SPME is a unique and vital organization that is characteristically innovative in our approach to fulfilling our mission. Over the past years SPME has progressed from an idea to a fully formed and functioning nonprofit whose contributions are already notable.  

Over the past two years the SPME Board of Directors has been focused almost exclusively on improving its governance practices, specifically, by changing the board composition by reducing the board size; ensuring a diverse board composition by adding nonacademic members; and adapting standards of excellence in board performance such as strategic, financial, and ongoing programmatic work. 

In that process, SPME board members whose terms had expired, including some of the organization’s founding members, left the board, as did others of our valuable directors who resigned to take on other challenges and initiatives in their academic or professional lives.

SPME would like to publically express our sincere gratitude to those board members who have recently left our board for all of the important work, time, and dedication they have contributed to the organization over the years:

• Judith Jacobson, SPME VP Internal Affairs and Co-Founder
• Stanley Dubinsky, SPME VP External Affairs
• Ruth Contreras, SPME Secretary
• Rev. India Garnett
• Philip Carl Salzman
• Richard Landes
• Tammi Benjamin
• Ernest Sternberg
• Awi Federgruen
• Kenneth Marcus
• Don Morris
• Steven Albert

It is the hard work and commitment of the individuals above that represents the strength of the SPME network. And we certainly look forward to their future involvement with SPME in different capacities as we continue to fulfill our important mission.

Join me in expressing our great appreciation and respect for the service you have provided to SPME, and I want to express personally my own gratitude for all that you have offered, and will hopefully continue to offer, this organization.