Update on our non-profit status

By Chrissy Hernandez, Steering Committee chair

We’re super excited to announce our progress on becoming a non-profit! First of all, we want to reiterate our deepest gratitude to all the folks who donated to our fundraiser, whether it was $2 or $200. Our base of members, family, and friends have made this transition possible. Of course, we have to note that if you’d like to support us further, you can send us funds via PayPal (not yet tax-deductible).

Since June 2019, we’ve been working with a lawyer to draft by-laws and make some decisions about the structure of SWMS, Inc. We’re ready to file the paperwork, and we’ll officially be a non-profit organization very soon!

Our Steering Committee will still be making decisions about the day-to-day management of SWMS. In the coming years, at least 4 of the Steering Committee positions will be Officers elected by a general vote of members: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. You can read more about the current structure of our Steering Committee here, and recent Pod Posts introducing many of us!

Introducing our Board of Directors

A wonderful bonus of being a non-profit corporation is that we will have input and oversight from a Board of Directors. We’ve identified the first SWMS Board of Directors! The Board of Directors currently consists of four longtime SWMS supporters who bring a wealth of expertise and passion to SWMS, and the SWMS President. This group will meet one to two times per year to discuss the mission and funding for SWMS. As these initial Directors end their terms in the coming years, new Directors will be elected by a general vote of members.

Without further ado, we are so excited to announce our inaugural Board of Directors (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Dr. Bethanie Edwards (UC Berkeley)
• Dr. Yuki Honjo (McLane Research Labs, Inc.)
• Dr. Rick Murray (WHOI)
• Dr. Heidi Sosik (WHOI)

This group spans a range of career stages, but they've all been instrumental in supporting SWMS. The board also has a broad range of expertise, including academic research, business development, public and private funding of science, and best practices for broadening participation in science.

We’re so excited to see where the next couple of years take us!