Dear Member of BISMiS:

 With the dates of BISMiS 2023 finalized as Nov. 6-9, the time has come to begin the process of electing the officers of the Executive board. With the new constitution adopted and effective, all positions as listed below are now open for election:

 A) President (1)

B) President-elect (1)

C) Secretary (1)

D) At-large Member (3)

 As per ARTICLE 4. Section 1 of the Constitution "The Elective Officers are President, President Elect and Secretary. Each officer will serve a single, four-year term following the general meeting of BISMiS or until the next meeting, whichever is earlier. Nomination and election of Elected Officers will be conducted as provided in the Bylaws. In the event that an officer becomes incapacitated or resigns, the Executive Board will appoint a member to replace the officer until the next election."

As per ARTICLE 7. Section 2 of the Bylaws "Additionally, six members may be included in the EB as the Society memberships increase or once regional chapters are established. These members may include Service Members, i.e., members providing outstanding service to the society, a maximum of two Regional Officers, i.e., President of the Society’s Regional Chapters (if they exist), and a maximum of three at-large members. The at-large members will be elected by a simple majority of votes received from the Membership. The Service Members and Regional Officers are appointed by the elected members of the Board. All EB members are entitled to one vote each. The term of these additional members will be four-years and coincide to complete with the term of the elected board members."  

To proceed further, I would like to invite the current active status members to propose candidates for the above positions. If you are not a current member (see attached list) but would like to participate in the process, please become a FULL member at https://www.bismis.net/membership.php

Members should submit nominations to BISMiS Office (bismis.net@gmail.com) by August 1st, 2023. Nominees must be current members of the society. Please include a short paragraph indicating the achievements/contributions of the nominee in the field of microbial systematics. This paragraph will be included with the materials sent to all members requesting their vote in this election.