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WPSA Executive Director to Retire
Executive Council Reappoints PGI Editors
Call for Proposals for New Virtual Communities
Expanded Support for WPSA Parents
Changes in the WPSA Executive Council

WPSA Executive Director to Retire Richard Clucas

WPSA Executive Director Richard Clucas has told the Executive Council that he will be retiring from the association in September 2027. The council has appointed a committee to consider replacement ideas and issues. This committee is expected to present a proposal to the council at its April 2, 2026, meeting on how best to proceed in filling this position and conducting a search. Louis DeSipio, University of California, Irvine, is chairing the committee.

Clucas has been involved with the association since the 1990 annual conference in Newport Beach, California, which is also the year in which he received his PhD in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He served as local arrangements chair for the 2004 conference in Portland, Oregon, and as the Legislative Section Chair for the 2005 meeting in Oakland, California. He was an executive council member from 2006 to 2009 before being hired as executive director in training in September 2008, a position in which he shadowed Betty Moulds, the preceding executive director. He became the association's executive director in September, 2009. His retirement will come after 18 years in the position. Clucas is retiring as Professor of Political Science at Portland State University in June 2026.

For information about the current executive director position, feel free to contact Clucas at [email protected].

Executive Council Reappoints PGI Editors

The WPSA Executive Council has reappointed Regina Branton, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and Tony Carey, University of Pittsburgh, as the editors of Politics, Groups, and Identities. Branton and Carey were initially selected to serve as PGI editors for a four-year term from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026. The association rules allow the council to reappoint PGI editors for an additional two years without conducting a new search. Their term will now end on December 31, 2028.

The journal has seen significant growth in submissions, citations, and scholarly reputation during their tenure. In the most recent analysis, the journal had almost 130,000 annual downloads and views, along with a five-year impact factor of 2.2. In recognition of their stellar work, the council unanimously approved the extension.

Call for Proposals for New Virtual Communities

The Virtual Communities Program Committee now accepts proposals for new virtual communities on an ongoing basis.  The committee welcomes proposals from all subfields of political science and related fields, especially from areas currently underrepresented in the VC Program (e.g., comparative politics, international relations, American politics). More information on virtual communities and for a list of communities see here.

As part of the membership benefits, Full Members of the association can join any VC Community.

If you are interested in proposing a new community, contact the chair of the committee, Eraldo Souza dos Santos at [email protected].

Expanded Support for WPSA Parents

Many years ago, the WPSA introduced a program to help underwrite the cost of childcare for members attending the annual conference. The childcare policy was created to ensure that participants with young children are able to attend the conference, and that members wouldn't be denied participation because of parenthood. At its 2025 meeting in Seattle, the WPSA Executive Council voted to expand the amount of matching funds offered to $300 per family. The funds can be used to pay for direct childcare costs, such as using a local drop-in childcare facility or a bonded childcare provider. The funds can also be used to help underwrite the travel costs of a childcare provider accompanying the participant if this is the only way in which the participant can participate in the conference. The WPSA Executive Director has also been authorized to grant support in other unforeseen situations that may limit parents from participating in the conference. If you need support, contact the executive director prior to the conference for details.

Changes in the WPSA Executive Council

Tony Affigne, Providence College, is serving as WPSA President through the annual meeting of the association in San Diego in April 2026. At the conclusion of the meeting, Carrie Currie, Texas Christian University, will assume the presidency of the WPSA and Christopher Stout, University of California at San Diego, will become the new program chair.

 The following individuals will begin serving on the council in March 2026: Desiree Melonas, University of California, Riverside; Christopher Harris, University of California, Irvine; Natasha Altema McNeely, University of North Texas; and Hope Dewell Gentry, Montana State University – Billings. The terms of the following Executive Council members will conclude immediately prior to the meeting: Ron Hayduk, San Francisco State University; Anand Commissiong, California State University Long Beach; LaDella Levy, College of Southern Nevada; and Yalidy Matos, Rutgers University. The association thanks these outgoing members for their valuable service.