The Nominations Committee has advanced one name for the position of chair-elect and four names for three available positions on the SIAM Executive Committee for a term from 2018 to 2021.  In addition to the names advanced by the nominating committee, our bylaws state that a member may seek a position through a petition signed by at least 25 section members.  If you seek to add your name to the ballot, please send the name and accompanying endorsements of 25 members to both current section chair Eric Zeemering (zeem@niu.edu) and nominations committee chair Kim Nelson (knelson@sog.unc.edu) on or before February 9, 2018.

The election for SIAM offices will be open from February 10, 2018 until March 8, 2018.  On February 10, members will receive a ballot that can be completed online.  We value your participation in the selection of officers for the future leadership of our section.  If you have any questions about the election process, please do not hesitate to contact section Chair Eric Zeemering, Nominations Committee Chair Kim Nelson, or SIAM Secretary Jayce Farmer (jayce.farmer@unlv.edu).

Nominee for Chair-Elect (2018-2020) (Elect 1)

Christine Palus, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at Villanova University.  She is currently serving as Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Christine’s work is published in such outlets as the American Review of Public Administration, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, State and Local Government Review, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, and Urban Affairs Review.  She recently co-edited (with Richardson Dilworth) the Guide to Urban Politics and Policy in the United States.  Christine and her co-author Susan Yackee (University of Wisconsin-Madison) received the 2016 Beryl Radin Award for the Best Article in JPART.

Nominees for Executive Committee (2018-2021) (Elect 3)

Christopher V. Hawkins is associate professor of public administration at the University of Central Florida where he also serves as the director of the graduate program in urban planning. His research on urban politics, regional governance, and local economic development and sustainability policy has been published in Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, State and Local Government Review, Urban Affairs Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, Urban Studies and other journals. He received his Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from the Florida State University.

Kimberly Nelson is the Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Associate Professor at the School of Government at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Her research and teaching interests focus on local government management, local government form and structure, and innovation in local government.  Her research has been published in leading journals including Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, Urban Affairs Review, and State and Local Government Review. She recently co-authored a book with Carl Stenberg titled, “Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers.”

Stephen Percy is the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs and Professor of Political Science at Portland State University, having arrived at PSU in 2014.  While at PSU he has chaired the Strategic Planning Development Team as part of campus strategic planning efforts and the Implementation Advisory Committee for Campus Public Safety. He has held previous positions at the University of Baltimore (Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Professor of Public Affairs) and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Director of the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, Professor of Political Science, and Interim Dean of the Zilber School of Public Health). In all leadership positions he has actively pursued initiatives to promote university-community engagement.  His work in community engagement in Milwaukee is outlined in two co-authored books:  A Time for Boldness: A Story of Institutional Change and Creating a New Kind of University: Institutionalizing Community-University Engagement. His research interests include public policy and policy implementation, intergovernmental relationships, urban politics, disability rights policy, and university-community engagement.

Dr. Anne R. Williamson is the Victor and Caroline Schutte/Missouri Professor of Urban Affairs in the Department of Public Affairs of the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  She also serves as the Director of the L. P. Cookingham Institute for Urban Affairs at UMKC. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Williamson served in leadership roles at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and in the private sector. An expert in housing policy, community development, citizen participation, and public budgeting, she seeks to bridge scholarship and practice in her teaching, research, and service.