Dear Maize Cooperators,
It is time to elect new members for the Maize Genetics Executive Committee (MGEC) and to make suggestions for the Annual Maize Genetics Conference Steering Committee. These are two distinct and important committees that need your input. Information about each committee and nomination mechanisms are described below.
1. Nominations and elections for the Maize Genetics Executive Committee (MGEC) are now open.
We are currently opening elections to vote for two new members for the Maize Genetics Executive Committee. To start the election process, please email your nominations for the MGEC to Carson Andorf (carson.andorf from ars.usda.gov) no later than January 20, 11:59 p.m. CST. All nominated individuals will be contacted to determine whether they are interested in the position. The election will be held between January 30 and February 12.
Each person is limited to a maximum of two nominations. MaizeGDB will handle the technical process of the election. We urge you to nominate two individuals now!
Important information about the MGEC is provided below to help you with your nominations and election decisions.
The Maize Genetics Executive Committee (MGEC) is an elected body that fosters relationships between the maize community and other partners such as funding agencies, the National Corn Growers Association, industry, and Congress. Information about the function and history of the MGEC can be found at http://maizegdb.org/mgec. Additional information about yearly activities will be provided at the upcoming meeting.
Most seats on the MGEC are decided by election. This year the terms for James Birchler and Sarah Hake end, and Nathan Springer and Marja Timmermans rotated off the MGEC last year. These four community members are not eligible for nomination this year. Appointed members of the MGEC are selected by the MGEC to ensure broad international and national representation. The MGEC welcomes suggestions for nominations for the small college/university, Latin American, European and Asian representatives. The current membership in the MGEC is listed below:
Current Elected Positions in the MGEC:
Shawn Kaeppler (Chair), 2018
James Birchler, 2016
Sarah Hake, 2016
Paul Chomet, 2017
Sherry Flint-Garcia, 2017
Patrick Schnable, 2018
Kathy Newton, 2019
Jianming Yu, 2019
Natalia de Leon, 2020
Karen Koch, 2020
Appointed Positions (2 year terms):
2016 Latin American Representative: Ruairidh Sawers
2017 Asian representative: Jianbing Yan
2018 Small College/University Representative: Evelyn Hiatt
2018 European Representative: Silvio Salvi
2. Nominations are sought for membership on the Maize Genetics Conference Steering Committee (MGCSC).
The MGCSC is another important oversight committee, distinct from the MGEC, although the MGEC does provide advice to the MGCSC. The MGCSC organizes the Annual Maize Genetics Conference, develops the conference program, handles logistics and fundraising and receives community input about conference issues. A charter describing these functions can be found at MaizeGDB on the meeting website http://www.maizegdb.org/maize_meeting/.
At the upcoming annual MGC (March 9-12), the current MGCSC (see below) will appoint three new members. These members will replace David Braun, Gernot Presting, and Petra Wolters. Please send suggestions for the new membership appointments to Erich Grotewold (grotewold.1 from osu.edu) by February 3, 2017.
2017 Maize Genetics Steering Committee:
Erich Grotewold (Chair) - Ohio State University (2018)
Alain Charcosset (co-Chair) - INRA UMR de Genetique Vegetale (2018)
David Braun - University of Missouri (2017)
Gernot Presting - University of Hawaii (2017)
Petra Wolters - DuPont Pioneer (2017)
Karen McGinnis - Florida State University (2018)
Jianbing Yan - Huazhong Agricultural University (2018)
Natalia de Leon - University of Wisconsin (2019)
Sylvia Sousa - University of Florida (2019)
Maike Stam - University of Amsterdam (2019)
Andrea Eveland - Danforth Center (2019)
Thomas Slewinski - Monsanto (2019)
Ex-officio members:
Paula McSteen
Marty Sachs
Carson Andorf