Become a Volunteer
Volunteers are the fuel that power HFES. Consider contributing to HFES through short-term projects, annual committee service, task forces, technical or affinity groups and more. Each volunteer strengthens our community and helps achieve our shared goals. Volunteering with HFES will expand your network, provide platforms where you can share your expertise, and provide you personal satisfaction by contributing to HF/E and HFES, your professional home. As a volunteer, you can also develop leadership skills. You can hear from some of our current volunteers about why they volunteered and what they have gained from their participation in Society affairs by exploring the testimonials linked in the additional resources section of this page.
Testimonials:
With every new volunteer, HFES grows more energized, more diverse and inclusive, and better equipped to reach our common goals. There are multiple ways to get involved. You can fill out the Volunteer Interest Form to indicate your interest in volunteering (and someone will get back to you), you can go to Volunteer Central to see a list of options that might be of interest to you, or you can look through the HFES Org Chart (PDF, 117 KB) or Descriptions of our Committees, Affinity Groups and Technical Groups and reach out to the chair of a group that you find of interest to see if they have opportunities available.
Become a Leader
When you want to take your participation to the next level, you can look for a leadership opportunity. Those opportunities can be exercised either as an appointed or elected leader. HFES has only three nationally-elected roles: President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Member-at-Large. Chairs of HFES Committees and Task Forces are appointed by the Society’s President on an annual basis. Leadership positions within Technical Groups and Affinity Groups are typically elected by their membership; however, in some cases, AG chairs are appointed by the outgoing group chair.
Seeking Technical Group, Affinity Group, Local Chapter, or Student Chapter Positions
Members may seek to join many organizations within HFES; two key such organizations are Technical Groups and Affinity Groups. Technical Groups (TG) focus on specific applications and areas of HFE expertise (e.g., aerospace), while Affinity Groups (AG) are focused on providing support and a sense of community around shared identities and interests (e.g., the HFE Women’s Organization). Each TG is required to have a Chair and a Program Chair. Many TGs elect or appoint individuals to other positions. Each AG is required to have a Chair; many also have a Co-Chair. If you are interested in being considered for a TG or AG office (whether they elect or appoint their officers), you should reach out to the Chair of the group to identify how you can put your hat in the ring. TG and AG officer positions are elected/appointed in December and their term starts in January. Thus, the annual meeting is the ideal time to indicate your interest in being considered for a leadership position. The guidelines for selecting the next leaders for each group can be found in the TG Handbook (PDF, 682 KB) and the AG Handbook.
Student and Local Chapters both have guidelines for selecting their next leaders. These are described in the Handbooks for Local Chapter and Student Chapter Chairs, which are linked in the section on Resources.
Seeking Appointment as a Committee/Task Force Chair
Appointments as a committee or task force chair are made by the incoming President at the time of the annual meeting. Typically, a chair is selected from among the current committee members; however, there are situations when this is not feasible. If you are interested in being considered for a position as chair on a committee, but not currently serving that committee, you should send an email to the incoming President to indicate your interest.
Running for National Elected Office
Each spring, HFES issues a call for nominations for President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer-Elect, and for two At-Large members of the Executive Council. Service in these positions requires attendance at two face-to-face meetings per year and regular virtual meetings. There are certain eligibility requirements and only Full and Emeritus members may nominate, vote, and hold office if elected. Read more about service as an elected leader of HFES:
Resources for Volunteers
The HFES Leadership Development Committee has developed a number of resources for those seeking to develop their leadership skills or those who have taken on a leadership position. All leadership resources can be found on the Leadership Resources page. Individual resources can be directly accessed through the list of resources found in the box on the right side of this page.
In addition, the Leadership Development Committee offers a professional development opportunity to student and early career members. The Emerging Leaders Program selects two members each year to attend the meeting of the Executive Council that occurs immediately prior to the annual HFES meeting (ASPIRE). The program is announced each year, typically around May, in the HFES Bulletin along with application instructions. Selected individuals are provided with all agenda materials prior to the meeting and they are assigned a mentor who supports them both prior to, and after, the meeting. Testimonials from two former emerging leaders and a description of the program is provided in a 2019 blog post on the Emerging Leaders program.