Meet the Co-Chairs of the ESEP Coalition
Erin Heath is the Director of Federal Relations at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. She has worked at AAAS since 2006. The Office of Government Relations provides timely, objective information on science and technology issues to lawmakers, and it assists scientists in understanding and getting involved in the policy process. Erin handles a range of policy issues of interest to the scientific community and is heavily involved in efforts to empower scientists and engineers to engage with policymakers, the media and the public. She co-chairs the Coalition for National Science Funding, the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy Coalition, and the steering committee of the Golden Goose Award. She is also the inaugural chair of the Governing Board of the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Before joining AAAS, Erin worked for the American Institute of Biological Sciences, where she led the organization’s media training and outreach efforts and cut her teeth on science policy. Erin holds a Master of Science with Merit in Public Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science. While in London, she served as a research assistant in Parliament. Prior to graduate school, she spent years as a journalist in Washington, most notably as a science policy reporter and columnist for the National Journal. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland. In 2017, Erin was awarded the AAAS Champion Award, given to an individual who has "championed" the mission of AAAS with a positive attitude and has inspired and motivated others to embrace and fulfill the AAAS vision. Follow Erin and AAAS Government Relations on Twitter.
Tobin (Toby) Smith is Vice President for Science Policy and Global Affairs at the Association of American Universities (AAU), where he oversees matters related to science and innovation policy, broader impacts of science, and AAU’s international activities. He shares responsibility for matters concerning research costs and other regulatory and compliance issues, including facilities and administrative costs, export controls, scientific openness and security, public access to research results, and technology transfer. He also staffs the AAU Senior Research Officers (SRO) constituent group. Toby previously worked as a federal relations representative for the University of Michigan and for MIT. He began his career on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to Congressman Bob Traxler (D-MI). Toby serves on the Advisory Board of the International Network for Advancing and Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science (AESIS), and is a member of the Council of Experts for the NSF sponsored Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS). Toby writes and speaks widely on issues of science policy. He is the co-author of a 2008 book on national science policy titled, Beyond Sputnik – U.S. Science Policy in the 21st Century. He is active in AAAS where he is honorific fellow and officer of the Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering section (Section X). He also serves as a member of the AAAS Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPP). Toby holds a Master’s degree in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University, and a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies (BGS) from the University of Michigan. Follow Toby and the AAU on Twitter.
Meet the ESEP Coalition Steering Committee
Representatives from the organizations listed below have been active in the day-to-day planning and leadership of the ESEP Coalition.
ESEP Steering Committee:
Abigail Abrash-Walton, Antioch University
Rebecca Aicher, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Adriana Bankston, Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG)
Gwendolyn Bogard, AAAS
Joanne Carney, AAAS
Aaron Conrado, AAAS S&T Policy Fellowship
Hillary Galey, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Sean Gallagher, AAAS
Arti Garg, Engineers & Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL)
Erin Heath, AAAS - Co-Chair
Shalin Jyotishi, New America
Holly Mayton, National Science Policy Network (NSPN)
Chloe McPherson, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) / AAAS Congressional S&T Policy Fellowship
Andy Miller, American Meteorological Society
Daniel Pomeroy, Scientific Citizenship Initiative (SCI) at Harvard Medical School
Jennifer Poulakidas, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
Melanie Roberts, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sarah Rovito, Rovito Ventures LLC
Toby Smith, Association of American Universities (AAU) - Co-Chair
Kate Stoll, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Haylie Swenson, AAAS
Melissa Varga, Union of Concerned Scientists
Amanda Vernon, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine