NASW committees and liaisons

There are many ways to volunteer with NASW, including participating in one of the committees below. If you're interested in learning more about what you can do to get involved, please contact the committee chairs or liaisons listed.

Committees

Annual meeting

The NASW Annual Meeting Committee steers the content of our yearly ScienceWriters (TM) conference. The committee selects from the session proposals those that represent the best professional development and discussion opportunities for our diverse membership. The chair, who is the sitting NASW vice president, leads committee listserv discussions on the format and flow of the annual meeting and determines how proposals will be evaluated and shared. Committee members serve for about one month, from mid-March to mid-April. Committee members are expected to thoughtful, vocal, and may occasionally be invited to help with crafting special sessions. Typically, all volunteers are accepted. In the event of an overwhelming response, the chair shall select members who represent the various professions of NASW members. Email workshops@nasw.org with your interest. Committee members can attend that year's annual meeting at the student rate.

Chair: Nancy Shute

 

Awards

The NASW Awards Committee administers the annual Science in Society Awards competition. The awards, which are presented at the NASW annual meeting, recognize investigative or interpretive reporting about science and its impact on society. The awards especially target the kind of critical, probing work that would not receive an award from a special-interest group. Prizes of $2,500 are awarded for winners in each of three categories: books, periodicals, and electronic media. If you would like to co-chair this committee or serve as a judge, please contact Bob Finn.

Co-chairs: Bob Finn, Tom Paulson

 

Education

The NASW Education Committee helps aspiring science writers by providing mentoring; information about internships; information about educational opportunities; and general advice about becoming a science writer. The committee also maintains a listserv and online resources for science-writing teachers. The committee's major projects include a mentoring program for new science writers, and an internship fair for student members, both offered at the annual AAAS meeting. The committee also offers a number of resources on the NASW Web site, such as a list of science-writing workshops and fellowships; classroom aids for science-writing teachers; and, soon, a list of college science-writing programs. Throughout the year, members respond to requests for information on science writing and science-writing careers. If you are interested in joining the Education Committee, please contact the co-chairs.

Co-chairs: Jeff Grabmeier, Robert Irion

Internship fair coordinator: Jenny Cutraro

Members:
Terry Devitt

 

Finance and audit

The finance and audit committee coordinates the board's financial oversight responsibilities by recommending policy to the board, interpreting it for the staff, and monitoring its implementation. The committee also provides board oversight of the organization's financial audit. The finance and audit committee monitors the organization's financial records; reviews and oversees the creating of accurate, timely, and meaningful financial statements to be presented to the board; reviews the annual budget and recommends it to the full board for approval; monitors budget implementation and financial procedures; reviews internal financial controls; monitors budget assets; monitors compliance with federal, state, and other reporting requirements; reviews the organization's insurance coverage; and helps the full board understand the organization's finances. The finance and audit committee also ensures that the organization has an independent audit of its financial statements annually, recommends the independent auditors for full board approval, receives the audit report and any other reports relating to the audit or to the assets and collection management practices of the National Association of Science Writers, and periodically reports the auditor's findings and recommendations to the board. The finance and audit committee shall consist of not fewer than 2 board members. The members of the finance and audit committee shall be appointed by the President for 2-year terms. The board treasurer should chair this committee.

Treasurer and chair: Peggy Girshman

Mariette DiChristina, President
Nancy Shute, Vice President
Richard Bogren
Mari Jensen

 

Freelance

The NASW Freelance Committee works to support full- or part-time freelance science writers. This committee focuses mainly on practical measures meant to help freelancers build and sustain a thriving business. The group also monitors long-term trends that affect the viability of freelancing as a career. Committee members helped develop NASW's Words' Worth rates database; manage a contract FAQ for writers and editors; assemble freelance-oriented panels for NASW's annual conference; and generate service articles for NASW's All About Freelancing website and for NASW's quarterly newsletter, ScienceWriters (TM). New ideas and new members are always welcome.

Chair: Richard Robinson

Members:
Beryl Benderly
Siri Carpenter
Jennie Dusheck
Jeanne Erdmann
Dan Ferber
Ken Garber
Jeff Hecht
Charlotte Huff
Lynne Lamberg
Steve Miller
Paul Muhlrad
Tammy Powledge
Kendall Powell
Rebecca Skloot
Rabiya Tuma
Cori Vanchieri

 

Grievance

The NASW Grievance Committee helps writers resolve problems with editors and publishers, including late or nonexistent paychecks; kill-fee abuses involving partial pay; copyright infringement; or other issues. The committee evaluates each grievance individually and decides whether to take a case based on its merits. When a case is accepted, the committee advises the writer on how best to handle the situation and, in some cases, may intervene on behalf of the writer by writing a letter or making a phone call — whatever it takes to help obtain a just result. For help with a grievance, NASW members should begin with an email to the committee chair.

Chair: Dan Ferber

Members:
Robin Marantz Henig
Ellen Ruppel Shell

 

Information access

Formerly called the FOIA Committee, the Information Access Committee addresses issues surrounding access to information or scientists, institutional transparency, or manipulation of data. If you would like to join the committee, contact the chair.

Chair: Tom Paulson

Members:
Glennda Chui

 

Internet

The NASW Internet Committee oversees the organization's Internet services, including the NASW Web site and listservs. Most committee business occurs throughout the year via the committee's listserv. If you are interested in joining, please contact one of the committee chairs.

Co-chairs: Kelli Whitlock Burton, Terry Devitt

Members:
Terry Devitt
Pam Frost Gorder
Earle Holland
A'ndrea Messer
Tammy Powledge
Mitch Waldrop

 

Membership:

The NASW Membership Committee reviews applications for membership when an applicant's qualifications or materials are not straightforward. Members conduct business via a listserv.

Chair: Vikki Valentine

Members:
Leslie Sabbagh
Tinsley Davis (executive director)

 

Nominating:

The NASW Nominating Committee is convened every other year, one year in advance of elections. The current President appoints the Committee. Two of the five members must be the most recent past Presidents. This collaborative working group determines the Executive Committee and Board slate. With consultation from the current Executive Committee and input from interested individuals, the Nominating Committee identifies and approaches members who may serve as appropriate candidates during the months preceding elections (elections occur in fall of every even year). The Nominating Committee ensures that candidates are qualified, aware of expectations, and willing to take on the role if elected. The Nominating Committee is responsible for ensuring that candidates submit biographies to the Editor of ScienceWriters(TM) by the June 1 publication deadline.

NASW Liaisons to Other Organizations

Author's Coalition:

Board member Beryl Lieff Benderly represents NASW and casts NASW's vote in the discussions and decisions of the organizations constituting the Coalition, which generally take place during regular monthly conference calls. As liaison, she exercises this authority in consultation with the NASW officers and board. The liaison may also serve on Coalition committees, for example, Beryl is on the Distribution committee, which advises on policy decisions affecting disbursement of Coalition funds. Beryl is the first AC liaison, having spearheaded the development of this critical relationship for NASW.

 

World Federation of Science Journalists:

Deborah Blum, former NASW president, works to connect NASW to the global community of science journalists. Currently on the board of the World Federation of Science Journalists, she represents NASW in assisting foreign journalists - providing advice when contacted and sending copies of A Field Guide for Science Writers to everywhere from Pakistan to Australia. She has written protest letters to embassies of other countries, when science writers are unfairly prosecuted. Deborah organized our current partnership with the Arab Science Journalists Association, and spearheaded the effort to bring their five board members to the 2007 NASW meeting in Spokane.

More information:

Last revised: January 22, 2010

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