2023 ASBMB election results

President-elect

The ASBMB is governed by an elected Council that is led by the president. The elected person serves for one year as president-elect, two years as president and one year as past president.

Joan Conaway was elected as the next president of the ASBMB.

Joan Conaway is a professor of molecular biology and the vice provost and dean of basic research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The Conaway lab studies the molecular mechanisms by which transcription factors and regulatory protein complexes control transcription. Conaway is a past ASBMB Council member, member and chair of the Meetings Committee, Finance Committee member and, most recently, treasurer.

“(I) welcome the opportunity to work with ASBMB’s Council, committee members, staff and leadership to grow and sustain the society through initiatives to enhance recruitment of the next generation of its members and support its journals, meetings, educational and professional development, scientific outreach and other programs,” Conaway said. “I believe I am well positioned to help the society meet its challenges and seize opportunities as we transition to the new world of open access publishing and independent annual meetings.”

Read her full candidate profile.

Interim treasurer

The ASBMB Finance Committee assists the Council in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities by monitoring the society's financial resources, including budgeting and financial planning, financial reporting, internal controls and accounting policies, and investment fund strategies. Upon the election of Conaway as president-elect, the ASBMB president appointed an interim treasurer to serve until the next election in 2024.

Russell DeBose-Boyd was appointed interim treasurer.

Russell DeBose–Boyd is a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. His research is focused on cholesterol synthesis and metabolism. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Lipid Research and an editorial board member for the Journal of Biological Chemistry. In addition, DeBose–Boyd has also served since 2018 on the Finance Committee and is a mentor for the ASBMB Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) K99/00 program. He will serve as interim treasurer until July 2024. During this election cycle, DeBose–Boyd ran for and won a seat on the Nominating Committee. Read more about him below.  

Council

The ASBMB Council serves as an advisory board to the president and the executive director for setting priorities and strategic directions, overseeing resource allocations and ensuring that all activities align with the mission of the society. Councilors are elected for three-year terms and can be re-elected or reappointed to serve one additional term.

One Council member was re-elected, and two new members were elected.

Charles Craik was re-elected to the ASBMB Council.

Charles Craik, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, was re-elected to serve on the Council. His research aims to define the roles and the mechanisms of enzymes and other challenging proteins in complex biological processes and develop technologies to facilitate these studies.

“I have benefited greatly from a productive relationship between my laboratory’s discovery research in academia and practical applications in industry that have helped translate the work from the bench to the patient,” Craik said. “Providing ASBMB leadership with a perspective of how healthy, transparent, productive partnerships can be established with industry is a primary goal of mine during my tenure on the ASBMB Council.”

Read his full candidate profile.

Catherine Drennan was elected to the ASBMB Council.

Cathy Drennan is a professor of chemistry and biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to her research on education and pedagogy, Drennan also studies the structural biology of metalloenzymes. She received the ASBMB’s 2023 William C. Rose Award for her outstanding contributions to biochemical research and commitment to training younger scientists. As a postdoctoral fellow, she started the ASBMB’s annual undergraduate poster competition.

“My goal as a Council member would be to ensure that the ASBMB continues to promote undergraduate research; lead on diversity, equity and inclusion; and showcase the power and value of biochemistry and molecular biology,” Drennan said.

Read her full candidate profile.

Kayunta Johnson–Winters was elected to the ASBMB Council.

Kayunta Johnson–Winters is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research focuses on enzyme kinetics and mechanisms as well as reaction intermediates. She has served on the Maximizing Access Committee and is currently serving on the Nominating Committee. In addition, she has written for ASBMB Today and received a silver EXCEL award from Association Media and Publishing for her essay “Being Black in the ivory tower.”

“The ASBMB has not only supported my growth as a scientist and faculty member but has more importantly been very intentional about diversity, equity and inclusion and has shown unwavering support for all, including people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community,” Johnson-Winters said. “Such support through programs, mentorship, outreach and engagement is critical for the future of STEM professionals.”

Read her full candidate profile.

Publications Committee

The ASBMB Publications Committee oversees the society’s scholarly publishing activities, advises the Council on policy and ethical issues that may arise and advises journal editors about editorial matters, including the approval of associate editor appointments. Committee members are elected for five-year terms and can be re-elected or reappointed to serve one additional term.

ASBMB voters re-elected one member of the committee.

Evette Radisky was re-elected to the Publications Committee.

Evette Radisky, a professor of cancer biology at the Mayo Clinic and the associate dean of the Mayo Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, was re-elected to the committee. Her long-term research focus is on the molecular recognition between proteases and protein protease inhibitors, and her research interests include many aspects of cancer biology, including the role of proteases in tumor progression and metastasis. She previously served on the Meetings Committee.

“I will advocate for shaping the composition of our teams of associate editors and editorial boards to reflect the broad scientific, geographical and individual diversity of our membership,” Radisky said “I seek to ensure that the society’s journals will always be a sought-after and welcoming home for the best science produced by our society members of all career stages.”

Read her full candidate profile.

Nominating Committee

The ASBMB Nominating Committee nominates regular members of the society to stand for election for president, the Council, the Publications Committee and the Nominating Committee. Committee members are elected for three-year terms and can be re-elected or reappointed to serve one additional term.

ASBMB members elected two new committee members this year.

Karen Allen was elected to the Nominating Committee.

Karen Allen is a professor and chair of the chemistry department at Boston University. She co-founded the society’s Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee and is serving her second term as a member of that committee. Earlier this year, she co-chaired Discover BMB, the society’s annual meeting, in Seattle. Her lab investigates the structure, function, mechanisms of catalysis and evolution of enzymes to aid in drug discovery.

“As a member of the Nominating Committee, I will work toward tapping the full extent of our scientific community to allow broad participation in positions at all levels in our society,” Allen said. “My work will be guided by the principle that our committee membership should reflect the true ideals of the society in terms of equity and inclusion.”

Read her full candidate profile.

Russell DeBose-Boyd was elected to the Nominating Committee.

Russell DeBose–Boyd is a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. His research is focused on cholesterol synthesis and metabolism. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Lipid Research and an editorial board member for the Journal of Biological Chemistry. In addition, DeBose–Boyd has served on the Finance Committee and been a mentor for the ASBMB Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) K99/00 program. 

“As a member of the ASBMB Nominating Committee, I will strive to ensure that the ASBMB leadership remains inclusive and continues to be represented by scientists from an array of racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, class and scientific backgrounds,” DeBose–Boyd said.

Read his full candidate profile.