[Air-L] [AoIR HQ] Warm Welcomes, Heartfelt Thanks, CFP and updates

[AoIR President]

Greetings, all --

My warmest wishes for the beginning of 2026. From my home base in Los
Angeles, the new year continues to be one of great concern for and danger
to the safety and well-being of many of our community members. We are
sending love, care and solidarity from here.

The time immediately following our 2025 successful and  watershed
conference in Niteroí, Brazil was one of transition for the AoIR Executive
Board. We welcomed all new members for the 2025-2027 term, all of whom hit
the ground running and are working on a variety of projects and
initiatives to continue to modernize and expand AoIR's impact. More info on
the current Exec can be found here: https://aoir.org/executivecommittee/ We
extend thanks to outgoing President Nik John and all members of the
2023-2025 Executive Board. Thank you for your service!

We also welcome two new professional staff members: Emerson Victoria
Johnson and Ann McLean. Emerson serves as our new Membership and
Communications Coordinator, while Ann's role is that of Conference
Coordinator. Both bring extensive experience, skills, knowledge, good humor
and a willingness to fill big shoes to the table and both have their own
personal/professional backgrounds with AoIR. Please learn more about them
here: https://aoir.org/about/professional-staff/ and join me in welcoming
them in these new roles! We are thrilled to have them and they have been
working double-time behind the scenes on the transition.

Speaking of transitions, 2025 also saw us saying goodbye to longtime
Association Coordinator Michelle. Anyone who has been to an AoIR conference
registration desk over the last nine years, sent a membership query, sent a
panicked payment email, sent in a question, a complaint, or a note of
thanks has interacted with Michelle. And even if you never met or spoke
with her personally, your experience on the listserv and with AoIR
reflected her tireless efforts on our behalf and commitment to the
organization. Michelle has hung up her AoIR shoes but her legacy remains.
She will be missed!

The CFP for AoIR 2026 Mexico City/CDMX: Regeneration(s) has been making its
way into inboxes around the globe. If you haven't yet received it, check
out the web version here: https://aoir.org/aoir2026/aoir2026cfp/  Proposals
are due 1 March 2026, with submission portal opening on 15 January.

Last, but not least, please stay tuned for more information on a membership
rate increase. AoIR is, by far, one of the best deals out there in terms of
annual dues compared to peer organizations, but we have not raised dues in
many years, despite increasing expenses and a desire to provide more at
conferences, events and year-round. After careful review and discussion,
the AoIR Exec decided upon an increase in fees that is modest, but
meaningful and, we hope you will agree, reasonable. A dedicated email with
more information, including a grace period to lock in current pricing
before the rates change, will circulate shortly.

Thanks to all for your continued support, participation and enthusiasm.

Cordially,
Sarah T. Roberts
President, Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
2025-2027
prez at aoir.org

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