Volunteer leadership is the foundation of AIAA. Through the nomination process, passionate and accomplished members have the opportunity to deepen their contributions to the community, broadening engagement and strengthening AIAA’s influence across governance, technical domains, and regional representation.
The Institute is currently seeking nominations for the following positions.
AIAA Council of Directors Nominations
The AIAA Council of Directors Nominating Committee (CNC) will compile a list of potential nominees for the open Director positions on the AIAA Council of Directors. This list will include nominees who will be selected to go to the next step of competency review held by the nominating committee. The nominating committee will select specific candidates for the open Director positions who will be voted on by the AIAA membership. The final slate of candidates will be publicized by December 2025 for the election that will be held January 2026.
Nominations are being accepted for Regional Directors, Integration and Outreach Group Directors, and Technical Group Directors for the term May 2026–May 2029. AIAA members may self-nominate or nominate members qualified for the open position.
Regions coordinate the activities of geographically-related sections to facilitate cooperative efforts between the various geographical areas. A Regional Director shall lead each region. Nominations are being accepted for:
- Region I – North East, Director
- Region II – South East, Director
- Region VII – International, Director
For more information on AIAA regions and sections, visit aiaa.org/get-involved/regions-sections.
Integration and Outreach Groups coordinate the activities of related Integration and Outreach Committees to facilitate cooperative efforts between the various professional areas. Nominations are being accepted for:
- Business Management Group, Director
- International Activities Group, Director
- Young Professionals Group, Director-Elect
For more information on AIAA integration and outreach, visit aiaa.org/get-involved/committees-groups/Integration-and-Outreach-Division-Committees.
Technical Groups coordinate the activities of related technical committees to facilitate cooperative efforts between the various technical disciplines. Nominations are being accepted for:
- Aircraft Technology, Integration and Operations Group, Director
- Space and Missiles Group, Director
For more information on AIAA technical activities, visit aiaa.org/get-involved/committees-groups/ technical-committees.
The skills and competencies being sought for READ, IOD, and TAD Directors are as follows:
- Leadership – foster participation, solicit member ideas, gain buy-in, and guide Committees within the Group to achieve successful results (taking initiative, inspiring others).
- Synthesis – understand the member-driven interests and the Board-directed strategy and be able to work with the Committee Chairs to capture a cohesive vision that blends all aspects.
- Knowledge and Experience – reflects the areas within their Group.
- Accord – ensure member-represented ideas and activities come to consensus in order to most effectively execute the strategic vision.
- Organization – ability to work with Committee Chairs to develop an organization that best supports member-driven initiatives while aligning with the Board-directed strategy.
- Communication – communicate the Board’s vision, identifying skills needed to accomplish the envisioned capability.
- Collaboration – work across READ, TAD, and IOD.
AIAA Regional Engagement Activities Division (READ) Chief Nominations
The AIAA Regional Engagement Activities Division (READ) supervises member activities at all levels, from Student Branches to professional Sections and Regions. READ is the basis of member-driven activities and events. The purpose of READ is to ensure all activities are appropriate to and in the best interest of the AIAA membership, and to conceive of new activity ideas in the same vein. The role of READ is to help organize and coordinate the efforts of the Sections and Student Branches and to facilitate these activities. READ promotes synergy between multiple professional Sections or between professional Sections and the Student Branches within the territory of the Section, and serves as a conduit for sharing ideas and best practices among all members of READ.
The Chief of READ shall be elected by a simple majority vote of the Regional Directors. The Chief will not be a current Regional Director; however, the Chief must have served as a Regional Director in the past. The term of the Chief shall be three years and there shall be a limit of the Chief serving one consecutive term.
AIAA Technical Activities Division (TAD) Chief Nominations
The AIAA Technical Activities Division (TAD) comprises member-driven technical activities in the Institute through AIAA’s Technical Committees (TCs). The Technical Committees (TC) are the strategic infrastructure of AIAA’s technical activities. These committees cover all technical interests of the Institute. TAD’s role is to help organize and coordinate the efforts of the various TCs to facilitate technical activities in support of AIAA products. TAD has the overall responsibility, subject to the Council of Directors (CoD) and Board of Trustees (BoT) approvals, for management of TC activities including development and recommendations for policies and procedures relating to matters concerning technical activities, recommendations for the formation, merger, or dissolution of technical committees, establishment of technical working groups, and identifying TC members to represent TAD in AIAA activities requiring technical input.
The Chief of the Technical Activities Division shall be elected by a simple majority of the votes cast by the Technical Directors and Division committees. Each committee shall have one vote. The Chief will not be a current Technical Group Director; however, the Chief must have served as a Technical Group Director in the past. The term of the Chief shall be three years and there shall be a limit of the Chief serving one consecutive term.
The skills, attributes, and competencies being sought for READ and TAD Chiefs are as follows:
- Leadership – foster participation, solicit member ideas, gain buy-in, and guide Groups within the Division to achieve successful results (taking initiative, inspiring others).
- Synthesis – understand the member-driven interests and the Board-directed strategy and be able to work with the Directors to capture a cohesive vision that blends all aspects.
- Knowledge and Experience – reflects the areas within their Division.
- Accord – ensure member-represented ideas and activities come to consensus in order to most effectively execute the strategic vision.
- Organization – ability to work with Directors to develop an organization that best supports member-driven initiatives while aligning with the Board-directed strategy.
- Communication – communicate the Board’s vision, identifying skills needed to accomplish the envisioned capability.
- Collaboration – work across READ, TAD, and IOD.
A full listing of Division Chief responsibilities can be found at aiaa.org/about/Governance/nominations-and-elections.
AIAA members may nominate qualified individuals for the Council of Directors positions by submitting a nomination package of not more than three pages consisting of the following required elements:
- Nominee’s biography and/or curriculum vitae (CV) including a history of his/her AIAA activities and/or engagement with other relevant professional societies.
- Statement from the nominee addressing how he/she meets each of the sought competencies listed for the position.
- Statement from the nominee of his/her willingness and ability to serve for the terms listed, if elected.
- Nominees must complete the Annual Volunteer Leader Acknowledgements Form for the Council of Directors. Failure to complete these acknowledgements may disqualify an individual’s consideration for office or his/her service.
