The recently approved ISBA constitution specifies that the a Nominating Committee chaired by the Past President and whose other members are appointed by the Board, shall nominate two or more members for each office. Accordingly, this past spring, the Board of Directors appointed the following to serve as the nominating Committee for the 1998 Election of Officers and Board members: Gail Blattenberger, Cindy Christiansen, Guido del Pino, Tim Dunne, Gordon Kaufman, Julia Mortera, Mark Schervish, Refik Soyer, Mark Steel, S.K. Upadhyay, Jessica Utts and Arnold Zellner (chair).

In August, the Committee presented a slate of Nominees to the ISBA Executive Committee, which confirmed that those nominated were members in good standing and checked to see if they agreed to stand for election. The result of this process is the following slate of candidates:

• Nominees for President Elect: S. James Press, John Geweke, Seymour Geisser, and Donald Berry.
• Nominees for the position of Executive Secretary, to serve for a three-year term: William Griffiths, Edwin Green, and Michael Evans.
• Nominees for the Board of Directors:
  • four Board positions with three-year terms: Luis Perricchi, Simon Godsill, Alan Gelfand, Kate Cowles, Hal Stern, Umesh Singh, Robert Kass, Kazuo Shigemazu, Joseph Kadane, Dalene Stangl, John Deely;
  • four Board positions with two-year terms: Malay Ghosh, Rajeev Panday, Philip Dawid, Tim Dunne, Eric Bradlow, Robin Carter, Enrique de Alba, Jean-Pierre Florens, Edward Greenberg, Edward George, Satyanshu Upadhyay;
  • four Board positions with one-year terms: Hamparsum Bozdogan, David Rios Insua, Thomas Mazzuchi, Peter Mueller, John Monahan, Eshan Soofi, William Strawderman, Teddy Seidenfeld, Alicia Carriquiry, Siddharta Chib, Simon Wilson.

ISBA Executive Secretary, Larry Wasserman, is in the process of collecting standardized biographical information from the candidates and preparing a ballot for distribution by mail. Send e-mail to larry@stat.cmu.edu, if you have not received your ballot by October 15. Sealed ballots must be received before the end of November. Those elected will take office beginning January 1, 1998.

Continuing officers for 1998 are: Susie Bayarri, President; Stephen E. Fienberg, Past President; and Robert McCulloch, Treasurer.

Following the election of 1998 officers and Board members, ISBA will have completed the transition to the new constitution. In future elections, members will choose four Board members for full three-year terms on a rotating basis. Further, the ISBA Bylaws, which are still under preparation, will allow for additional nominations by petition from members.