Learn how to nominate a candidate for future openings on the TMS Board of Directors and meet the most recent board nominees. 

Open Board Positions

Nominations will be accepted from October 1, 2024, through January 15, 2025, for seats on the 2026–2029 Board of Directors. The open positions are: 

  • Presidential Rotation: Encompasses three successive one-year positions: Vice President, President, and Past President
  • Financial Planning Officer: Represents the entire membership in carrying out the professional activities of the Society concerned with finances, audit, and investments and the reporting thereof.
  • Content Director/Chair: Guides the management and development of TMS content initiatives, inclusive of journals, books, e-resources, and other media; grow content-related strategic and revenue opportunities; and protect and build the TMS brand as a provider of content to the science and engineering community.
  • Professional Development Director: Represents the entire membership in carrying out the professional activities of the Society concerned with professional development, education, and accreditation.
  • Public & Governmental Affairs Director/Chair: Represents the entire membership in carrying out the professional activities of the Society concerned with public and governmental affairs issues.

Additionally, positions for these division chairs are open on the 2026–2029 Board of Directors, but nominations are being developed directly through the technical divisions.

The chairperson for each division exercises personal leadership in the motivation of their technical division, which consists of technical committee chairpersons, functional committee representatives, and other volunteer roles. The chairperson is responsible for guiding the development and implementation of both long‐ and short‐range strategic plans of their technical division; ensuring that the structure, bylaws, and management of the division are in compliance with established TMS policy; and acting as spokesperson for his/her technical division. 

Selection Process

TMS typically accepts nominations for open board of directors positions from October 1 through January 15 for board terms that begin for the following year (e.g., to be considered for a term that begins in 2026, the deadline for nominations would be January 15, 2025).

Candidates for all Board of Directors positions must be presented to and approved by the TMS membership. All non-technical-division-chair-position nominations are reviewed by the TMS Nominating Committee, which then makes recommendations concerning the candidates to the TMS Board of Directors. The TMS Board of Directors considers the Nominating Committee recommendations and develops a slate of candidates for presentation to the membership. This slate includes technical division chair candidates as identified by the technical divisions. In July of each year, the candidates are presented to the membership in JOM, and the membership has the opportunity to approve the slate of candidates by taking no action or to force an election by petitioning to have an additional candidate considered for a given position. If no other candidates are advanced by the membership by August 15, the slate endorsed by the Board of Directors will be declared elected and will take office at the conclusion of the next TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition. If an alternative candidate is advanced by the membership, an election will be held in the fall.

How to Nominate

Submission Deadline: January 15 of each year

Self nomination packages are acceptable. This nomination process does not apply to technical division chair positions.

Your nomination package should include:
  • Completed and signed TMS Board Nominee Statement Form (PDF).
  • Curriculum Vitae (5 pages or less, with no more than 1 page listing publications and presentations)
  • Supporting letters from TMS members (minimum of three; maximum of five). Each letter should be no longer than three pages.
  • Summary by nominee of reasons for seeking the position, qualifications and relevant experience, vision for TMS, and your role in realizing this vision through the position you are seeking. This summary should be no more than 1,800 words or approximately three pages.

Completed nomination packages should be submitted to:

TMS Nominating Committee Chair
c/o Deborah Hixon, TMS
5700 Corporate Drive, Suite 750
Pittsburgh, PA 15237 USA
e-mail: hixon@tms.org

The nomination packet is valid for one year.

2025-2028 Board of Directors Nominees Approved

The following slate of new members has been approved for the 2025-2028 Board of Directors:

  • Presidential Rotation: Viola Acoff
  • Membership Diversity and Development Director: Jennifer Locke
  • Light Metals Division Director/Chair: Randy Beals
  • Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division/Chair: Carelyn Campbell
  • Structural Materials Division Director/Chair: Clarissa Yablinsky

Learn more about these new board members in the article, "TMS Presents the 2025 Board of Directors Nominees," published in the July issue of JOM.