2026 ASBMB election results

Treasurer

The treasurer is responsible for the custody of all funds and securities of ASBMB; and reports semiannually to the president and Council on the financial condition of the society. Russell DeBose–Boyd was elected to serve a second term as treasurer.

Russell DeBose–Boyd

DeBose–Boyd is the chair in biomedical science and professor of molecular genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms behind cholesterol synthesis and homeostasis.

DeBose–Boyd has served a the treasurer since fall of 2023, when he joined in an interim role before his election to office in 2024. He also serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Lipid Research. He has also served on the Nominating Committee, the ASBMB Deuel meeting board, the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and as a mentor for the ASBMB Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers K99/R00 program. He received the ASBMB’s 2023 Avanti Award in Lipids and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Council

Council is the ASBMB governing body, which has the authority to and is responsible for governing ASBMB. The Council establishes policy and monitors implementation by ASBMB’s staff under the direction of the CEO. Councilors seek to achieve the mission of the society and ensure that ASBMB is well maintained, financially secure and operating in the best interests of the membership and profession. Catherine Drennan and John Tansey were elected to Council and Kayunta Johnson–Winters was appointed by ASBMB President Joan Conaway. All three will serve three-year terms.

Catherine Drennan

Drennan is a professor of biology and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Her team uses X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy to investigate the structure and function of metalloenzymes that are medically important or aid in the cleanup of environmental pollutants.

Drennan was a founder of the undergraduate poster competition at the ASBMB annual meeting in 1997 and ran it for the next five years. She has also served on the Education and Professional Development Committee and the Publications Committee. She received the ASBMB’s 2023 William C. Rose Award and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She is also an ASBMB fellow.

John Tansey

Tansey is a professor and chair of chemistry at Otterbein University. His research focuses on elucidating the role of lipid droplet proteins in lipid storage and disease.

Tansey has been involved with the Programmatic Accreditation Committee ASBMB’s accreditation program since its inception in 2013 and has served as the chair of the accreditation committee since 2020. He has also served on the Education and Professional Development Committee and the Science Outreach and Communication Committee. In addition, he has served as a lead judge for the Undergraduate Poster Competition at ASBMB Annual Meetings. He is also an ASBMB fellow.

Kayunta Johnson–Winters

Johnson–Winters is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research focuses on F420 cofactor–dependent enzymes, using steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetic methods to define enzyme mechanisms and function.

An engaged ASBMB member, Johnson–Winters contributed extensively to its governance and programming. She has served on the Maximizing Access Committee, the Nominating Committee Council, and as a mentor for the Interactive Mentoring Activities for Grantsmanship Enhancement, or IMAGE, program. She is also an ASBMB Fellow.

At UT Arlington, she is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Service Leaders, Director of Undergraduate Research and recipient of the Advisor of the Year award for her mentorship of underrepresented students. She also served as principal investigator for the UT System Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate initiative, supporting early-career scientists through the tenure and promotion process.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee identifies and puts forward candidates qualified for each elected ASBMB volunteer position for election. Per the bylaws, members follow a standardized and equitable system to vet all candidates, ensuring fairness, transparency and consistency in the evaluation process. Harini Sampath was elected, and Toni Antalis was appointed by Conaway. Each will serve a three-year term.

Harini Sampath

Sampath is an associate professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University. Her team focuses on defining the role of dietary and host-derived lipids in the context of metabolic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes and inflammatory conditions such as ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer. Harini serves on the JBC editorial board. She also serves on the steering committee of ASBMB’s Lipid Research Division and is currently co-organizing the Lipids theme for the 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting. Sampath is a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition.

Toni Antalis

Antalis is a professor of physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she is also the associate director for training and education for the Greenebaum Cancer Center and the former director of the graduate program in molecular medicine. Her lab’s research focuses on signaling mechanisms involved in vascular disease and cancer. Antalis was the ASBMB president from 2020 to 2022 and has previously served as treasurer, chair of the Publications Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. In addition, she is a past member of the JBC editorial board and currently chairs an ASBMB publishing working group. She is a fellow of the ASBMB.