Elections

The Constituency Group Elections Cycle

The National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) holds elections every year for open leadership positions in our Constituency Groups following elections for the Governing Council.

While the entirety of our membership may nominate themselves and/or peers for these roles, we know candidates who are long-time members or meaningfully engaged in each group currently are preferred. As a note, nominees must have active NWSA membership for at least two years.

This year's Constituency Group Elections Nomination Form will be open Friday 8/21/26 → Friday 9/4/26. Voting will open and ballots will be sent to group members for a two week period; 9/30/26 → 10/14/26. 

Given that Constituency Groups have not had an election in a number of years, we are implementing a new structure in alignment with our bylaws that will enable institutional memory, increase the support available for Constituency Group chairs, and thus further stabilize NWSA as a whole. Our goal is to stagger co-chairs so there is always overlap. This means for the 2026 election, Constituency Groups will elect a single co-chair for a two-year term (this person would serve as a chair for their first year, and as a co-chair for their second). In 2027, the second co-chair will be elected for a two-year term. Moving forward, each year Constituency Groups will elect one co-chair.
Constituency Groups are one of the vital ways our members can become actively engaged with the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA). NWSA provides a Constituency Group Chair Handbook to help onboarding new chairs. The Constituency Group Chair leads the group through regular check-ins and meetings, as well as programming and community-building opportunities. Chair responsibilities include, but are not limited to updating and maintaining records (e.g., bylaws), shepherding connections, collaborations, and activities among members, planning for the year, uploading media to the group’s Hub library, and recruiting new members.
Potential activities include programming outside of the annual conference, leadership development (e.g. creating positions within the interest group), offering awards and prizes, authoring statements about pressing matters (sent to the National Office and President for distribution), and making use of NWSA’s Resource Library.
The following Constituency Groups have chair positions available:
  • Community College Caucus
  • Feminist Mothering Caucus
  • Girls and Girls Studies Caucus
  • Graduate Student Caucus
  • Muslim+ Feminist Caucus
  • North American Asian Feminist Collective
  • Queer and Trans People of Color Caucus
  • South Asian Feminist Caucus
  • Trans/Gender Variant Caucus
  • Transnational Feminism Caucus
  • Anti White Supremacy Task Force
  • Feminists in Science and Technology Studies (FiSTS) Task Force
  • Animal Studies/Animal Ethics Interest Group
  • Arts and Performance Interest Group
  • Asexuality Studies Interest Group
  • Disabilities Studies Interest Group
  • Feminism and Activism Interest Group
  • Feminist Media Studies Interest Group
  • Feminist Pedagogy Interest Group
  • Feminists for Justice In/For Palestine
  • Gender, Women's, and Feminist Studies (GWFS) PhD Interest Group
  • Libraries and Archives Interest Group
  • Publishing Feminisms Interest Group
  • Puerto Rican Feminisms Interest Group
  • Reproductive Justice Interest Group
  • Program Administration and Development Committee

Learn More About Constituency Groups

Our Ethic of Leadership 

Because the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) is one of the most critical intellectual anchors for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Governing Council (GC or Board) members should be able to demonstrate:

  • substantial experience with transformative, collaborative, and creative leadership in NWSA and/or WGSS as a whole;
  • a breadth of knowledge about the field (not only their subfield or particular areas of specialization) through their publishing, teaching, and/or leadership experiences;
  • and an ability to galvanize resources in support of strengthening Association operations (e.g., pedagogical and programmatic materials in support of the Association’s new Resource Library, collaborations with colleagues in support of membership engagement initiatives, and/or praxis opportunities for student workers and/or volunteers).

NWSA holds elections every year in the summer season for open positions, both within the GC and for leadership positions in our Constituency Groups. Members can learn more about GC positions by exploring our bylaws. This process is managed by the Vice President and supported by the National Office. 

This process is a critical aspect of NWSA's governance, and we encourage all members to take advantage of the opportunity to vote. To ensure an ethic of integrity and accountability, NWSA works with a third-party vendor to process election ballots. We also strive to offer as much support as possible so that our candidates can participate confidently in this process. 

The Election season typically runs through a 6-8 week period which includes the following:

  • Call for nominations.
    • Nominees must hold active membership with the Association.
    • We welcome self-nominations and that of your peers/colleagues/co-conspirators.
  • Candidates accept/decline their nominations.
  • Candidates submit their support materials.
  • Ballots open for voting.
    • Active members are eligible to vote. 

Candidates may submit written or audiovisual responses to the prompts below. Written responses should not exceed 150 words per prompt, and audiovisual responses should not exceed 1 minute each. For the sake of our ever-evolving commitments to accessibility, please be sure any audio and visuals are clear. Otherwise, it will be necessary for you to revise and resubmit or submit written responses.

  • Describe the candidate’s preparedness for being a member of the Governing Council, conversing directly with at least one of the following parameters and providing specific examples to the extent possible:
    • experience with transformative, collaborative, and creative leadership in NWSA and/or WGSS as a whole;
    • has developed and also demonstrates a breadth of knowledge about WGSS as a whole (not only their subfield or particular areas of specialization) through their publishing, teaching, and/or leadership experiences;
    • and/or ability to galvanize resources in support of strengthening Association operations (e.g., pedagogical and programmatic materials in support of the Association’s new Resource Library, collaborations with colleagues in support of membership engagement initiatives, and/or praxis opportunities for student workers and/or volunteers).
  • Describe the candidate’s preparedness for this particular position, conversing directly with the above description and providing specific examples to the extent possible.
  • Optional: Describe anything else about the candidate that might be of interest to voting members.

Connect with Our Board

The Governing Council Elections Cycle

The National Women's Studies Association holds elections every year in the summer season for open positions within the Governing Council (GC). The 2026 National Women’s Studies Association Governing Council election cycle has officially concluded, and we are pleased to announce the results.

Vice President: Stephanie Andrea Allen
Treasurer: Samantha Pinto
Secretary: Maria Rovito
Women of Color Caucus Chair: Kimberly Stanley
Lesbian Caucus Chair: Jessica Pruett
Members-at-Large: Nadia E. Brown and Ra Malika Imhotep

Submit A Nomination for Our Open Constituency Group Chair Positions

We welcome self-nominations and those of y/our peers!

SUBMIT A NOMINATION

Staggered Leadership

The National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) elections cycle ensures staggered terms for those serving on the Governing Council (GC). Our goals in running annual elections is to make space for the members in and outside of academia as we both recognize and value the myriad of ways feminist work lives and breathes.

Did you know that the President serves a third additional year on the Governing Council as an ex-officio member? This practice allows for meaningful support for the President-Elect and in contextualizing institutional history in leadership transitions.

Curious about our past leadership and initiatives? Explore our archive of past Annual Conference materials!

The Archive

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