SIGCHI 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS ARE COMING!
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Elections for the SIGCHI Executive Committee will occur in the first half of 2024. Read on to learn more about why elections are important and how you can participate.
SIGCHI is one of the 35+ Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and one of the largest, with over 5000 members. It is also the world’s largest association of professionals contributing to the research and practice of human-computer interaction (HCI). The SIG primarily supports sharing knowledge through its 26 sponsored conferences and 30+ in-cooperation conferences, in addition to its 60+ local chapters around the world.
SIGCHI, like its parent organization, the ACM, is a membership-based, volunteer-driven organization, so all these events and activities are possible only through the efforts of volunteers. SIGCHI is led by an Executive Committee (EC), which includes elected and appointed members and reports directly to the ACM. The EC develops policies and provides resources to ensure the success of all SIGCHI conferences. It also sets the vision and advocates for the entire field of HCI, providing funding for a broad range of activities, including summer and winter schools and travel support for students and new scholars.
The following positions are up for election in 2024:
- President and Executive Vice-President (who run together as a team); duties include managing the EC, selecting officers for appointed roles, and representing SIGCHI to the ACM. President is the only position that must have previously served on the SIGCHI Executive Committee.
- Vice-President for Membership; duties include managing SIGCHI membership benefits.
- Vice-President for Communications; duties include ensuring communication with the SIGCHI membership.
- Vice-President for Finance; duties include preparing the annual SIGCHI budget and overseeing SIGCHI finances.
- Vice-President for Accessibility; duties include overseeing all aspects of accessibility within SIGCHI-sponsored conferences and publications, SIGCHI-affiliated chapters, and all SIGCHI Committees.
- Vice-Presidents At Large (two of these); duties determined in consultation with the President and Executive VP.
As the Past President of SIGCHI (2018–2021), I have been tasked by the current President (Neha Kumar, 2021–2024) to run this year’s elections. My first task was to form a Nominating Committee as stipulated by the SIGCHI bylaws. That committee includes the following members of our community: Simone Barbosa (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro), Anna Cox (University College London), Jeni Paay (Swinburne University of Technology), and Naomi Yamashita (NTT & Kyoto University). The second task is to form the slate of candidates for the elected roles. And that is where you all come in!
Action: Apply for a Position or Suggest an Applicant
We are conducting an open call to gather applicants for a slate of candidates. Specifically, we are seeking candidates who are familiar with the scope of SIGCHI, have relevant volunteer experience, are committed to the work, and have a vision for what they hope to accomplish as members of the Executive Committee. The committee is also committed to assembling a slate of candidates who jointly represent the diversity of the SIGCHI community. Nominations and self-nominations are accepted until November 20, 2023, 11:59 PM AoE, at sigchi.submittable.com. At that time, the Nominating Committee will evaluate all candidates to determine suitability for their desired positions. The ACM will announce the slate of candidates in January 2024.
Action: Vote for your Leadership Team
All SIGCHI members are eligible to participate in the election. However, you must be a member of SIGCHI, not just ACM, by the time the election closes. Visit myacm.acm.org to check your membership status and join SIGCHI. By April 3, 2024, members will receive an email from ACM with specific voting instructions. At a minimum, read the candidate bios upon receiving your ballot, and feel free to speak with your colleagues about the candidates. What do they bring to the table concerning vision and experience? And don’t forget to vote: Historically, only about 10 percent of SIGCHI members have participated in elections, so your vote can make a difference! Voting will end on May 20, 2024, and election results will be announced on May 27, 2024.
Current and Prior EC Members
Current EC Members: https://sigchi.org/executive-committee/
Prior EC Members: https://sigchi.org/people/history/
