Thank You to the Conference Committee!

The IOS is indebted to the Conference Committee who organized and ran the Conference in Las Cruces. They did so in a relatively short time, as the decision to move the Conference venue from Taiwan to the U.S. was not taken till Fall 2021. Most of the Committee members were involved in weekly meetings over nine months leading up to the event, each person contributing to the success of the event. The Tour Leaders played a special role, designing the itineraries of each trip, driving the vans, and keeping participants nourished and informed. See below for more details of the roles and responsibilities each Committee member took on, for which Conference participants and the Society as a whole are deeply grateful. We continued the tradition set up by Gert Fortgens at the 9^th IOS Conference of presenting each Committee member with a small tOAKen of our appreciation, in this case a stemless goblet engraved with the Conference logo.

The Conference Committee responsible for organizing the 10th Conference at Las Cruces and associated Tours. Left to right: 

Michael Melendrez and Anna Forester – Tour leaders of the Pre-Conference New Mexico Tour.

Ryan Russell (Chair) – Ryan took up the gauntlet of organizing the 10^th IOS Conference when it was clear that it would not be possible to hold it in Taiwan. He took on the responsibility of coordinating the whole shebang, selecting a venue, choosing collaborators to put together the Tours, and overseeing preparations. Ryan also organized the Silent Auction, which he has done for the last three Conferences, and was one of the van drivers for the Post-Conference Tour in Arizona.

Dirk Giseburt – As IOS Treasurer, Dirk took care of budgeting and coordinating payments; he also saw to the renting of all transportation and booking of accommodations for the Tours and organized the closing reception. As one of the Board Members on the Committee, he provided valuable input and supported key decision making for important aspects of the Conference.

Amy Byrne – A talented multitasker, Amy ran all the Conference Committee meetings and took on the huge job of setting up and running the Conference website via the PheedLoop platform; she also supervised the online event during the Conference. Amy is Coordinator for the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak and oversaw the second day of the Conference, which was dedicated to GCCO activities and presentations.

Jeff Anderson – As Associate Professor at New Mexico State University, Jeff was our liaison with the University and was responsible for mustering volunteers to run the registration desk, the sale of T-shirts and caps, and the Silent Auction.

Roderick Cameron – In his role of Website Editor and joint newsletter Editor, Roderick took care of communicating Conference news to IOS members. As another of the Board Members on the Committee, he was also involved in resolving and deciding many key components of the event.

[Ron Lance – though not on this Committee, Ron, a former IOS President, took on the role of thanking the Conference Committee in the name of the IOS at the Gala Dinner; thank you Ron!]

Adam Black and Michael Eason – Tour leaders for the Pre-Conference West Texas Tour.

Kevin Floyd – Professor of Biology at University of Texas at El Paso, and Botanical Curator of the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens there, Kevin was a key local contact for Conference preparation and coordination.

Sean Hogan and Darin Jenke – Tour leaders of the Post-Conference Arizona Tour.