Elections

Dr. James T. LaPlant, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for Valdosta State University (VSU) (Valdosta, GA), has been elected to serve as president of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) for the membership year 2025-2026. LaPlant will become president-elect on June 1, 2024, taking a seat on CUR’s Board of Directors, and succeeding 2024-2025 CUR president Maria Iacullo-Bird (Pace University) in the summer of 2025.

Dr. Karen K. Resendes, Associate Dean of Assessment and the First Year Experience, Professor of Biology at Westminster College (New Wilmington, PA), has been elected to serve as the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Board of Directors’ Treasurer for the membership year 2024-2025. Resendes then will enter a 3-year cycle through the President ladder, serving as CUR Board of Directors’ President for the 2026-2027 membership year.

CUR congratulates these new and or re-elected councilors and division representatives on their new term starting on June 1, 2024. These individuals are highly engaged volunteers who have a passion for undergraduate research and contribute as thought leaders. Councilors and Division Representatives are charged from CUR's 13 divisions.

Lourdes Echegoyen, PhD (The University of Texas at El Paso), Sean Fox (Carleton College), and Eric Hall, PhD (Elon University) have been elected as general representatives on CUR’s Executive Board for 2023-2024. These positions assist in providing the strategic direction of CUR, while supporting CUR’s mission and strategic goals. Their positions will become active as of July 1, 2023.

John F. Barthell, PhD (University of Central Oklahoma/National Science Foundation), Lance Barton, PhD (Austin College/University of North Carolina at Charlotte), and Winny Dong, PhD (California State Polytechnic University – Pomona) have been elected to serve as council representatives on CUR’s Executive Board. These positions assist in providing the strategic direction of CUR and represent the voice of its members while supporting CUR’s mission and strategic goals.

Dr. Maria Iacullo-Bird, Assistant Provost for Research in the Office of Research and Clinical Associate Professor of History in Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University, has been elected to serve as president of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). Iacullo-Bird will become president-elect on July 1, 2023, taking a seat on CUR’s Executive Board , and succeeding 2023-2024 CUR president Bethany Usher (George Mason University) in the summer of 2024.

CUR congratulates the new and or re-elected division councilors to the General Council for a three-year term starting on July 1, 2023.

CUR congratulates the 75 new and or re-elected division councilors to the General Council for a three-year term starting on July 1, 2022.

Dr. Bethany Usher, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has been elected to serve as president for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). Usher will become president-elect July 1, 2022, taking a seat on CUR’s Executive Board, and succeeding 2022-2023 CUR president Ruth Palmer (emeritus College of New Jersey) in summer 2023.

Beth A. Cunningham, PhD (American Association of Physics Teachers), Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD (Pace University), and Charlotte K. Simmons, PhD (University of Central Oklahoma), have been re-elected to serve as council representatives on CUR’s executive board. Kelly Mack, PhD (American Association of Colleges and Universities) has been elected as a general representative on CUR’s executive board.