Members of AOAC INTERNATIONAL share a common bond of achievement in academic rigor, career accomplishment, and passion for the field of analytical science. They are the latest generation of a distinguished heritage that formed the foundation of today’s food safety and quality standards for production, consumption, and trade of food and agricultural products. Today, we encourage the growth of our membership by embracing the opportunities provided by diversity and inclusion and strive to ensure all members feel fulfilled in belonging to AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
The composition of the AOAC Board of Directors has become increasingly diverse over the past decade in terms of gender, national origin, age, expertise, and other backgrounds, and we want to further encourage this trend throughout our membership. The expansion of international sections in recent years, and the strong growth in their memberships, have added further richness to our deliberations and significantly broadened our community of analytical experts. The Board has prioritized mentorship of the next generation of analytical scientists and recognizes the diversity and scholarship represented in the new AOAC young scientists awarded recently.
We want all members to have the same opportunities to step forward for the critical volunteer leadership positions that enable AOAC’s success in committees, task forces, symposia, expert review panels, journal authorship/editing–and more. This is the esprit de corps that defines success among AOAC members–without regard to age, race, color, sex, gender identity, national origin, political affiliation, religion, or disability. We know that our success is dependent on member participation, and we strive for all members’ active involvement at AOAC to be a critical piece of their personal and career fulfillment.
As we seek to grow our ranks while meeting the needs of our members, we ask them to broaden their awareness and share their experiences with those around them. As the world around us becomes more complex–and the public health challenges even more daunting, the need for analytical scientists has become greater than ever. AOAC INTERNATIONAL is the place where this common bond of expertise can come together to provide solutions to the major challenges of today and tomorrow. We welcome and need all our members and stakeholders, and they all can play a critical role to inspire others around the globe to join in this noble effort, and fully embody what it means to belong to AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
Approved by the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Board of Directors, January 5, 2022.
