Committees

Endowment Committee

• Elected Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 3 Elected Members
• Chair, Treasurer

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Endowment Committee meets 3–4 times per year, for 1 hour/meeting. The primary responsibility of the Endowment Committee is to provide fiduciary oversight of the ACT Endowment, and to follow the guidelines described in the Endowment Charter. This includes recommendations to Council regarding investment strategy and any disbursements from the Endowment. The Endowment Committee is also responsible for promoting development of the Endowment amongst ACT membership.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The ACT Endowment ended the 2022 year with an audited balance of $1,170,341, as reported in the 2022 Endowment Annual Report. A distribution of $36,000 was made from the Endowment in 2023 to help fund ACT awards such as the North American Graduate Student Fellowship, student travel grants, and the Furst award. ACT matched 2023 Endowment contributions 2:1 up to $75,000.

Finance Committee

• Elected Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 3 Elected Members
• Chair, Treasurer

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The primary responsibility of the Finance Committee is to provide fiduciary oversight of ACT’s finances, which includes review and submission of recommendations to Council for final approval of all fiscal matters for the College. This includes reviews of the annual budget and financial statements, audit and tax filings, review of investment accounts and investment strategy, and recommendations regarding unique budget requests. The Finance Committee meets approximately 4–5 times per year (1 hour per meeting), with email votes on an ad hoc basis. It would be beneficial for members with a finance/accounting background to consider joining the Finance Committee.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
In 2023, a 2022 financial audit was conducted and approved with no material findings. The Finance Committee reviewed new 2024 ACT budget requests and communicated with an investment advisory regarding ACT assets and investment strategy. The ACT investment policy was updated to reflect the current investment strategy and the inclusion of the ACT Endowment. The Committee provides ongoing assessment of ACT operating revenue and expenses.

Nominating Committee

• Elected Committee
• 2-Year Term
• 4 Elected Members
• Chair, Council Member

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Nominating Committee is responsible for developing the ballot for ACT elected positions. It is also charged with developing initiatives to identify and “grow” candidates for leadership opportunities within ACT.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
Every year, the Nominating Committee identifies and recruits prospects for ACT leadership, develops a ballot, and provides election results. In 2023, the Nominating Committee increased Committee membership to promote continuity from year to year, incorporated Leadership Development Working Group activities into the Nominating Committee SOP, and produced a leadership development webinar.

Outreach Committee

• Elected Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 3 Elected Members
• Chair, Council Member

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:

• The Outreach Committee is an external-facing committee which acts to optimize two-way outreach with other societies and organizations to further the ACT mission to educate and serve the toxicologist community.
• Evaluating existing and new opportunities for ACT to partner with other organizations;
• Managing ACT’s strategic relationships with external partner organizations (in conjunction with other ACT committees, as necessary); and
• Developing key messages for internal and external audiences to bring awareness regarding the College’s outreach efforts, opportunities, and accomplishments.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
In 2023, the Outreach Committee continued its two-way outreach to sister societies, reviewed requests for support from any member or nonmember seeking access to ACT educational opportunities, and focused on reaching underrepresented and diverse demographics. The Outreach Committee also developed a standardized method to evaluate the value of its interactions with sister societies and set goals to expand interactions to benefit membership, specifically by bringing in new science to see how it will integrate with toxicology.

Sister Society Liaisons

• Appointed
• 3-Year Term
• Up to 8 Appointed Members

Responsibilities include:
ACT values our collaborative and mutually beneficial partnerships with “sister” societies - national and international organizations with missions similar or complementary to those of ACT. With the help of identified Liaisons, the ACT continues to develop, refine, and optimize our partnerships through collaborative educational courses, scientific sessions, training courses, and general communications.

The main role of a Liaison is to identify, develop, and manage the relationship and exchange between ACT and the sister society to benefit both organizations, their members, and the scientific community. In addition, the Liaison expands the visibility of the College to the other sister societies and ensures mutual support throughout annual meetings or social media announcements.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
ACT co-hosts several courses with sister societies, which include:

• Pathology for Nonpathologists (with STP)
• Practical Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology (with BDRP)
• Practical Application of Toxicology in Drug Development (with BTS)

In other collaborations, ACT co-hosted sessions and/or educational courses with IUTOX at its ICT meeting in 2019 and its CTDC meeting in 2021, with JSOT in 2021, and with STP, SPS, and JSOT in 2022. ACT also has member representatives participating in AAALAC and the Scientific Liaison Coalition (SLC).

Program Committee

• Appointed Committee
• 2-Year Term
• 20 Appointed Members
• Chair, President-Elect

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Program Committee is responsible for presentations at the Annual Meeting and include:

• Reviewing all proposals for symposium, workshops and mini symposia;
• Reviewing and approving Exhibitor-Hosted Programs;
• Selecting plenary speakers; and
• Reviewing all submissions and selecting poster presentations at the Annual Meeting.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The Program Committee ensures each year’s annual meeting reflects the interest of our membership and demonstrates how ACT leads, educates, and serves. In 2023, the Annual Meeting hosted two plenary lectures, 19 Symposia/Mini Symposia, Workshops, and Hot Topics, 100 poster abstracts, and 16 Talking Tox programs (exhibitor-hosted sessions), an increase in four from 2022.

Education Committee

• Elected Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 6 Elected Members
• Chair, Council Member

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Education Committee (EdCom) meets for 1 hour every two weeks, throughout the year. Broadly EdCom develops, coordinates, and disseminates educational offerings for the College; including Annual Meeting CE courses and provides oversight of the webinars, podcasts, eLearning seminars, and the classroom courses. Each elected member serves as a liaison to the supporting subcommittees that meet once or twice a month, focusing on Webinar, Podcast, eLearning, Annual Meeting Continuing Education, and the brick-and-mortar educational courses. Elected members may be expected to spend on average 4 hours a month on EdCom business.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
In 2023, the Education Committee, supported by its subcommittees, oversaw all educational offerings of the College, and ensured that they were current, diverse, accessible, practical, and relevant. Educational content included Annual Meeting Continuing Education courses and the following ACT-hosted and ACT/Sister Society co-hosted classroom courses: Advanced Comprehensive Toxicology, Practical Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, Practical Application of Toxicology in Drug Development, and Toxicology for Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Scientists.

Webinar Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 3–Year Term
• Up to 10 Appointed Members
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Webinar Subcommittee facilitates 4–6 free educational opportunities annually through a virtual streaming medium. Committee members are responsible for choosing the yearly webinar topics, identifying speakers, reviewing slides for conformity with ACT standards and copyright restrictions, moderating the webinars and live Q&A sessions, collating attendee survey results, and maintaining the ACT Signature Webinar archive.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The Webinar Subcommittee produces unique webinars that inform the greater toxicology community on innovative and standard practices in the industry and provide career development considerations. These webinars are viewed globally by people from a wide variety of educational and vocational backgrounds. In 2023, the Committee produced four scientific webinars and three career development webinars.

eLearning Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 3–Year Term
• Up to 12 Appointed Members
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The eLearning Subcommittee is responsible for the educational seminars, which cover a wide range of topics from basic and intermediate toxicology training to cutting-edge emerging sciences, presented by subject matter experts.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The eLearning Subcommittee launched multiple eLearning seminar series over the past few years, including Special Topics in Toxicology, Basic Topics in Toxicology, and Gene Therapy: Nonclinical and Regulatory Strategies (Gene Therapy sunset in December 2023). In 2023, a new eLearning Seminar series on Specialty Oncology Biotherapeutics with a set of four modules was launched. A new eLearning Seminar series on Development of CNS/Neurology Therapeutics was developed for release in 2024.

Podcast Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 3–Year Term
• Up to 12 Appointed Members
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Podcast Subcommittee plans and produces 6–8 toxicology focused podcasts/year, which may be informational or scientific.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
Since 2017, this collaborative team has recorded and released free podcasts of interest to ACT members and to the public. In 2023, the Podcast Subcommittee transitioned to a new recording platform, recorded and released six new podcast episodes, and developed ten additional podcasts for release in 2024 and 2025.

Awards Committee

• Elected Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 6 Elected Members
• Chair, Council Member

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:

• Soliciting members’ nominations and selecting recipients for ACT signature awards, travel grants, and fellowships, as well as honors, with the exception of the ACT Distinguished Fellow (selected by Council) and the President’s Best Paper (selected by the IJT Editorial Board).
• Notifying award recipients and the membership of award recipients.
• Conducting the Furst Award Poster competition.
• Conducting an annual Awards Ceremony.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The Awards Committee reviewed nominations and recommended recipients for ACT Signature Awards and ACT Travel Grants and Fellowships. The Committee selected recipients for a Distinguished Scientist Award in Toxicology, a Mildred Christian Women’s Leadership in Toxicology Award, a Service Award, an Early Career Professional Award, and an Honorary Member. The Committee selected five North American Graduate Fellowship recipients, six International Travel Grant recipients, seven North American Travel Grant recipients, and chose a recipient for the Furst Award for Best Student Poster. Recipients were celebrated at the 2023 Awards Ceremony. In 2023, the new Mehendale Award for Best International Student Poster was announced.

Membership Committee

• Elected Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 3 Elected Members
• A member of Council is appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
To review the applications for individual and corporate memberships to ensure that applicants meet the correct requirements for the membership type. The committee also organizes and routes volunteer applicants to available opportunities and discusses ways to enhance the membership proposition. Lastly, the membership committee also interacts with and advises the Early Career Professional Subcommittee. The Membership Committee generally meets monthly for a 1-hour teleconference, with ad hoc work estimated up to 2 hours per month.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
In 2023, the Membership Committee produced three membership webinars, expanded its process of engaging with potential ACT volunteers, and hosted the New Member Mingle at the Annual Meeting, all of which received incredibly positive feedback. In addition, a Membership Satisfaction Survey was sent to members in October, which will enable ACT to provide programming aligned with what members value the most with regard to their ACT membership.

Early Career Professional Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 3-Year Term
• 10–12 Appointed Members, plus appointed advisors
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Early Career Professional Subcommittee (ECPSC) consists of early career professionals (ECPs) with less than 10 years of professional experience in toxicology or a related discipline after earning their highest degree. Our mission is to provide resources, education, and engagement opportunities that encourage and facilitate the professional growth and development of early career professionals. These include organizing scientific sessions at the Annual Meeting along with a speed networking event and social events for ECPs, creating webinars and podcasts, and supporting ACT-wide initiatives including the Mentoring Program, ECP communication needs, and improving inclusion within ACT. ECPSC meets monthly for a one-hour teleconference, with ad hoc work each month estimating 2–8 hours per month.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
In 2023, the Early Career Professional Subcommittee supported cutting-edge science and professional development for early career professionals through podcasts, webinars, and activities to increase networking, outreach, and mentorship. The Subcommittee presented four events at the Annual Meeting, including the Early Career Professional Night and a special Conference Companions program to assist early career professionals with networking.

Communications Committee

• Appointed Committee
• 3-Year Term
• Up to 16 Appointed Members
• Chair, Council Member

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The Communications Committee meets monthly and is responsible for communication efforts across the ACT communication platforms, overseeing the Newsletter Subcommittee and the Social Media Subcommittee. The Communications Committee also assists with review of the ACT website, maintains the ACT Wikipedia page to ensure content is accurate, and tests the Annual Meeting electronic formats.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The Communications Committee oversees the College’s communication strategy to meet the informational needs of ACT membership and to provide relevant information to interested external parties. In 2023, the Communications Committee completed the ACT overall Strategic Communications plan and seven messaging campaigns. The Communications Committee oversaw the release of four editions of the ACTimes quarterly newsletter and the implementation of multiple new social media initiatives. In 2024, the Communications Committee plans to launch a discussion forum to allow members to collaborate on general toxicology questions and career development queries.

Social Media Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 2-Year Term (extendable option)
• Up to 11 Appointed Members
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:

• The Social Media Subcommittee is the social media arm of the Communications Committee and maintains the social media platforms for ACT to enhance the visibility of ACT to the toxicologist community.
• The committee:
  • Maintains the ACT social media platforms, primarily LinkedIn and Twitter.
  • Plans, produces, and posts to the above-mentioned social media platforms for ACT.
  • Facilitates ACT member and social media followers’ network to increase visibility of ACT.
  • Identifies, evaluates, and executes new platforms to further expand the online presence of ACT.
• The Social Media Subcommittee makes informational posts focused on the ACT Annual Meetings, events, educational courses, eLearning modules, webinars, awards, nominations, membership, and more to ensure that our members and followers are up to date on everything ACT!

Recent Accomplishments Include:
ACT uses LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) social media accounts. As of November 2023, ACT has 4,162 followers on LinkedIn (an increase of 1,525 new followers in 2023) and 1,076 followers on X (formerly Twitter). In 2023, the Social Media Subcommittee initiated top performing posts on International Journal of Toxicology article spotlights and FDA guidance updates, as well as launched real-time posting of content at sister society meetings and the ACT Annual Meeting.

Newsletter Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 3-Year Term
• Up to 10 Appointed Members
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:
The newsletter Subcommittee is responsible for generating the quarterly ACT newsletter, ACTimes. Working group members are each responsible for generating one article per quarterly newsletter. Members are also responsible for review of content of the newsletter once it is in its publishable format, as well as incorporating key messages from the Communication Strategy. Newsletter articles consist of a range of topics including recent regulatory events, seminars/webinars, and "It takes a Village" which highlights contributions consistent with multiple efforts. The Newsletter Subcommittee is an exciting way to explore new topics relevant to the ACT audience. Time commitment is several hours per newsletter.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The Newsletter Subcommittee releases the ACT newsletter quarterly. ACTimes features reports from ACT Council, Committees, and Subcommittees, and publishes other articles of interest, such as Global Regulatory, Drug Watch, Membership Spotlight, and It Takes a Village. Since Fall 2022, a robust analytics tool has been used to provide detailed metrics for each issue. The Fall 2023 issue was sent to 1,240 member subscribers, with 61.7% of subscribers opening the message, and 44.4% of subscribers clicking a link within the newsletter. Additionally, the newsletter was forwarded a total of 501 times.

International Journal Toxicology Editorial Board

• Appointed Board
• 3-Year Term
• 45–50 Appointed Members
• Chair, IJT Editor-in-Chief

Responsibilities include:
Provide timely and constructive reviews of manuscripts submitted to International Journal of Toxicology. A subset of the Editorial Board is invited to participate in selection of the Best Paper published in International Journal of Toxicology in the previous calendar year.

Recent Accomplishments Include:
The mission of the IJT Editorial Board is to provide timely and constructive reviews of manuscripts submitted to IJT. A subset of the Editorial Board is invited to participate in selection of the Best Paper published in IJT in the previous calendar year. For 2022, there were a total of 358 submissions as of November 2022. Of those submissions, 13 were Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)-sponsored Supplement issues. A total of 37 countries were represented in these submissions, including many from China (110), as well as India, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, US, and Nigeria. US authors led in acceptance rate and there were 14 submissions by ACT members with an overall acceptance rate of 5% for all submissions. The IJT impact factor hit an all-time high at 2.375 for 2021. Special initiatives included an updated “Collections” category on the IJT website; and authoring a SAGE blog post to promote a pediatric cancer manuscript from Mexico. The IJT Board wishes to thank its 40 ad hoc reviewers for 2022.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Subcommittee

• Appointed Committee
• 3-Year Term
• Up to 9 Appointed Members
• Appointed Chair

Committee Roster
Committee SOP

Responsibilities include:

• Support ACT Council’s Strategic Plan to increase membership diversity
• Liaise with ACT Committees to build awareness of DEI considerations and support integration of DEI efforts in their plans
• Contribute to Member Data Surveys to understand ACT’s evolving membership
• Provide recommendations to amplify DEI concepts
• Promote professional development and inclusion of toxicologists globally
• Expand the visibility of ACT’s commitment to DEI

Recent Accomplishments Include:

Following initial formation as a DEI Working Group, the DEI Subcommittee was established in 2023 to recognize the importance of this work and ensure the sustainability of these efforts. The Subcommittee proposed expanded demographic categories for gender and race/ethnicity consistent with current US Standards. These expanded categories have been implemented and will enable ACT to better understand and respond to its evolving membership.