Dear ASB Members,

It’s a really exciting time at ASB as the field of Biomechanics continues to grow in academia and industry! Thank you to all of you for your support – I am honored to be able to continue to serve on the Executive Board in the Presidential Line for the next 3 years. Thanks as well to Chris Wilburn – the Diversity Committee is in great hands, and they are cooking up new initiatives as we speak to support our members in new ways.

At the same time, as I mentioned in my statement during the election, we face challenges and headwinds in several states around continuing to support equity, inclusion, and belonging so that all of our members, current and future, can thrive as scientists, teachers, colleagues, and community members. We as a Society have an opportunity to step in and provide some of the resources, information, and training that our universities may no longer be able to provide. Please look for more offerings at Annual Meetings and between Annual Meetings in this area, and don’t hesitate to send your suggestions to me at asbpresidentelect@asbweb.org, to Chris at asbdiversity@asbweb.org, and to our affinity groups and non-profit partners.

The most important job of the President-Elect each year is to partner with our experts at Podium to solicit proposals and select the next Annual Meeting site in 2026. This process is underway – there are many possibilities for collaborations with other societies that we are exploring in addition to ASB-only options so that we can provide excellent programming and networking opportunities at reasonable cost to attendees and the Society. We remain committed to financial stewardship and transparency – please see the Treasurer’s Report for more details. If you have questions at any point, please reach out to Maria at asbtreasurer@asbweb.org or anyone on the Executive Board.

Looking ahead, we are due to revisit and revise our Strategic Plan, since the current plan runs from 2020-2025. The first step in that process is collecting input from as many people as possible. Please look for upcoming opportunities and contribute your thoughts! Some things to think about:

• What are ASB’s strengths that should be included in the new strategic plan?
• What are our best programs and activities that should be a priority in the future?
• What new opportunities, programs, and/or services need to be in our new plan?
• What are the top things that could get in our way of being successful?

Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge the past members of ASB leadership who have set us on such a bright path forward, especially those who recently rotated off of the Executive Board – Liz Hsiao-Wecksler, Ross Miller, Jeff Reinbolt, and Missy Morrow. Thank you for your dedication to ASB!

Happy New Year,
Ajit Chaudhari
President-Elect