Vera Alexander and Bruce Forbes
Board President Vera Alexander thanks Bruce Forbes for 8 years of service on the ARCUS Board. Photo courtesy of John Tichotsky.

2012 represents a signal year for ARCUS. After a three-year hiatus, the organization successfully partnered with the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to present the Arctic Forum as part of the inaugural Science Policy Conference. The Forum brought together polar scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss gaps and priority needs for arctic scientific information. Over 350 people attended the two-day conference that included a science communication workshop, a reception on Capitol Hill, and an opening plenary presentation by ARCUS President Vera Alexander.

The ARCUS annual membership meeting took place the following day at the Pew Conference Center. Here, President Alexander recognized outgoing Board members Bruce Forbes, Andi Lloyd, Rune Storvold, and Bernie Zak for their service.

Vera Alexander and Bernie Zak
Board President Vera Alexander thanks Bernie Zak for 19 years of service on the ARCUS Board. Photo courtesy of John Tichotsky.

The Board also welcomed newly elected members Mark Ivey, Site Manager, DOE/SANDIA Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site on the North Slope of Alaska; Timo Koivurova, Research Professor, Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM), University of Lapland; Mark Nuttall, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta; and Barry Zellen, Center for Contemporary Conflict, Naval Postgraduate School. Marianne Douglas, Director of the Canadian Circumpolar Institute and a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, was elected to serve another term.

The ARCUS board also engaged in a two-day visioning retreat facilitated by Cate Bower, Cygnet Strategy, LLC. With much forward momentum provided by the revitalized Arctic Forum, the board discussed ARCUS vision, mission, and purpose in an increasingly crowded arctic arena. The discussions from the retreat will form the basis of a strategic plan that will guide the organization through the next three to five years.

— Susan E. Fox
     Executive Director, ARCUS