Committee Leadership: Chair & Vice Chair

What we’re really asking of you

You bring the ideas. We handle the heavy lifting.

We know the worry: “it’s too much, and I’d be doing it all myself.” That is not the job here. As a member stepping into leadership, your energy goes where it matters most: thinking, creating great ideas, and deciding what your committee should pursue. The tedious, time-consuming work is assigned to our support, so it never lands on your plate. We want our committees dreaming and doing. We make sure the hard part gets handled.

The two seats

Chair & Vice Chair: who does what

Our bylaws (Article VIII) pair every Chair with a designated Vice Chair, who steps into the Chair role the following term. That pairing is the succession plan, so no committee is ever one person deep, and no leader is ever without a partner.

Committee Chair

Sets direction and owns the outcome

The committee’s leader and its point of connection to the Executive Board.

What you’ll do

Lead the monthly meeting and set the agenda.
Own the annual goals and deliverables, and share progress with the Executive Board.
Keep a living playbook (SOP) so the committee runs smoothly and the next leader inherits it.
Grow and guide the team, delegating the work to members and to our support.
Mentor your Vice Chair, your partner and successor.
Bring the ideas. The scheduling, minutes, and content production are handled for you.

What success looks like

A committee that keeps moving, a current playbook, and a ready successor.

Vice Chair

Right hand today, Chair tomorrow

Supports the Chair now, and steps into the Chair seat next term.

What you’ll do

Support the Chair and step in whenever they’re unavailable.
Lead a project or two of your own.
Help keep the playbook current so the handoff is seamless.
Grow into the Chair role, which is yours the following term.

Why it’s a great first step

Real ownership with a safety net. You learn the committee before you run it, not after.

The essentials

Eligibility, term, and how the seat is filled

Term

1 yearChair and Vice Chair, per Art. VIII

Open to

Full MembersRequired to hold office, per Art. V

Succession

Vice Chair to ChairYour Vice Chair steps up next term

How to join

Interest surveyChair and Vice Chair seats are appointed by the Board

Where you can lead

The committees, at a glance

Every committee has a Chair and a Vice Chair. The purpose statements are the society’s own. “You’d lead” is the real, current work: what’s built and what’s next.

Membership

2025-2026 Chair: Brandon Huang

“To build and sustain a vibrant, engaged global community of EM pharmacists by managing recruitment, retention, member services.”

You’d lead recruitment and retention, the annual member survey, membership updates to the bylaws, and the plan for regional and virtual student chapters.

2 to 5 hrs / month

Communications & Digital Strategy

2025-2026 Chair: Amanda Dickinson · Vice Chair: Allie Burdick

“To craft SEMP’s brand identity and manage all communication channels, including the website, social media, the official ‘Pharm So Hard’ podcast, newsletters, and online forums.”

You’d lead the website refresh, the social calendar, and how we reach members. Here especially, the committee brings the ideas and direction, and our staff creates the content.

2 to 5 hrs / month

Education & Conference Planning

2025-2026 Conference: AK Priest · Education: Andrew Zwerlein / Liz Uttaro

“To establish SEMP as the premier source for EM pharmacy education, develop high-quality CE content, and organize the annual conference.”

You’d lead the monthly “Out-of-Pocket Cases,” the CE library, and EmpowerX 2027 in San Diego (April 1 to 3).

2 to 12 hrs / month

Practice & Advocacy

2025-2026 Chair: in transition

“To elevate clinical practice standards and advocate for the professional recognition and integration of EM pharmacists through guideline development, quality benchmarks, policy influence.”

You’d lead the Standards of Practice for EM Pharmacy, our position statements, and the national EM pharmacy practice survey. A great fit for a member who loves to see things through.

4 to 5 hrs / month

Research

2025-2026 Chair: Deborah Booth, PharmD

“To advance EM pharmacy by promoting collaborative research, facilitating evidence generation, providing mentorship to members interested in research.”

You’d lead the research toolkit, the accountability writing groups, a shared research library, and the pathway into our journal (JACP).

2 to 5 hrs / month

Awards & Recognition

2025-2026 Chair: Tanya Claiborne, PharmD · Vice Chair: Abby

“To celebrate excellence in EM pharmacy by recognizing outstanding contributions in clinical practice, research, leadership, and innovation.”

You’d lead our monthly and annual awards, and rally members to nominate one another. The lightest lift on the board, with a big impact on morale.

2 to 3 hrs / month

Also part of the society: the JACP journal (editorial roles) and the Wellness & Mental Health Task Force. Our bylaws also name three committees we haven’t launched yet, External Relations, Strategic Planning, and International Outreach, open ground for the members who want to build them.

Plan your time

Time commitment by committee

Realistic monthly ranges. Education and Conference scales up around the annual meeting.

Committee	Monthly time	Notes
Membership	2 to 5 hrs	Recruitment, retention, member services
Communications & Digital Strategy	2 to 5 hrs	Ideas from the committee, content from staff
Education & Conference	2 to 12 hrs	Ramps up in the two to three months before EmpowerX
Practice & Advocacy	4 to 5 hrs	Guidelines and position statements
Research	2 to 5 hrs	Toolkit, mentorship, pilot projects
Awards & Recognition	2 to 3 hrs	Lightest lift on the board

You are not doing this alone

The support in your corner

We are investing so our members can lead. Your committee focuses on ideas and decisions. The time-consuming, tedious work is assigned to our support.

Frontier AI, providedAccess to leading AI models like ChatGPT and Claude to draft, summarize, and move faster.

Tools that do the busyworkIntegrated tools that handle meeting minutes, scheduling, and the repetitive tasks your committee shouldn’t have to.

You think, staff buildsThe committee brings the ideas; our staff turns them into the content, decks, and deliverables.

The hard work is assignedThe most tedious, time-consuming work goes to our support. We have a budget for extra help, and we keep growing it.

A partner built inEvery Chair has a Vice Chair, and every leader has the board and advisory members to lean on.

Playbooks, not blank pagesReady-made SOPs and a conference playbook, so you start with a running start.

The bigger picture

How committees connect to the Board

Chairs report to our seven-member Executive Board. Committee leadership is the natural path into these officer roles.

President

1-year term

Presides, prepares the annual report, and appoints committees. Currently Jimmy L. Pruitt III.

President-Elect

1-year term

Succeeds the President, with a year of apprenticeship first. Currently Louisa Sullivan.

Immediate Past President

Advisory

Mentors the President-Elect and keeps continuity year to year.

Secretary

2-year term

Records minutes and handles official communications. Currently John Patka.

Treasurer

2-year term

Oversees financial management and reporting. Currently James Miracle.

Members-at-Large (x2)

2-year term

Represent the general membership. Chris Edwards and Jami Johnson.

Step up

Ready to lead, or want to learn more first?

Tell us where you’d like to serve. Chair and Vice Chair seats are appointed from the committee interest survey, and you will always have people helping you succeed.

Complete the Committee Interest Survey

Questions? membership@empharmacists.org · info@empharmacists.org · (803) 619-9075