Executive Committee
Officers
Mohandas Narla, DSc ('24)
Belinda Avalos, MD ('24)
Robert Negrin, MD ('24)
Cynthia E. Dunbar, MD ('24)
Joseph R. Mikhael ('26)
Councillors
Ad Hoc, Non-Voting Members
Nancy Berliner
, MD
('24)
Catherine
M. Bollard
, MD
('26)
Jennifer
R. Brown
, MD, PhD
('25)
Hetty
Eileen Carraway
, MD, MBA
('24)
Adam Cuker
, MD
('25)
Aaron
T. Gerds
, MD, MS
('25)
Phoebe Joy Ho
, MBBS
('25)
Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty
, MD
('24)
Shaji
Kunnathu Kumar
, MD
('25)
James LaBelle
, MD, PhD
('25)
Michael
L. Linenberger
, MD
('24)
Ivan Maillard
('25)
Mary-Elizabeth
M. Percival
, MD
('25)
Andrew
W. Roberts
, MBBS, PhD
('24)
Paul Rosenthal
, MD
('25)
Mikkael
A. Sekeres
, MD
('24)
Shalini Shenoy
, MD
('24)
Alison
R. Walker
, MD, MBA, MPH
('24)
Andrew
S. Weyrich
, PhD
('26)
Alisa
S. Wolberg
, PhD
('24)
Committee Mandate
Function
The Executive Committee is the governing body that oversees the affairs of ASH. The Executive Committee formulates questions of policy, receives reports of committees and considers their recommendations, and provides advice and approval to the President-Elect regarding committee appointments. Service on the Executive Committee requires a major commitment to ASH for a period of years.
Meeting
While the ASH Bylaws require the voting members of the Executive Committee to hold at least two regular meetings a year, one of which must be prior to the annual business meeting of the Society, the Executive Committee usually meets four times a year; this includes a one-day meeting in February following the Program Committee Meeting, a multi-day retreat in May, a meeting in September following the second meeting of the Program Committee, and a meeting on the Friday prior to the annual meeting in December. (This means that Executive Committee members cannot participate in events on the Friday morning preceding the annual meeting). ASH policy prohibits members of the Executive Committee, including standing committee chairs and editors-in-chief, from participating in Friday Satellite Symposia.
In addition, the Executive Committee may, from time to time, meet by conference call and may vote to act by email. The President, in coordination with the Executive Office staff, determines the date and time for these meetings. The President or any two voting members of the Executive Committee may call special meetings at any time. The President determines whether meetings shall be held in executive session, in which case only voting members will attend. Written notice of any meeting of the Executive Committee is sent to each member of the Executive Committee at least five days before the meeting. Seven voting members of the Executive Committee present constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of a majority (or a supermajority if that is required) of the voting members of the Executive Committee present at a meeting where there is a quorum is considered the act of the Executive Committee.
Appointment of Members
The Executive Committee consists of the President (who serves as its chair), the President-Elect, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the eight Councillors. The Editors-in-Chief of Blood, Blood Advances, The Hematologist, and ASH Clinical News along with the standing committee chairs serve as non-voting members of the Executive Committee and attend the Executive Committee Spring Retreat as well as the December Executive Committee meeting. The editors-in-chief and standing committee chairs participate in open discussions but are excluded from Executive Sessions held during both meetings. The Executive Committee, on the recommendation of the President, fills interim vacancies occurring on the Executive Committee.
Councillors can serve simultaneously as Blood Associate Editors or Blood Advances Associate Editors but must recuse themselves from Executive Committee votes on issues related to the Blood or Blood Advances journals.
Standing committee chairs may not serve concurrently as Councillors.
The Executive Committee may determine by a majority vote that an interim vacancy has occurred when a member of the Executive Committee fails to attend three consecutive meetings.
Terms of Office
The President, President-Elect, and Vice President serve only a one-year term in each office unless there is an unexpired term of the President. Succession of the Vice President to President-Elect, and in turn to President, is automatic. The Secretary and Treasurer serve one four-year term in office. The terms of the Secretary and Treasurer are arranged so that they will not expire in the same year. The Councillors serve four-year terms, arranged so that two will expire each year.
Responsibilities
Each Executive Committee member should expect to be assigned responsibility for some aspect of ASH business. It might involve serving on a special committee, or it could involve service on a subcommittee of the Executive Committee, such as the Compensation Subcommittee or Finance Subcommittee. In the final year of their terms, the two most senior Councillors serve as members of the Finance Subcommittee.
OFFICERS
The President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are the ASH Officers. The Officers may make decisions on behalf of the Society concerning matters that arise between meetings of the Executive Committee. Any such decisions shall be reported to the Executive Committee at its next meeting.
The Executive Committee may remove Officers and Councillors. Any ASH member may ask the Executive Committee to consider removal of an Officer or Councillor by providing a written request stating the reasons for removal, or the Executive Committee itself may initiate consideration of removal. Reasons for removal include failure to attend committee meetings, failure to contribute to the work of the committee, conduct that reflects poorly on the Society, failure to comply with the ASH Conflict of Interest Policy and/or ASH Travel Reimbursement Policy, or any other reasons deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee.
President
The President presides at all meetings as chair of the Executive Committee. S/he is an ex officio, non-voting member of all standing committees except the Awards and Nominating Committees and performs all other duties typical of the office. Unless otherwise provided in the ASH Bylaws, the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoints members of the Society to fill interim vacancies on any committee and an interim Editor-in-Chief of Blood, Blood Advances, The Hematologist, and/or ASH Clinical News. The order of succession to the Presidency, in case of need, is President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Working with the Executive Office staff, the President sets the agenda for all meetings of the Executive Committee, and in the year of his/her presidency makes decisions about the annual meeting, including selection of the Presidential Symposium and Ham-Wasserman Lecture speakers.
President-Elect
The President-Elect performs the duties of the President in the absence or incapacity of the President and becomes President if the office becomes vacant. Should the President-Elect become President through a vacancy in the office, s/he is permitted to serve as President for the remainder of the unexpired term and his/her own term.
The President-Elect is a member of the Executive Committee and is an ex officio, non-voting member of all standing committees except the Awards and Nominating Committees. The President-Elect serves as a member of the Finance Subcommittee. The President-Elect also appoints new chairs and members of committees as needed with the advice of the Nominating Committee and the approval of the Executive Committee.
The President-Elect will be prepared to perform such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Executive Committee or the President. The President-Elect is installed as President at the next annual meeting of the Society. If a vacancy should occur in the office of the President-Elect, the Vice President will become President at the next annual meeting.
Vice President
The Vice President will perform the duties of the President in the absence or incapacity of the President and President-Elect, will become President if the offices of the President and President-Elect become vacant, and will perform other duties as may be assigned to him/her by the Executive Committee or President. The Vice President serves as an ex officio, non-voting member of all standing committees except the Awards and Nominating Committees. If a vacancy should occur in the office of Vice President, the Society will elect a President-Elect at the next annual meeting. The Vice President serves as a member of the Finance Subcommittee as well as the Conflict of Interest Compliance Officer for the Executive and Program Committees. S/he also selects the Education and Scientific Program Co-Chairs for the annual meeting that will occur during his/her presidential year.
Secretary
The Secretary oversees the maintenance of a permanent record of the meetings of the Executive Committee and ASH, including any reports that may be required under applicable federal, state, or local law. The Secretary prepares minutes of any Executive Sessions of the Executive Committee. If the office of Secretary becomes vacant, the Executive Committee, upon the recommendation of the President, may appoint a member to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.
The Secretary serves as a member of the Program Committee and is responsible for oversight of the annual abstract process. This involves organizing reviewers and coordinating reviewers and interacting with staff and the abstract management vendor to ensure review of numerous abstracts. At the September Program Committee meeting, the Secretary leads the discussion concerning final assignment of oral presentations at the annual meeting.
Treasurer
The Treasurer oversees all financial concerns of ASH as well as the development and presentation of the budgets of the Society. The Treasurer submits an annual report of the monies received and expended and prepares a detailed statement of the financial condition of ASH, which is made available to all members. The Treasurer monitors reports prepared by the Finance department staff throughout the year and chairs the Finance Subcommittee.
The Treasurer also performs any other duties incident to the office of Treasurer. If the office of Treasurer becomes vacant, the Executive Committee, upon the recommendation of the President, may appoint a member to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.