The Arizona Mushroom Society is an all-volunteer organization that operates to further its goals of education, scientific discovery, and charitable support. The organization has up to 7 at large board members on its Board of Directors that have 2-year terms. Each year, the Society holds elections to fill those board positions that have come to term. At this time there are 2 board positions up for the vote.
The two board members at term have accepted nominations to run again. Any other AMS member in good standing may nominate themselves by emailing azmushroomsociety@gmail.com with a brief 1-paragraph candidate statement by December 3, 2021. One write-in candidate can also be included.
Who Can Vote
Each AMS membership has the ability to vote. Since an AMS membership covers your entire family, that means one person from each family (i.e. voting party) covered by a membership can vote. Please make sure that only one person per membership participates in the voting. Each voting party can cast as many votes as there are board position up for election. Thus, should we have two candidates on December 4th, each voting member would have 2 votes.
Who Are the Board Candidates?
We are extremely fortunate to have a number of current AMS members who are willing to roll up their sleeves and join the team. To be clear, ANYONE can volunteer to help AMS, but it is the Board of Directors that manage the financial resources and guide the organization on how to serve its mission and its about 1,000 members.
Those who accepted nominations to be on the Board of Directors for 2022 through 2024 include existing board members Lisa Goodwin and Ray Younghans.
Lisa Goodwin-Hello fellow mushroom enthusiasts! I have been a member of AMS since 2015 and am seeking a second term reelection to the Board. In addition to serving on the Board, I have been actively involved in AMS for several years - from serving as the Culinary Committee Chair, assisting with AMS annual forays, coordinating and transporting guest speakers to our events, co-leading forays and just helping out wherever I can to make AMS events a success! I also currently serve as the Treasurer. As the Arizona mushroom community continues to grow, I would be honored to serve on the Board for another term and would strive to ensure that our members have opportunities to expand their knowledge of Arizona fungi and have some fun in the forest! Thanks for your consideration and happy mushrooming!
Ray Younghans- Hello! I am a fungi enthusiast and cultivator living in Tucson. I’ve been an AMS boardmember the past 2 years and started co-leading AMS forays this past summer, which I plan to do for many seasons more. I am very excited by education and citizen science. After learning the logistics of a mycology lab through working as a Research Assistant at Pryor Lab at UofA this year, I have hopes of setting up a community microbiology lab in Tucson to educate and empower all ages to experiment with cultivation and mycoremediation.
I currently work as an educator and conservationist at Native Seeds Search (an arid-adapted seed conservation nonprofit). I have experience in the operations of small local organizations, from financial workings to community collaboration to event hosting. I am especially conscious of accessibility and outreach/education, and I would like to contribute my energy in those realms toward AMS, an organization I value very much.
Herman Castro- Over the las 5 years since I first joined the AMS I have dedicated every single day of my life to the study of mycology. In every way possible I have been growing, collecting, and submitting samples of fungi. I have started programs for cleaning up forests and studying fungi in southern Arizona and I would love to become a member of the AMS board.
How To Vote
The "ballot" will be sent out via email electronically on Saturday, December 4, 2021. One person from each AMS membership will be able to vote for board members by logging in to the website via the link in the email.