Andi Wolfe – Professor, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University.  Ph.D. University of Oklahoma, Department of Botany and Microbiology.  Postdoctoral research at Vanderbilt University via a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Member of BSA since 1987. Lifetime member and council member of the American Penstemon Society.

Research Interests: Plant systematics and molecular evolution; adaptive radiation theory; hybridization; conservation genetics; phylogeography; parasitic plants; Penstemon; Orobanchaceae; Plantaginaceae.

Awards and Honors: George R. Cooley Award (American Society of Plant Taxonomists), The Myrtle Herbert Award (American Penstemon Society), Robert I. Larus Award (American Association for the Advancement of Science); Young Botanist Award (Botanical Society of America); research funding via National Science Foundation.

BSA Service: Secretary (2012 – 2015); Associate Editor for American Journal of Botany (2014 - present); Secretary of the Systematics Section (2001-2006); Editorial Board Member for Plant Science Bulletin (2003-2005), Committee on Committees (1996-1999), Education Committee (2012-2015); Election Committee (2012 – 2015); Education Committee (2012-2015).

Service to other Societies:  Program Director for American Society of Plant Taxonomists (2001-2006), Council Member for American Society of Plant Taxonomists (2000-2002), Publicity Committee Chair for American Society of Plant Taxonomists (1997-2001); Vice President of the American Penstemon Society (2011-2014); Council Member for American Penstemon Society (2009 – present). Secretary, Plant Sciences Section – Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of AAAS (1991-1994); Executive Committee Member for Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of AAAS (1990-1993).

Other Professional Service:  Associate Editor, Journal of Systematics and Evolution (2009 – present); Panel Service for National Science Foundation almost every year since 1993; External reviewer for the National Research Foundation Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of South Africa.

Leadership vision:  I joined the Botanical Society of America when I was a junior in my undergraduate program, and attended my first meeting during my senior year. My first scientific paper, resulting from an undergraduate independent research project, was published in the American Journal of Botany. Thus, the society has had a major influence on my academic career. My time as BSA Secretary (2012-2015) was insightful as to the “behind the scenes” aspects of keeping the society fiscally healthy and in fulfilling the programmatic needs for reaching our educational and societal goals.

The Botanical Society of America has a role in communicating the importance of botanical science through its support of K-12 curricula, participation in outreach activities at the college, state and Federal levels, and in promoting botany through social media campaigns. I am excited about the outreach programs at BSA and would like to see our society grow in its leadership role in promoting botany and the importance of botanical research. One of the major outreach mechanisms for BSA is our website, and I would like to see a major revision of the website to make it more accessible and easier to navigate.

The fiscal security for the future of the BSA depends on the growth of our endowment, the growth of our membership, and the growth of institutional subscriptions to the journal. I am deeply committed to working with the staff, officers, advisors, and committees to ensure a strong future for the Botanical Society of America.