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Source: Laura C. Fulginiti, PhD, 2022-23 AAFS President

The AAFS Board of Directors (BOD) held it’s first bimonthly meeting recently. The President’s update included information on our International Educational Outreach Program (IEOP) to Croatia (if you are interested, please reach out to Donna Grogan ASAP) and the ongoing planning for our 75th Anniversary. Executive Director Donna Grogan provided updates for 2023 conference planning, including discussion of a trip to Orlando in May to meet with the staff at Rosen Shingle Creek and tour the resort. We discussed delinquent dues payments (if you haven’t paid your annual dues, please do so as soon as possible to avoid being deactivated—no one wants that). The BOD approved a new committee member for the Young Forensic Scientists Forum, the minutes for four previous meetings, and moving the Presidential ad hoc Mentorship Committee to regular ad hoc status to ensure longevity and our ongoing commitment to mentoring. We reviewed requests from the Ethics Committee regarding some potential policy updates, and we discussed the addition of “equity” to our diversity and inclusion statement as well as the development of content for a webpage dedicated to the Diversity Outreach Committee initiatives. Last but not least, the American Standards Board (ASB) is quickly becoming a critical player in the development of forensic science standards. In recognition, the BOD voted to include annual funding for the ASB expenses in the operating budget of the Academy. This change brings ASB into alignment with FSF, JFS, and FEPAC. Currently the ASB enjoys grant support, and the ASB Sustainability Committee will continue to seek these types of opportunities for funding. The Board reviewed the Academy Standards Board (ASB)  Policy and Procedure Manual additions and referred them back to the ASB Sustainability Committee for updates that align with the newly edited operating agreement for ASB. We had a productive meeting, and are already cataloging topics for the one in June. Watch this space! #ScienceWorks.