Announcements

Annual Meeting Moves Forward in Los Angeles

The 2020 meeting of the WPSA will be held at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California, from April 9 to 11, 2020. The theme for this year’s conference is “The Boundaries of Belonging.” Program Chair Jessica Lavariega Monforti and the Program Section Chairs have assembled a broad and inclusive program. In addition to the regular panels, there are seven conferences taking place within our conference:

As in previous years, there will also be workshops on Environmental Political Theory, Feminist Theory, Interpretive Methods and Methodologies, and Latino Politics on the day before the conference (Wednesday, April 8).

Loyola Marymount University is serving as the local host. Richard Fox, Loyola Marymount, is chairing the Local Arrangements Committee. Information about the conference, its theme, and the list of section chairs are available on the WPSA website: www.wpsanet.org.

Changes in the WPSA Executive Council

Jamie Mayerfeld, University of Washington, is serving as WPSA President through the April 2020 meetings. At the conclusion of the meetings, Jessica Lavariega Monforti, California Lutheran University, will assume the presidency of the WPSA. Jamie Mayerfeld, University of Washington, will become the new Program Chair. The following individuals have been elected to the Executive Council for the term 2020–2023: Melissa Michelson, Menlo College; Ainsley LeSure, Occidental College; Mark Ramirez, Arizona State University; and Laura Evans, University of Washington. Their terms begin immediately prior to the April 2020 meeting. The terms of the following Executive Council members will conclude immediately prior to the Los Angeles meeting: Janni Aragon, University of Victoria, Canada; Mark Brown, California State University, Sacramento; Steven James Johnston, University of Utah; and Valerie O’Regan, California State University, Fullerton. The Association thanks them for their valuable service.

No Viaduct! Planning Begins for 2021 Seattle Meetings

The Program Committee for the 2021 WPSA Annual Meeting is now being formed by the incoming Program Chair, Ricardo Ramirez, University of Notre Dame. A listing of the 2021 Program Committee will appear by June on the WPSA website. The meeting will be held at the beautiful new Hyatt Regency in Seattle from April 1 to 3, 2021. The hotel is situated close to Pikes Place, the convention center, and Seattle Center. If you haven’t been to Seattle recently, you need to see the changes. Much of the area near the Seattle Center has been transformed and the old, ugly viaduct by the waterfront is now gone. Turnout is expected to continue to grow, so we encourage you to join us for what will be another great conference.

Following the Seattle conference, the Association will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. The conference will be held that year at the Hilton in downtown Portland. That will be a special event, which you won’t want to miss. We will then be in San Francisco in 2023 and Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2024.

Donate to WPSA Endowments

When planning for next year’s conference, consider donating to the WPSA when you register online. Or better yet, don’t wait; do it now. We have set up the WPSA website to enable individuals to donate directly to the WPSA. Contributions can be given without strings attached to the association, or they can be targeted at specific funds. Among these funds are the association’s first four endowments. Two of these endowments—the Betty Moulds Fund and the Joel Olson Fund—were created to establish awards honoring these long-term members of the association. The third endowment—the Don T. Nakanishi Fund—was created to support the Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Service in Asian Pacific American Politics. Finally, the WPSA Endowment Fund was created to protect the long-term financial security of the association and to fund special projects. The WPSA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization; as such, your contributions are fully tax-deductible, as permitted by law. The donation page can be found here: http://www.wpsanet.org/about/donate.php.