ASSP's annual elections are just around the corner. It is understandable that many people feel fatigued by anything involving ballots, campaigns or voting of any kind, but elections in a professional society are fundamentally different from most that we experience. Our elections are not about supporting political ideologies; they are about stewardship.
When you vote in an ASSP election, you help shape the future of our Society, including our priorities, our direction and the leadership that will guide decisions for years to come. Your vote is not about choosing who you like most or who you know best. It is about selecting leaders whose skills and experience best match what ASSP needs right now and into the future.
Each year, ASSP’s Nominations and Elections Committee works from October through February to assemble a slate of candidates. This committee-led, competency-based process is designed to align leadership talent with the Board’s established needs. Learn more about the 2026 candidates in the March 2026 issue of PSJ.
Individuals on the ballot are not selected solely based on visibility, Society experience or name recognition. The focus is on readiness, skills, experience and the ability to contribute at the highest levels of ASSP. By the time you receive a ballot, you are seeing the result of months of thoughtful review, discussion and intentional decision-making.
ASSP has changed, and change can be difficult, especially when leadership pathways look different from those in the past. Not all candidates follow a traditional volunteer ladder to leadership. Some bring experience from other organizations, industries or leadership roles outside ASSP, and that is intentional. Skills developed elsewhere—such as strategic planning, governance, financial oversight and organizational leadership—are often exactly what the Board needs at a given moment.
This approach also helps prevent groupthink, which can occur when everyone comes from the same background or follows the same path. Diverse experiences challenge assumptions, improve decision-making and strengthen governance. Elections, when done well, are not about preserving what has always been—they are about preparing for what comes next.
As part of ASSP’s process of ongoing governance review, a Nominations and Elections Task Force was established early last year and, with the help of outside consultants, undertook a comprehensive review of our existing process. Their work reaffirmed the importance of maintaining committee-led, competency-based slating authority for region vice presidents, directors-at-large and officers. The task force also strengthened candidate evaluation by implementing weighted scoring tied directly to Board competencies and committed to annual reviews to ensure alignment with ASSP’s strategic needs.
Equally important, the task force focused on the future leadership pipeline, which will be integrated into our leadership programming. The result is a system designed to cultivate capable, prepared and future-ready leaders and to give members confidence that when they vote, they are choosing from a slate built with rigor and care.
When the ballot arrives in your inbox, I hope you pause before clicking past it or voting quickly. Spend a few minutes reading the candidate bios and platforms. Consider the skills and experience each nominee brings, and ask yourself not “Who do I know?” but rather “Who is best positioned to help ASSP move forward?”
Voting is one of the most meaningful ways you participate as a member, and it only works if members engage thoughtfully. Not all membership organizations hold elections in which the general membership votes to select its leadership. ASSP members are given great responsibility for ensuring that our Society is future-ready. That opportunity arrives quietly in your inbox each March, and I hope you take the time to vote thoughtfully and intentionally, with ASSP’s future in mind.
No matter your level of involvement in ASSP, voting in our annual Society elections is a simple yet powerful way to make a real difference.