Ro Kampman, the Executive Officer of the Biophysical Society since 1998, has announced her retirement effective December 31, 2018. A search committee evaluated three competitive proposals from executive search firms and has selected Sterling Martin Associates to identify suitable candidates for the position.
Kampman began her tenure as Executive Director on January 1, 1998. She came to the Society from the American Society of Cell Biology where she was the Director of Operations and Publications. At the time she was hired, then president Ken Dill referred to it as “…the beginning of a new era.” He wrote in the newsletter “…our administration and finances are being modernized. …In the short time she has been with us Ro has already made terrific progress in upgrading our computer system and databases, and in upgrading our financial management.” Indeed, that trend continued during her 21 years with the Society.
Under her guidance and leadership, the Society has developed into the largest biophysical society in the world. In 1998, when she came to BPS, the Society had just over 4,200 members, compared with the over 8,000 today. Further, the Annual Meeting in 1998 boasted 2,353 abstracts and 3,204 attendees; whereas in 2018 the meeting hosted 3,918 abstracts and 5,300 attendees.
Changes have been many and have impacted Society leaders and students alike. The Society leadership bodies were reorganized into the current Council structure to more efficiently and effectively conduct business and the Society has its first strategic plan. To reflect the growth and changes within biophysics, the number of subgroups has grown from 7 to 15. In addition, student chapters are forming and the now 15 committees are stronger than ever.
In fact, one of the most significant challenges Kampman faced when she came to the Society was financial. Society President Angela Gronenborn says of that time “The Society was in crisis. The finances were not looking good and we could have easily gone bankrupt. The Journal had been losing money, the culture among the membership was one of complacency and Annual Meeting attendance was fairly stagnant. Fortunately, between 1998 and 2008, Ro was instrumental in turning things around. By 2008, net assets had grown to $4.2 million by judiciously placing 50 percent of net profits into reserves each year.” Those reserves can be used to support programs and good works by the Society. In addition, says Gronenborn, “the Society entered into a partnership with Cell Press to publish Biophysical Journal, a partnership that has been an important source of operating revenue for the Society. Outreach programs, a public policy program that advocates for increased scientific funding, as well as a summer course for underrepresented students were initiated.”
The meetings program now includes Thematic Meetings around the globe and recurring meetings are on the horizon. In 1998 the Society newsletter was published once a year; it is now published 11 times annually. The Society has a new eBooks program and is starting a new education-focused journal.
There are many other examples of how programs developed and grew under Kampman’s tutelage: The Fellows program, the new and improved web and social media presence, the growth in travel and other awards, the Congressional Fellowship, and others too numerous to list here. To support this programmatic growth of the Society, the staff has grown from 7 to 18 during Kampman’s administration.
Ed Egelman has worked with Kampman over the years in many leadership roles. “Although we have thousands of wonderful members, for me, Ro has been the Biophysical Society. It has been the greatest honor and pleasure to have worked closely with Ro while I was on Council, as Editor of Biophysical Journal, as Chair of the Public Affairs Committee, as the organizer of two Thematic Meetings, and as President of the Society. In every one of these areas, whether it involved organizing a meeting in Singapore or running BJ, I always believed that Ro knew more than I did and that I could count on her for advice and guidance. We have tried to think of why the Society has flourished in so many ways over the past 20 years, and have discussed the centrality of biophysics to many areas of biomedical research, the increasing importance of biophysical techniques in many areas of cell and molecular, etc., but perhaps the main reason has simply been the enormous role that Ro has played during this time in quietly guiding the Society. We will sorely miss her!”
“Ro leaves the Society in excellent shape,” noted Gronenborn, “and we are extremely grateful for what she has achieved. We embrace the notion that we have to continuously evolve — change is good — and we are confident that we will find a strong, visionary, and dynamic new executive officer to help the Society to move boldly into the future. We wish Ro the best of luck in all her future endeavors.”