News Release

Madison, Wis., April 27, 2023 – The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) announced its newly elected leaders for the next office term, beginning January 2024.

The SSSA annual election, which was held March 6 – April 6, 2023, was open to all members of the Society. Candidates, either self-nominated or nominated by others, ran for positions including President, a member of the Board of Directors, and Division Chairs. Elected leaders represent members of the Society as a whole, and make decisions on areas such as how time and money are spent on programs and resources.

The following individuals will serve during the 2024 term:

President-Elect
Samira Daroub (University of Florida)

Division Chair Leadership

Practicing Professional Soil Scientists Division Chair-Elect
Hal E. Owen

Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Division Chair-Elect
Lucas Emil Nave (Michigan Technological University)

Nutrient Management & Soil & Plant Analysis Division Chair-Elect
Daniel E. Kaiser (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities)

Pedology Division Chair-Elect
Kristopher Osterloh (South Dakota State University)

Soil & Water Management & Conservation Division Chair-Elect
Rajan Ghimire (New Mexico State University)

Soil Biology & Biochemistry Division Chair-Elect
Lindsey C. Slaughter (Texas Tech College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources)

Soil Chemistry Division Chair-Elect
Derek Peak (University of Saskatchewan)

Soil Education & Outreach Division Chair-Elect
Maja Krzic (University of British Columbia)

Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition Division Chair-Elect
Katie L. Lewis (Texas A&M AgriLife Research)

Soil Mineralogy Division Chair-Elect
DeAnn Ricks Presley (Kansas State University)

Soil Physics & Hydrology Division Chair-Elect
Wei Zhang (Michigan State University)

Soil & Environmental Quality Division Chair-Elect
Javed Iqbal (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Urban & Anthropogenic Soils Division Chair-Elect
Theresa Kissane Johnston (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago)

Wetland Soils Division Chair-Elect
Patrick W. Inglett (University of Florida)

Board Representative Leadership

Agricultural Soil & Food Systems Group Board Representative
Dorivar A. Ruiz Diaz (Kansas State University)

Fundamental Soil Science Group Board Representative
Ganga M. Hettiarachchi (Kansas State University)

Graduate Student Board Representative
Megan A. Bourns (Kansas State University)

Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS) Board Representative
Jacob F. Berkowitz (US Army Corps of Engineers)

President-elect Samira Daroub earned her Ph.D. in Soil Chemistry at Michigan State University. Daroub is a director for the Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC). Daroub also serves as department distance education coordinator for the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (SWES) department at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.  

Daroub has been a member of SSSA and the American Society of America (ASA) for more than 30 years, and earned the 2021 Fellow Soil Science Society of America award and 2020 Fellow American Society of Agronomy award.

As part of her vision statement, Daroub’s plan for SSSA is to continue to grow the society as the premier soils’ organization in the U.S. and the world. She wants to continue SSSA’s involvement in tackling critical issues such as climate change, soil degradation, soil health, water scarcity, and water quality. She hopes to expand initiatives to recruit and retain graduate students and young professional members.

Jim Cudahy, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies, welcomes the newly elected leadership, saying, “I am looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated group of leaders and extend a warm welcome in their new roles. I know they will enhance and strengthen the Society they serve.”

SSSA is also part of the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS): a nonprofit organization providing management and administrative, support services to founding members, the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The headquarters office is located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

For more information and to learn about the Society and its leadership, visit our Governance webpage: www.soils.org/about-society/governance