Genetics Society of America
Join a Committee
Interested in making a difference? Let us know if you are willing to serve on a committee or volunteer in another capacity with GSA. Note that all committee members must be GSA members during their service. Send an email to society@genetics-gsa.org letting us know which committees or opportunities you are most interested in and why you would be effective in the role. GSA periodically announces committee vacancies via our email newsletter.
See list of current committees
If you are graduate student or postdoc: consider applying for GSA’s Early Career Leadership and Professional Development Program. Participants serve in our highly active Early Career Scientist committees to propose, develop, and implement initiatives that address unmet needs for the early career scientist community. Participants complete the program with new skills, a network of peers and mentors, and concrete deliverables that demonstrate their abilities.
Serving this subcommittee has helped me expand my personal and professional network and further develop my leadership and organizational skills.
Learn about the Communication and Outreach Subcommittee
Annual Appeal Committee
The Annual Appeal Committee leads efforts to attract donations to support GSA's mission, including programs, services, awards, and grants. Learn more about the 2019 Annual Appeal!
Current Members
Swathi Arur
Jef Boeke
Jay Dunlap
Joseph Heitman
Phil Hieter
Mark Johnston
Thomas Kaufman
Jeannie Lee
Jasper Rine
Terry Magnuson (GSA President)
Denise Montell (GSA Vice-President)
Tracey DePellegrin (ex officio)
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee oversees the annual audit of GSA's financial records and makes recommendations to the GSA Board based on their findings.
Current Members
Hopi Hoekstra, Chair
JoAnne Engebrecht
Mark Johnston
Jasper Rine
Mary Adams, Staff Liaison
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee reviews nominations for the five Society Awards: Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal, GSA Medal, George W. Beadle Award, Edward Novitski Prize and Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education.
Current Members
Erika Matunis, Chair
Swathi Arur
Andy Clark
Monica Colaiacovo
Mary Lou Guerinot
Anita Hopper
Leonid Kruglyak
Detlef Weigel
Mariana Wolfner
Anne Marie Mahoney, Staff Liaison
Bylaws Committee
The Bylaws committee maintains GSA's bylaws and recommends any necessary revisions and updates.
Current Members
Terry Magnuson, Chair
Swathi Arur
Cassandra Extavour
Hopi Hoekstra
Fred Winston
Mary Van Tyne, Staff Liaison
Conference Childcare Committee
The Conference Childcare Committee recommends ways to better serve primary caregivers at GSA Conferences.
Current Members
Tânia Reis, Chair
Julie Claycomb
Sean Curran
Rhea Datta
Elisabeth Marnik
Thomas Merritt
Maureen Peters
Madhumala Sadanandappa
Gillian Stanfield
Sarah Bay, Staff Liaison
Conferences Committee
The Conferences Committee considers new conference offerings and advises GSA on conference guidelines. They work to identify innovative or emerging topics, increase speaker diversity, and create a Code of Conduct.
Current Members
Jef Boeke
Susan Dutcher
Joe Heitman
Hopi Hoekstra
Geoffrey Kapler
Terry Magnuson
Dmitri Petrov
Meera Sundaram
Suzy Brown, Staff Liaison
Anne Marie Mahoney, Staff Liaison
DeLill Nasser Selection Committee
The DeLill Nasser Selection Committee selects recipients of GSA's DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics. They ensure that the award recipients reflect the diversity of the genetics community by considering applicants' demographics, geographic locations, institution types, and model organism/subject matters.
Current Members
Joanne Engebrecht, Chair
Sharon Amacher
Aleeza Gerstein
Pam Hanson
Ping Hseuh
Amanda Larracuente
Nitin Phadnis
Jeffrey Thomas, ex officio
David Threadgill
Paul Trainor
Anne Marie Mahoney, Staff Liaison
Early Career Scientist (ECS) Steering Committee
Members of the ECS Steering Committee work to address the challenges and concerns of their fellow early career scientists. The Steering Committee, in cooperation with the ECS Subcommittees, provides helpful resources, gathers important feedback, and creates communications that unite and inform the scientific community.
Current Members
Gavin Rice, Co-Chair
Ryan Briscoe Runquist, Co-Chair
Ina Anreiter, Member
Veronica Donato, Member
Nele Haelterman, Member
Lindsay Holden, Member
Shan Meltzer, Member
Anthony Arena, Liaison, Policy Subcommittee
Mahlon Collins, Liaison, Communication & Outreach Subcommittee
Kristin Lee, Liaison, Career Development Subcommittee
Lucy Xie, Liaison, Diversity Subcommittee
JoAnne Engebrecht, Advisor
Victoria McGovern, Advisor
Early Career Scientist Career Development Subcommittee
The ECS Career Development Subcommittee supports early career scientists as they navigate their career paths, learn about career options, and curate resume-enhancing skills and experiences. Members work together to develop resources that highlight the myriad career trajectories that are possible with a genetics education and research training.
Current Members
Tony Patelunas, Co-Chair
Amanda Shaver, Co-Chair
Bernarda Calla, Member
Abigail DiVito, Member
Malgorzata Gazda, Member
Nicole Green, Member
Ruchi Jhonsa, Member
Seyma Katrinli, Member
Kristin Lee, Member
Sonali Majumdar, Member
Erika Matunis, Advisor
Pat Phelps, Advisor
Early Career Scientist Communication and Outreach Subcommittee
The ECS Communication and Outreach Subcommittee aims to bridge the communication gap between scientific disciplines, as well as between scientists and the public. Members work together to craft informative articles and projects, helping to make new discoveries more accessible among researchers and fostering society’s understanding and appreciation of science.
Current Members
Angel Fernando Cisneros Caballero, Co-Chair
Jessica Velez, Co-Chair
Narjes Alfuariji, Member
Haifa Alhadyian, Member
Anna Bajur, Member
Carla Bautista Rodríguez, Member
Mahlon Collins, Member
Zach Grochau-Wright, Member
Adelita Mendoza, Member
Vandana Raghavan, Member
Raj Rajeshwar Malinda, Member
Amey Redkar, Member
Joseph Tolsma, Member
Cassandra Extavour, Advisor
Thomas Merritt, Advisor
Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee
The ECS Policy Subcommittee develops useful resources related to career training policy and works to connect members of the scientific community with elected officials and government agencies.
Current Members
Lacy Barton, Co-Chair
Emma Powell, Co-Chair
Anthony Arena, Member
Albert Hinman, Member
Ana Mesquita, Member
Nathaniel Noblett, Member
Lossie Rooney, Member
Education Committee
The Education Committee supports genetics education and education research, in part by reviewing education-related workshop applications and abstracts for GSA conferences.
Current Members
Justin DiAngelo, Chair
Nicole Green
Jennifer Knight
Julie Hall
Teresa Lee
Te-Wen Lo
Courtney Scerbak
Rachelle Spell
Robert Ward
Erin Suderman, Staff Liaison
Equity and Inclusion Committee
To help GSA address the needs of its diverse communities, the Equity and Inclusion Committee sets priorities and recommends policies that foster a welcoming, global, and inclusive culture.
Current Members
Noah Whiteman, Chair
Derek Applewhite
Andrew Arsham
Zeke Elkins
Michael Gonzales
Gustavo MacIntosh
Shan Meltzer
Alana O’Reilly
Nadia Singh
Sarah Bay, Staff Liaison
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Joycelyn Johnson, Staff Liaison
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee acts on behalf of the Board of Directors between Board meetings and reports its actions to the Board, either directly or through the Executive Director.
Current Members
Denise Montell, President (2020)
Hugo Bellen, Vice-President (2021)
Terry Magnuson, Past President (2020)
Erika Matunis, Secretary (2021)
Mike Buszczak, Treasurer (2019)
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee advises the GSA Board on the annual budget, the management of Society bank accounts, and other financial matters.
Current Members
Mike Buszczak, Chair
Denise Montell, President (ex officio)
Jef Boeke
Mark Johnston
Mary Adams, Staff Liaison
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is primarily responsible for the nominating candidates for GSA Board Officers and Directors.
Current Members
Terry Magnuson, Chair (ex officio)
Erika Matunis, Secretary (ex officio)
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Mary Van Tyne, Staff Liaison
Public Policy Committee
The Public Policy Committee assists in enacting public policy strategies and advises GSA leadership and staff on matters related to public policy.
Current Members
Mary Lou Guerinot
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Publications Committee
The Publications Committee advises the GSA staff and the Editors in Chief of the GSA journals, GENETICS and G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. The Committee Chair also forms the search committee for new Editors in Chief.
Current Members
Howard Lipshitz, Chair
Kirsten Bomblies
DJ De Koning
Tony Long
Paul Sternberg
Mariana Wolfner
Brenda Andrews, Editor in Chief, G3 (ex officio)
Mark Johnston, Editor in Chief, GENETICS (ex officio)
Tracey DePellegrin, Executive Director (ex officio)
Ruth Isaacson, Staff Liaison