The Entomological Society of America's 2020 Special Vice President-Elect election, conducted via electronic ballot, is open beginning April 6, 2020, at 10 a.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will close May 6, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. U.S. EDT. Below, the candidates for ESA Vice President-Elect are listed.
Jesus Esquivel
John Obrycki
Jessica Ware
Dr. Jesus F. Esquivel is a Research Entomologist with USDA-ARS in College Station, TX. He has been with ESA for 26 years in the Southwestern Branch (SWB) as a member of the Plant-Insect Ecosystems (P-IE) Section. Degrees: B.S. (1990 - Agricultural Education) and M.S. (1992 - General Agriculture) from Tarleton State University; and Ph.D. in Entomology (2000 - Texas A&M University). He is Adjunct Faculty at Texas A&M University.
Jesus is an international authority on feeding behavior/mechanics of pentatomids, with emphasis on elucidating the relationship between pentatomids and transmission of plant pathogens. He has authored/co-authored 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, 24 technical reports, and 3 book chapters, and has presented this research through numerous invited presentations at professional society meetings.
Jesus has extensive volunteer/leadership experience at all levels of ESA. He has served on numerous national committees including the Annual Meeting Program Committee (Program Co-Chair, 2015-2016; Poster Co-Chair, 2016-2017; Student Competition Co-Chair, 2014-2015), Ethics and Rules Committee (Chair, 2019-2020; Member, 2018-2019), Governing Board (SWB Representative, 2018-present), Awards & Honors Committee (SWB Representative and P-IE Representative), and Membership Committee (SWB Representative). Within SWB, leadership roles include: Past President (2014-2015), President (2013-2014), Vice President (2012-2013), and Secretary-Treasurer (2011-2012). Additional service includes Chair or Member of multiple SWB Committees: Awards & Honors, Linnaean Games, Membership, Nominations, Program, Site Selection, and Student Affairs. Finally, he served on the Organizing Committee for the 2016 International Congress of Entomology—the largest gathering of entomologists in history.
Vice President-Elect Candidate Statement:
My vision stems from my personal experiences growing up in a large family in South Texas. Each family member is unique, individually bringing differing perspectives and experiences to foster success individually and collectively. Similarly, I see ESA as a diverse, worldwide family of approximately 7,000 members working toward the common goal of advancing our science. My vision closely aligns with ESA’s mission, which “promotes opportunities for entomologists and enables them to share their science globally.”
Critical issues on my agenda include science communication, financial health, and member recruitment/retention/recognition. Our bedrock is scientific peer-reviewed publications. We must continue to have our science heard and respected, whether it be through continued dialogue with legislators via science policy, peer-reviewed publications, or community outreach. ESA faces a potential revenue stream dilemma with the anticipated expiration of current publishing agreements. We must be positioned to react accordingly to best benefit our membership. Although ESA has managed a healthy membership, we risk losing—or overlooking—individuals whose careers are outside of traditional academia or research, for example, military and industry. These individuals must be engaged to combine our strengths for mutual benefit. Improved representation of our diverse membership in roles as Society officers and award recipients must also be addressed.
My experiences as a 26-year ESA member, volunteer, and officer at the Branch, Section, and National levels have provided me with an improved understanding of ESA governance, awards processes, and opportunities. And, with your help, juntos avanzamos...together we will move forward!
John Obrycki
University of Kentucky
Recognition and Leadership Roles: Obrycki has served the Entomological Society of America (ESA) as Chair of Subsection Ca – Biological Control (1992), President of the North Central Branch (2010), ESA Governing Board Representative, also representing the Branch (2012-2014), and member of the ESA Governing Board Executive Committee (2013-2014). The University of Kentucky Arboretum inducted him into the Bur Oak Society in 2015 in recognition of professional expertise contributing to the Arboretum. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Academic Positions: Obrycki is the Bobby Pass Research Professor in the Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky (UK). He served as Chair of the Department of Entomology, and as the Kentucky State Entomologist, from 2003-2015. Prior to accepting the chair position at UK, he had been on the faculty in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University for 18 years.
Areas of Interest and Accomplishments: Obrycki's research interests include the biological control of insect pests and weeds, examining the genetics and ecology of Coccinellidae, and assessing the ecological effects of transgenic crops. He has taught graduate courses in biological control and integrated pest management and undergraduate entomology courses for non-majors. He has served as the major advisor for 10 Ph.D. and 16 M.S. students, mentored five post-docs, and has authored 150 refereed publications and several book chapters.
Vice President-Elect Candidate Statement:
During my academic career, the Entomology Society of America has been THE professional society for me, my graduate students, and closest colleagues. The ESA provides the means to communicate our research among our peers through our high-quality journals, and Branch and national meetings. The opportunities and guidance provided to my students from our journal editors and presentation judges at our meetings have been invaluable to the professional development of my graduate students. Likewise, ESA members have been the most influential colleagues and mentors for me. We all share common interests and curiosity about insects and their role on Earth. We have been and will continue to be a Society with very broad perspectives on human-insect interactions, but I believe this diversity is one of the strengths of the ESA. Students within the ESA can see the entire spectrum of opportunities for individuals trained as an entomologist.
As Vice President-Elect I would continue to work with ESA leadership on our shared mission statement to promote opportunities for entomologists to share their science with each other, policy makers, and interested citizens. I would also actively support the Society’s outcome statements to ensure long-term financial sustainability, increase diversity of our membership, and provide the resources needed for growth of our Society.
Jessica Ware
American Museum of Natural History
Dr. Jessica Ware is an Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Ware’s research centers on the evolution of behavioral and physiological adaptations in insects, with an emphasis on Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Dictyoptera (mainly termites and cockroaches). She uses phylogenomics and morphology tools to inform work on reproductive, social and flight behaviors in insects. Her research has been recognized through awards; she was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from the U.S. government. Jessica earned a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in Canada and a Ph.D. from Rutgers, New Brunswick. Dr. Ware was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at the AMNH (2008-2010), and an Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Rutgers Newark (2010-2019). Dr. Ware is committed to enhancing diversity, inclusion, and equity in science and is passionate about science communication. Her commitment to ESA has led her to serve in multiple ways since becoming a member in 2004. Dr. Ware served as the president of the Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity section (2014) and has served on several ad hoc committees including task forces (on membership, awards and fellowships, and publications) and committees (Diversity & Inclusion, Thomas Say). She now serves as elected SysEB representative to the ESA governing board. She serves on the Insect Systematics and Diversity editorial board, as well as the board of several non-ESA journals. Dr. Ware is current president of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association, after serving as secretary for four years.
Vice President-Elect Candidate Statement:
Few societies have as large a global reach as the Entomological Society of America: vector control, public health, food security, evolution and ecology, museum science, biotechnology, and bioengineering are just some of the aspects of society in which our members are involved. Past Governing Boards and members have worked hard to make ESA a leader among academic societies in terms of our meetings, member code of conduct, diversity and inclusion initiatives, workshops, and research. In addition to supporting the current goals of the Governing Board, Branches, and Publications Council, my goal will be to work to promote collaboration and communication among Sections, to bring the breadth of our entomological science together. The next few years will be an ever-changing landscape for publications, membership, and skill building. We need to continue to follow our traditions while supporting all members and embracing our role as early adopters of fresh visions. Now more than ever, we can use our knowledge and love of insects to better communicate science to the general public through community interaction about vector borne diseases, climate change, biosecurity, biodiversity declines, and beyond. I would be honored to serve the membership in the capacity of Vice President-Elect. I’m eager to repay, in some small way, the support ESA has given to the careers of my students and colleagues, creating a community for all.