Vote for New SETAC North America Board Members
Consistent with the SETAC North America by-laws, SETAC North America full members are eligible to participate in voting for members of the SETAC North America Board of Directors. The board is responsible for the strategic direction of the society. If your membership meets that criteria, you should have received a unique link to cast your vote. If you did not receive a link to participate, please contact [email protected].
The board is nominating two professional members from the business sector and one from the government sector to join the board ranks for 2026. The board is also nominating a student for the position of Vice President of the North America Student Advisory Council (NASAC) as ex-officio board members for 2026 and a voting member for 2027. The number of nominees for the board equals the number of available positions (uncontested election). To be elected, each nominee must receive more "Approve" votes than "Disapprove" votes.
Candidates for Business Sector Positions
Scott Tead
Scott Tead is an environmental professional with more than 30 years of experience. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology (1991) from Carleton University. Early in his career, Tead worked at Transport Canada’s Emergency Response Center and later at Environment Canada. Since 1997, he has been in consulting. He has experience in regulatory guidance development and specialization in ecological risk assessments in support of contaminated site remediation, permitting and product registration.
Tead has been a SETAC member since around 1994. He has actively contributed by presenting research, organizing sessions, participating in interest groups, judging student platform and poster presentations, and coordinating exhibits. He has served on the SETAC North America Finance Committee since 2024.
Tead hopes to join the board to give back to SETAC. He brings a multidisciplinary perspective shaped by work across sectors and spanning Canada, the U.S. and South America. His background reflects a blend of strategic thinking, community-building and an understanding of diverse stakeholder needs across regions. Tead’s work experience and his commitment to collaboration offer a grounded, pragmatic voice to board discussions.
Kara Warner
Warner earned her B.A. in Zoology at UT Austin, an M.S. in Biology at Texas State University, and a Ph.D. in Toxicology at Oregon State University. She is a Vice President and Toxicologist with WSP USA. Her expertise includes aquatic toxicology, ecological risk assessment and environmental impact assessment in permitting.
Warner has been a member of SETAC for more than 17 years. She has served on several SETAC committees and has been involved in governance in the Pacific Northwest Chapter. Warner co-chaired the SETAC North America 42nd Annual Meeting in 2021, where she had experience pivoting the meeting to virtual to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Warner stated that SETAC has been a scientific family for her and she wants to continue serving and supporting SETAC. Warner aims to bring her leadership and problem-solving approach to the board, continuing its work responding to ongoing policy shifts in the U.S. that are affecting our society. She also wants to flex her skills soliciting engagement and support for SETAC.
Candidate for Government Sector Position
Meredith Bohannon
Meredith Bohannon received a B.A. from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland – College Park (UMCP) in 2014, then served as a postdoctoral research associate there for three years. She is currently a biologist at the Defense Centers for Public Health, where she is responsible for overseeing and executing toxicity studies pertinent to military toxic exposures to advance and promote the health of the warfighter.
Bohannon has been engaged with SETAC since 2007 and has presented at most SETAC North America annual meetings since then. She has served in several roles the governance of the Chesapeake-Potomac Regional Chapter (CPRC).
Bohannon said that she had been deeply influenced by SETAC in her career development and that she’d like to join the board to promote the society that has been an important venue in her professional life to serve the next generation of leaders in environmental health. Strengths she brings to the board include governance, project management, finances and networking.
Candidate for the North America Student Advisory Council Vice President
Jessica Donaldson
Jessica Donaldson received her bachelor’s in marine science from Eckerd College. Following Eckerd, she interned at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, FL, from 2020 to 2022. Donaldson is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Bisesi. She has worked on numerous projects assessing the effects of heavy metals, pesticides, and emerging contaminants, including PFAS, on aquatic organisms.
Throughout her academic career, SETAC has been the ever-constant thread. Donaldson began attending meetings in 2023 at the North American Annual Meeting in Louisville. Aside from the North America conferences, she has been to several different regional SETAC conferences. Overall, SETAC has positively contributed to her PhD, and she hopes to assist others in gaining similar positive experiences as NASAC chair.