonnie Fleming, a physicist at Yale University, was elected as general councilor. Fleming has served on a number of APS committees, including the Division of Particles and Field's CPAD (Coordination Panel for Advanced Detectors) Committee, and the APS DPF Nominating Committee.

Related Information

Gray Arrow Society Governance

Roger Falcone
Roger Falcone
Vice President

james-hollenhorst
James Hollenhorst
Treasurer

deborah-jin
Deborah Jin
Chair-Elect, Nominating Committee

joanna-stachel
Johanna Stachel
International Councilor

Bonnie-Fleming
Bonnie Fleming
General Councilor