About the BES Contact details About the Society Committees and dates Get involved in work of BES Strategic plan Council minutes Memorandum and Articles of Association

Committee structures and meeting dates

The British Ecological Society is run by its Council and its work is supported by the Management Board and the executive committees.

• Management Board
• Education, Training and Careers Committee
• Finance Board
• Grants Committee
• Meetings Committee
• Membership Committee
• Personnel Committee
• Publications Committee
• Public and Policy Committee
• Committee Meeting Dates

Council

The composition and responsibilities of Council as the governing body of the Society are largely laid down in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Council delegates detailed consideration of most issues to its Committees and expects policy recommendations from them. The practice of ensuring that all Council Members sit on Committees is crucial to balanced discussion and continuity. Members of Council are both trustees of the Charity and directors of the Limited Company.

Council members are nominated and are elected by the membership at the Society's AGM, held in association with the Annual Meeting. The Society would not be able to operate without the significant amount of time each gives to the BES.

Chair: Professor Malcolm Press, President

Management Board

Management Board manages the business plan and acts as an executive of Council. 

Management Board Chair: Professor Malcolm Press, President

Education, Training and Careers Committee

This Committee is responsible for curriculum development at all levels of formal education including educational development projects, development and publication of teaching materials, production of careers advice, overseeing grants related to schools and expedition grants. Details of educational activities and career information can be found at the Education & Careers Information page

Chair: Professor John Lee

Finance Board

The Finance Board develops policy options within finance and internal affairs as well as monitoring income/expenditure and overseeing the management of the Society's investment portfolio.

Chair: Dr Calvin Dytham

Grants Committee

This Committee is responsible for all the Society's grants. It was set up in 2004 and during that year it will undertake a full review of the Society's grant schemes and their administration.

Chair: Professor Mike Begon

Meetings Committee

This Committee is responsible for all the Society's academic meetings. It administers the Annual Meeting, runs the Annual Symposium and Special Symposium from programme development to publication, assesses proposals for future meetings, co-ordinates the activities of the Specialist Groups, and oversees student support, workshop sponsorship, commemorative events fund, and financial support for meetings run by associated organisations e.g. INTECOL.

Chair: Dr Hefin Jones

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Membership Committee

Primary responsibility is the maintenance and development of services to members including the Bulletin, the website and other membership. It shares responsibility for admittance of new members with the Finance & Policy Committee and is responsible for increasing recruitment of new members.

Chair: Dr Kate Lessells, Vice President 

Personnel Committee

This Committee is responsible for setting the employment policy of the Society, setting terms and conditions of Blades Court staff, considering staffing levels and overseeing contracts of employment.

Chair: Dr Greg Masters, Honorary Secretary

Public and Policy Committee

The remit of this Committee is very wide indeed and it is responsible for raising awareness of ecology outside the formal education system. Specific responsibilities include liaison with external organisations, publicity, Ecological Issues booklets, meetings aimed at a non-scientific audiences and Small Ecological Project Grants. The PPC consists of BES Council members together with a number of co-opted members whose skills and expertise are needed to cover the wide range of interests the Committee has to deal with.

Chair: Dr Dan Osborn

Publications Committee

Its remit is to publish papers in journals, and maintain and enhance their scientific standards and their profitability. It liaises with Wiley Blackwell and looks at the future development of academic publishing.

Chair: Professor Sue Hartley, Vice President

Committee Meeting Dates

All meetings are at a central London location. Dates for 2008 include:

SEPT 5 Management Board, Finance Board and Membership Committee
OCT 8 Public and Policy Committee
OCT 13 Publications Committee
OCT 20 Education, Training and Careers Committee
OCT 29 Meetings Committee (attended by all Specialist Group secretaries)
NOV 5 Grants Committee
NOV 25 Finance Board and Personnel Committee
DEC 16 Council

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