Announcing the 2026 AAS Election Slate, Write-In Nomination Period

The Society's Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the slate for the upcoming 2026 AAS election. This is your Society, so please plan to vote. Elected members are expected to represent you and the broader astronomical community.

Vice President (1 to be elected)

• Karen L. Masters - Haverford College
• Charles Liu - CUNY College of Staten Island

At-Large Trustee (2 to be elected)

• Sabrina Stierwalt - Occidental College
• Angela Speck - University of Texas at San Antonio
• Randall K. Smith - Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
• Seth Redfield - Wesleyan University

Nominating Committee (2 to be elected)

• Smadar Naoz - University of California, Los Angeles
• Meredith A. MacGregor - Johns Hopkins University
• Kevin R. Covey - Western Washington University
• Jon Arenberg - Northrop Grumman

USNC/IAU Representative (1 to be elected)

• Masao Sako - University of Pennsylvania
• Terry D. Oswalt - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Write-in Nominations

In accordance with the AAS Bylaws, the AAS Nominating Committee generates the slate of candidates for the Society’s election. If desired, Members may propose additional write-in nominations for all positions except the US National Committee Representative for the International Astronomical Union (USNC/IAU), but write-in candidates must be proposed via the process outlined below. No provision for write-in candidates will be made on the ballot.

To propose a write-in candidate for Vice President or At-Large Trustee, nominations must be made in writing and must be signed by at least 30 Members of the Society. Nominations must be received by AAS Secretary Stephen Unwin ([email protected]) within 45 days of the slate being announced (by 2 March 2026), with candidate bio and statement due 3 March.

To propose a write-in candidate for the Nominating Committee, nominations must be made in writing and must be signed by at least 5 Members of the Society. Nominations must be received by AAS Secretary Stephen Unwin ([email protected]) at least 10 business days prior to the distribution of ballots (by 18 February 2026), with candidate bio and statement due 3 March.

No Member may sign for more than one write-in nominee per year.

Voting Begins in March

All Society Members in good standing are eligible to vote; balloting will be open from 4 March to 20 April 2026.

The AAS Board of Trustees thanks the members of the Nominating Committee for their dedicated service to the Society: Kelsey Johnson (chair), Susana Deustua, Eric Perlman, Arpita Roy, and Vivian U.