The Nominating Committee of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) is responsible for presenting a ballot of new officers for election by the Society’s membership. This year, in addition to presenting one candidate for President Elect, eight for the Advisory Council, and four for the Nominating Committee, we will also present four candidates for the newly ratified Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Longstanding SHEAR members, new members, and prospective members are all eligible for nomination. The Nominating Committee is especially interested in nominations of scholars from underrepresented backgrounds and scholars with a demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion.  Individuals can nominate themselves or others for election. All nominations should be sent no later than March 8, 2021, to the Nominating Committee Co-Chairs, Zara Anishanslin and Caitlin Fitz, at SHEARnominating@gmail.com. Self-nominees should send a two-page CV and paragraph-long (no more than 500 words) statement of interest. The Co-Chairs will request the same materials from those nominated by others.

The members of the Nominating Committee are determined to present a ballot that represents the SHEAR membership while also continuously working to broaden the diversity of scholars, vocations, and fields included within the Society.  The following descriptions of the duties of the President, Advisory Council, Nominating Committee, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee are taken from the SHEAR constitution:

President

1. Presiding over the meetings of the Advisory Council and general meetings of the Society, setting the agendas for these meetings, and ensuring the implementation of these bodies’ decisions.
2. Delivering a presidential address at the annual meeting that concludes their term.
3. Overseeing the Society’s processes for elections and for amending its Constitution and Bylaws.
4. Serving on and chairing the Executive Committee, whose duties are outlined below.
5. Appointing the Treasurer and Conference Coordinator to six-year terms; and Social Media Coordinator, members of the Book Prize committee, members of the Broussard Best First Book committee, and members of the Mary Kelley Prize committee to three-year terms.
6. Overseeing any special committees that they and the Advisory Council might appoint for specific purposes.

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is charged with the responsibility of working with the President to develop and implement all phases of the Society’s efforts to fulfill its mission as a learned society. For this reason, all members of the Advisory Council, beginning with those elected in 1993, will be expected to attend all annual Council meetings, as will all ex officio members.

Nominating Committee

1. To nominate annually for the approval of the membership a candidate for the position of President Elect.
2. To nominate annually pairs of candidates for election by the membership to the Advisory Council.
3. To nominate annually pairs of candidates for election by the membership to the Nominating Committee itself.
4. To make nominations consistent with the Society’s membership diversity in gender, race, geographical area, type of organization represented, historical field, and time period.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

1. To administer and maintain organizational self-studies and report findings to Advisory Council.
2. To assist the Advisory Council, Nominating Committee, Program Committee, and the JER Editors with their efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3. To advise the Executive Committee, the Advisory Council, and the JER Editors on policies to ensure DEI representation and inclusion across the organization.

Established in 1977, the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic is an association of scholars dedicated to exploring the events and the meaning of United States history between 1776 and 1861. SHEAR’s mission is to foster the study of the early republican period among professional historians, students, and the general public. It upholds the highest intellectual standards of the historical profession and encourages the broad diffusion of historical insights through all appropriate channels, including schools, museums, libraries, electronic media, public programming, archives, and publications. SHEAR cherishes a democratic ethos in scholarship and cultivates close, respectful, and productive exchanges between serious scholars at every level of experience and recognition. SHEAR membership is open to all; most members are professional historians employed in colleges, universities, museums, and historical parks and agencies, as well as independent scholars and graduate students. The Nominating Committee welcomes nominations that will help move SHEAR toward fuller implementation of its democratic ideals and diverse membership.