Members of the American Academy of Religion are invited to nominate persons to become candidates in the 2026 Regional Boards of Directors Elections, which will take place in spring 2026 and decide the leadership of AAR’s nine regions.
Each AAR Regional Board of Directors consists of a minimum of five elected positions: Chief Regional Officer, Student Director, and a three-year presidential line that includes a Vice President, President-Elect, and President. Note: The Vice President will automatically succeed to the President-Elect and President positions without additional elections.
Read the full job descriptions and terms of service for the Regional Board of Directors.
A new Vice President will be elected each year for each of the nine AAR Regions; the open Chief Regional Officer and Student Director positions will vary for each region.
For the 2026 Regional Board elections, the candidate nominations include the following positions:
| Eastern International | Chief Regional Officer; Vice President |
| Midwest | Chief Regional Officer; Student Director; Vice President |
| Northeast | Student Director; Vice President |
| Pacific Northwest | Vice President |
| Rocky Mountains-Great Plains | Vice President |
| Southeast | Chief Regional Officer; Vice President |
| Southwest | Vice President |
| Upper Midwest | Vice President |
| Western | Vice President |
If you or someone you know may be interested, please submit a nomination for a regional leadership position.
Submit a Nomination
AAR members may submit a self-nomination or a nomination of someone else.
To be considered for any elected position, the following information is required:
- A brief biographical sketch of no more than 200 words
- A statement on your candidacy for the position, between 350 and 400 words (e.g., what objectives and goals you would bring to the position)
- Current curriculum vitae (no more than 2 pages)
Please be aware that if selected to stand for election, the candidate’s biographical sketch and statement will be published on the ballot as it is submitted to us. AAR staff will not proofread or make alterations to the content so please review your materials carefully before submitting them. The CV will not be published on the election ballot.
Please note: If you nominate someone else and do not have the nominee’s supporting material at the time of the nomination, you need to contact your nominee to make sure that person submits the supporting material. Your nominee will need to submit their materials by the deadline via the online submission form. The AAR staff is not able to notify the nominee and/or solicit the nominee for the supporting material.
The deadline to submit a nomination is 6:00 PM Eastern Time on December 1, 2025.
Late, emailed, or incomplete submissions cannot be accepted.
Questions
Please contact us at nominations@aarweb.org.