Mission Statement

The Soil Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America seeks to promote an understanding of the importance of soil biota among ecologists, soil scientists, and members of related disciplines, to encourage education and research in soil ecology, to sponsor meetings and publications for the communication of research and educational activities in soil ecology, and to increase student participation in the Society.

Section By-Laws

BY-LAWS OF THE SOIL ECOLOGY SECTION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Article 1. NAME. The official name of this section shall be the "Soil Ecology Section."
Article 2. PURPOSE. The objectives of this Section shall be to promote an understanding of the importance of soil biota among ecologists, soil scientists, and members of related disciplines, to encourage education and research in soil ecology, to sponsor meetings and publications for the communication of research and educational activities in soil ecology, and to increase student participation in the Society. The Soil Ecology Section shall be a sub-division of the Ecological Society of America and shall be governed in all of its operations by the Constitution and By-Laws of that Society.
Article 3. MEMBERSHIP. Any member of any class of the Ecological Society of America who desires may become a member of the Soil Ecology Section. Notice in writing to the Secretary of the Chapter, or to the Business Manager of the Society, plus payment of current dues set by the Council of the Society are the only requirements. Members of the chapter shall remain in good standing until they request to terminate their affiliation or until they terminate their membership (i.e., dues lapse) in the Ecological Society of America or the Soil Ecology Section.
Article 4. OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS. The officers of the section shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary. Any member in good standing shall be eligible for nomination as an officer. The Chairperson will appoint a three-member nominating committee to select candidates for office. Nominees shall be elected by a majority vote of the members at the annual business meeting. If members are not able to attend the business meeting, mail-in ballots will be available on-request.
Article 5. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRPERSON. The Chairperson will preside at the business meeting of the Section, shall authorize expenditures of Section funds, and shall promote, in every reasonable way, the interests of the Section. The Chairperson shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election. The Chairperson shall represent the Section to the Council of the Society and shall appoint committees as required to promote the interests of the Section. Such committees shall serve until the next annual meeting of the Section and may be re-appointed at the discretion of the Chairperson. The Chairperson will provide an annual update of Section activities and expenses to members through a newsletter which may be published separately or in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.
Article 6. DUTIES OF THE VICE-CHAIRPERSON. The Vice-Chairperson shall arrange the scientific program, including the field excursions, for all meetings of the Section and shall assume the duties of the Chairperson whenever that person is unable to act. The Vice-Chairperson shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election.
Article 7. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Section, including a current membership and mailing list. The Secretary shall edit a newsletter for communication of Section activities. The Secretary shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election.
Article 8. EXPENSES. Necessary expenses of the Section shall be paid from the treasury of the Section, but in no year shall the total expenses of the Section exceed the amount allotted for this purpose in the annual budget of the Society. No officer or member of the Section shall have authority to incur expenses in the name of the Society, except as specified above.
Article 9. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. A Section Executive Committee, consisting of officers of the Section, may act on behalf of the Section during intervals between annual meetings.
Article 10. MEETINGS. The Section shall either meet with the Society at their annual meeting or may organize Section meetings at other times and places at the call of the Executive Committee or when requested by ten members of the Section. Meetings held independently will be summarized within the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America as a separate meeting review or within the Section's newsletter. A business meeting of the Section shall be held at the annual meeting and the members present shall constitute a quorum. Notice of the annual meeting shall be given each member of the Section at least 60 days in advance of each annual meeting. It is understood that publication of a notice of the meeting in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America shall constitute adequate notice.
Article 11. NEWSLETTER. The newsletter shall be published at least once each year and shall include a call for papers, symposium contributions and other Section business which requires the attention of the membership prior to the annual meeting. A current list of Section members shall be available to the membership by request from the Section Secretary.
Article 12. AMENDMENTS. These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members attending any annual meeting of the Section, provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been supplied to the members of the Section at least 60 days prior to the annual meeting date.

Past Officers

Chair	Vice-Chair	Secretary	Years
Deborah A. Neher	Elaine R. Ingham	David C. Coleman	1993-95
Joshua Schimel	Nancy C. Johnson	Patrick J. Bohlen	1995-97
Joshua Schimel	Mary Ann Vinton	Julie Whitbeck	1997-98
Peter M. Groffman	Mary Ann Vinton	Julie Whitbeck	1998-99
Peter M. Groffman	Mary Ann Vinton	Julie Whitbeck	1999-00
Margaret M. Carreiro	David Valentine	Richard Boone	2000-01
Jayne Belnap	James Baxter	Sina Adl	2001-03
Julie Whitbeck	Deborah A. Neher	Serita Frey	2003-05
Nancy C. Johnson	Jennifer Pett-Ridge	Loren Byrne	2005-07
Nancy C. Johnson	Jennifer Pett-Ridge	Loren Byrne	2007-09
Stephen Hart	Erik Hobbie		2009-11