The SIGCHI Executive Committee (2024–2027)
The results of the 2024–2027 SIGCHI Executive Committee elections were just announced by ACM. The new EC includes the following eight members (see election statements below), with additional roles to be appointed subsequently (see bylaws).
- Neha Kumar & Luigi De Russis (President & Executive VP)
- Susan Dray & Pejman Mirza-Babaei (VPs at Large)
- Dragan Ahmetovic (VP Accessibility)
- Naveena Karusala (VP Communications)
- Hao-Chuan Wang (VP Finance)
- Adriana S. Vivacqua (VP Membership)
First and foremost, we thank all those who enabled the election process that has been underway for more than a year. This includes the Nomination Committee (led by Helena Mentis), the 17 candidates, their nominators and endorsers, and the members who cast their votes. This is also the first time the Nomination Committee Chair set up Meet the Candidates sessions and we especially appreciate that all candidates had the opportunity to share their visions and goals with SIG members.
The elected officers bring together diverse perspectives on multiple levels. We represent different SIGCHI conference communities. Some of us are newer to serving the SIG than others. We have researchers and practitioners among us. We come from many regions of the world, including both where we are from and where we live/work now. What unites us is our commitment towards the success of the SIG and of Human-Computer Interaction, a field increasingly well-positioned to impact the computing discipline as a whole.
Taken together, our election statements (see below) reflect a range of goals, including a connected and empowered community (Naveena), a growing and collaborative global membership (Adriana), a stronger commitment to mentorship (Pejman), bridges between research and practice (Susan), accessible knowledge production and sharing (Dragan), and financial accountability and sustainability (Hao-Chuan). These will be guided by a commitment to “listening, open dialogue, and transparent decision-making” (Luigi), and “a culture of embracing diversity of people and perspectives, mutual learning, and care” (Neha).
We will take time in the coming months to draw on our individual aspirations and co-craft a joint values and vision statement to share, building on the momentum the prior EC has gathered and the structures put in place. With 7 of 8 elected members having served on the prior EC, we are fortunate to start from a place of deep understanding of members’ varied priorities, in addition to valuable community input received during the elections. We will direct this awareness towards future governance and remain in active dialogue with the SIGCHI community, keeping ourselves open to feedback. We call on all members of SIGCHI to continue sharing questions, thoughts, and ideas with us through the next three years. You can start by filling out this quick survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/56LDX2G
And finally, we thank past executive committees for growing the SIGCHI community to where it stands today. We know that our successes build on their successes and lessons learned. We look to their support as we step into this next new term.
Election statements follow.
NEHA KUMAR (President)
It has been an honor to serve as SIGCHI President, working with a fantastic and diverse team to engage a thriving SIGCHI community, nurture our local and global presence, support 26 conferences, and increase transparency around process and decision-making. Our SIG has almost doubled in size, to approximately 5,300 members, spanning 90 countries.
Building on this rich foundation, I will work with Luigi De Russis and the Executive Committee to focus on honoring the contributions of all members, communities, and conferences towards advancing HCI research and practice. Together, we will:
1. Take a systemic view to ensure the well-being of our conferences and support them in nurturing the growth they desire, navigating ACM OPEN-related challenges, overcoming financial barriers, and addressing information needs in a timely manner.
2. Strengthen mentorship and leadership pipelines that collectively advance us, and develop robust, inclusive, and sustainable volunteering infrastructures.
3. Ensure transparency and efficacy of our communications so that members feel informed, engaged, and invited to contribute.
Having worked to systematize inclusive and equitable processes, we will continue to foster a culture of embracing diversity of people and perspectives, mutual learning, and care, setting an example for other SIGs to follow.
LUIGI DE RUSSIS (Executive VP)
I am honored to run as SIGCHI Executive Vice-President, in a team with Neha Kumar as President. We aim to nurture a truly international SIGCHI centered on the values of transparency, inclusivity, sustainability, and scientific impact.
As Executive Vice-President, together with the President, I will build an Executive Committee (EC) ready to listen, engage, and strengthen ties across diverse local and global HCI communities, such as conferences and chapters. I will be drawing on six years of experience volunteering for SIGCHI in various capacities, including as Adjunct Chair for Community Support and Vice-President for Finance.
Specifically, I will work to: 1. Enable stronger mentorship and volunteering infrastructures where individuals are recognized for their contributions to service. 2. Strengthen next-generation leadership pipelines within the SIG, across conferences and chapters. 3. Create and curate channels for communication and engagement among the EC, conference leaders, and chapters, centering listening, open dialogue, and transparent decision-making. 4. Ensure that our efforts enable steady and sustained advancement of HCI research and practice.
Neha and I will continue to share SIGCHI’s successes and best practices across ACM, while keeping SIGCHI inclusive of and accountable to all our members, communities, and conferences.
SUSAN DRAY (VP at Large)
I’m honored to be nominated for VP at Large. As part of SIGCHI’s evolution since its birth, I know how we have met past challenges, and I’m excited about the future. As a current EC member, I’m proud of our values-based progress in diversity, equity, transparency, and engagement.
Welcoming all: As a longstanding advocate of inclusivity, I’m delighted that our leadership includes more women, people of color, and nationalities than ever before. It’s a priority of mine to continue this progress, especially building our support for growing communities in Africa and Latin America.
Improving academic/practitioner relationship: SIGCHI should be a catalyst for cross fertilization between academics and practitioners, but maintaining our relevance to both is a perennial challenge. We’re exploring ways to build relationships with practitioner organizations, and, having been in UXPA leadership in the past, look forward to helping support these and other connections.
Education: Academia and practice communities share an interest in the professional status of UX in industry. I want to help identify ways SIGCHI can support the teaching of critical skills for practice at a professional level and promote the value of well-trained students to industry.
PEJMAN MIRZA-BABAEI (VP at Large)
As a nominee for the VP at-Large role, I am dedicated to fostering a robust mentoring agenda within SIGCHI. Recognising the invaluable impact of mentorship, my primary objective is to collaborate with the SIGCHI community and EC members to implement a sustainable mentoring program.
Effective mentorship is built on shared expectations, career support, and empathetic consideration of mentors’ and mentees’ needs. However, the challenge lies in establishing mentorship channels and managing time demands. My vision is to create a structured mentoring program that acknowledges the efforts invested by both mentors and mentees for a mutually enriching experience.
Over this 3-year term, I will work towards curating mentorship capacities for early-career professionals, organising mentorship-focused events, engaging with regional HCI communities, and facilitating knowledge-sharing for SIGCHI volunteers.
Recognising the diversity in mentoring needs, my goal is to tailor our approach to honour community strengths and values, address structural inequities, and incentivise mentorship through awards and other visible recognition, along with better resources to ease volunteer burden. We need to strengthen SIGCHI’s commitment to mentorship, fostering a supportive and inclusive community.
DRAGAN AHMETOVIC (VP Accessibility)
I am honored to run for the position of the SIGCHI Vice-President of Accessibility.
As an active researcher in the accessibility field, I frequently take part in the organization of conferences that involve researchers and practitioners with disabilities as organizing committee members, authors, reviewers, and participants. On these occasions and during my appointment as General Chair of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A’22), I have acquired substantial experience in addressing accessibility challenges that pose barriers to conference participation for people with disabilities. I also conduct research on document accessibility, focusing on providing accurate accessible representations of scientific content.
If elected, it would be my pleasure to contribute my experience to make SIGCHI and its conferences more accessible and inclusive. Specifically, I would like to work towards:
- Providing support for accessible conferencing and paper accessibility remediation to all SIGCHI conferences, through incentives for expert volunteers to make the process scalable.
- Improving the accessibility of the paper authoring and reviewing processes through the definition and dissemination of guidelines, best practices and supporting instruments.
- Increasing accessibility awareness and the involvement of the SIGCHI community members from different parts of the world and cultural backgrounds.
NAVEENA KARUSALA (VP Communications)
I am honored to run for Vice President for Communications, a role that must deeply understand and engage a diverse and growing membership. I will draw on four years of experience volunteering for SIGCHI, including as Adjunct Chair for Community Support on the Executive Committee. In this role, I chair the SIGCHI Development Fund, Gary Marsden Travel Awards, and Futuring SIGCHI subcommittees. In each case, I have worked towards increased awareness and transparency, resulting in greater community engagement with these programs. Leveraging this experience as Vice President for Communications, I will work with the Executive Committee towards:
1. Improving targeting of communications to different audiences, including conference organizers, committee volunteers, and new members. 2. Timeliness and accessibility of information so that it is easily available, at the time that it can be most impactful, in inclusive places and formats. 3. Developing hybrid models for communications, where approachable in-person and online touch points support inclusive collaboration on areas that members care about (e.g., mentorship, sustainability, volunteer development).
Ultimately, I aim for members to feel connected to one another and empowered with information and resources to contribute to a thriving and continuously self-reflective professional community.
HAO-CHUAN WANG (VP Finance)
I’m honored to be nominated for VP for Finance. Since my first service in SIGCHI as a student volunteer for CHI 2008 (Florence, Italy), I’ve had 15 years in SIGCHI. I’m currently a member of the SIGCHI EC, focusing on ensuring financial wellbeing, and investing in initiatives for bolstering the values and practices of our community. If elected, I’ll focus on:
1. Accountability and responsibility. I aim to make sure that financial planning and decision-making comply with the bylaws and policies of ACM and SIGCHI, and that appropriate data and metrics are used in responsible and accountable financial decision-making.
2. Sustainable and equitable growth. As our community continues to grow, we must address both sustainability and equity, from financial and environmental perspectives. I’ll work with the EC, community leaders and other interested members to make sure our projects are both sustainably and equitably distributed and reflect our core values.
3. Future-oriented Initiatives. We must invest in the future of our community. I’ll work with the EC and the wider community to make sure we are investing sufficiently in the future, especially in terms of increasing global participation, community communication, education, and best practice development.
ADRIANA S. VIVACQUA (VP Membership)
I’m honored to run for VP for Membership for ACM SIGCHI. The past four years working with the SIGCHI EC (as VP at Large and previously AC Equity) have given me an appreciation for how diverse our membership is. During this time, I’ve worked to develop global communities, supporting locally led initiatives worldwide. I helped create Regional Committees in Latin America, the Mediterranean, and Asia to strengthen communities in different regions, and worked to support our conferences towards becoming more hybrid and global. I also had the pleasure of meeting many of our members and listening to their concerns. With other EC members, I’m committed to continuing to expand our community.
As VP Membership, I will focus on:
- Gaining a better understanding of our membership to identify how we could better serve our current members while also becoming more attractive to other groups (e.g., practitioners);
- Maintaining current member benefits and working towards new ones to fit our diverse membership;
- Creating opportunities for engagement between members, facilitating introductions and networking, and encouraging collaboration, partnerships, and knowledge exchange. By helping members connect to each other and providing resources for collaboration, I hope to help SIGCHI grow into a global community.
