Society officers elected by the full ESA membership include the President, Past President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, and Treasurer. The four presidential roles are held in consecutive years of ascendancy, so only the Vice President-Elect position appears on the ballot each year.

The Governing Board consists of the elected officers noted above, representatives elected from each Branch and Section, a student representative, and the Executive Director as a non-voting ex officio member.

The Executive Committee of the Board carries out duties that the Governing Board delegates to it, particularly in instances where time is critical for decision-making. This committee is chaired by the President and comprised of the elected officers of the Society, the Executive Director (non-voting), and two at-large members of the Governing Board who are elected each year by the Board. 

The Student Representative to the Governing Board shall serve for two years, commencing with the close of the annual Final Business Meeting of The Society. To be eligible to stand for election as Student Representative, candidates must be enrolled in an accredited degree program and also be an enrolled student in an accredited degree program at the time his/her term commences. Once his or her term commences, the Student Representative shall serve the full two years of his/her term, regardless of student status.  A person may not be elected as a Representative to the Governing Board for more than two consecutive three-year terms, except for the Student Representative, who may not be elected as a Representative for more than two consecutive two-year terms.

Each Branch administers its own elections and has its own nomination procedures. Branch officers, all of whom are elected by each Branch's membership, include President, Past President, President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer (or Secretary and Treasurer as two separate positions), and Governing Board Representative. For further details, visit the individual Branch pages. View the complete list of Branches.

Section officers, who are elected by each Section's membership, include the President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, Past President, Treasurer, and Governing Board Representative. The first four positions are held in consecutive years, beginning with the Vice President-Elect, the only position that appears on the ballot each year.

The Certification Board consists of a Director, Past Director, Director-Elect, and a Representative from each Branch. Since the first three positions are held consecutively by one person, only the Director-Elect and Branch Representatives appear on the ballot each year.

The Publications Council sets strategic goals and metrics for the publications enterprise and provides financial and strategic oversight for individual publications and the enterprise as a whole. The Council includes the Vice President-Elect and Vice President of the Society, one representative elected from each ESA Section, and five at-large members appointed by the ESA president. The at-large appointments are made with broad representation in mind, particularly in terms of Section, geographic, and career-stage representation. Section representatives and at-large members of the Publications Council serve four-year terms; the Vice President of the Society serves as Publications Council chair.

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