Committees

Past and present leadership of the Society

Steering Committee

Ed Chan, President

Peter Sands, Past President and Past Chair
Elizabeth Schreiber-Byers, Treasurer

Ellen Rigsby, Secretary

Ex-Officio (with vote)

Jill Belli, Web Site Liaison

Claire Curtis, Nominating Committee C0-Chair
Brian Greenspan, Nominating Committee Co-Chair

Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Editor, Utopian Studies

Mark Allison Awards Chair

Peter Sands, Past President

Thomas Horan, Membership Committee Chair

Eric Smith

Conference Chairs

2024: Stephanie Tavera, local chair; Allison Hammer, program chair

2025: Peter Stillman, local chair; Mark Jendrysik, program chair
2026: TBA, local chair; Ed Chan and Patricia Ventura, program chairs

At-Large Members

Branden Hammer
Ken Roemer
Patricia Ventura
Phil Wegner

Nominating Committee

Claire Curtis, Co-Chair

Brian Greenspan, Co-Chair

Jared Rusnak

Awards Committee

Mark Allison, Current Chair
Eric Smith, upcoming Awards Committee Chair
Carter Hanson
L. Lamar Wilson

Membership Committee

Tom Horan, Chair

Elise Poll

Donald Zarate

Ellen Rigsby, Secretary

Elizabeth Schreiber-Byers, Treasurer

Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Editor of Utopian Studies
Patricia Ventura, 2026 conference chair
Ed Chan, 2026 conference chair

Teaching Committee

Ellen Rigsby, Chair

Jill Belli
Claire Corbeaux

Ron Haas
Robert Scafe

Past Chairs and Presidents of the Society for Utopian Studies

2018 – 2024: Peter Sands
2014 – 2018: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor
2010 – 2014: Phillip E. Wegner
2006 – 2010: Carrie Hintz
2002 – 2006: Kenneth Roemer
1998 – 2002: Naomi Jacobs
1994 – 1998: Peter Fitting
1990 – 1994: Lyman Tower Sargent
1986 – 1990: Lawrence E. Hough
1984 – 1986: Carol Farley Kessler
1981 – 1984: Arthur O. Lewis
1980: Arthur O. Lewis; Mickey Abrash
1979: Michael Cummings
1978: Arthur O. Lewis
1977: Gorman Beauchamp; Alexandra Aldridge
1976: Mickey Abrash