July 2025
July 22, 2025, APSA Council Meeting
PRESENT
Taeku Lee, Harvard University, President
Susan Stokes, University of Chicago, President-elect
Mark Warren, University of British Columbia, Past-President
Sara Goodman, University of California, Irvine, Treasurer
Caroline Tolbert, University of Iowa, Vice-President
Council members:
Julia Azari, Marquette University; Nadia Brown, Georgetown University; Jason Casellas, University of Houston; Pearl Dowe, Emory University; Stacie Goddard, Wellesley College; Michael Goodhart, University of Pittsburgh; Leigh Jenco, London School of Economics; Alice Kang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Alison McCartney, Towson University; Julie Mueller, Southern Maine Community College; Tamir Moustafa, Simon Fraser University; Daniel Nielson, University of Texas at Austin; Aseem Prakash, University of Washington; Sara Rushing, Montana State University; Christina Schneider, University of California, San Diego; Cherie Strachan, University of Akron; Erica Townsend-Bell, Oklahoma State University.
APSA Staff:
Kimberly A. Mealy, Michelle Allendoerfer, Benjamin R. Fiore-Walker, Dan Gibson, Jon Gurstelle, Kristin Kessler, Alejandra Sampson, Stephen Stoupa
INTRODUCTION
APSA President Taeku Lee calls the 2025 APSA Summer Council Meeting to order.
2030 SITING PROPOSAL
Lee opened the meeting by noting that the primary purpose was to fulfill a commitment to improve coordination around annual meeting siting decisions, specifically for the 2030 and 2031 conferences.
Kristin Kessler outlined the consideration process, beginning with an RFP and site visits to several candidate cities. For 2030, proposals were received from Atlanta, Boston, Montreal, and Philadelphia. Boston’s offer was deemed too costly due to high seasonal demand, while Montreal was not recommended at this time because of heightened concerns about international travel. Philadelphia’s proposal was strong but more expensive than Atlanta and the city hosted the meeting in 2024.
The Meetings team recommended Atlanta for 2030, highlighting its favorable room rates, centralized meeting facilities within three connected hotels, strong transportation links, and sustainability credentials. Atlanta also met the siting policy’s criteria for geographic accessibility, labor standards, and environmental sustainability.
Tolbert and Prakash confirmed that the Meetings Policy Committee unanimously supported the recommendation. Jenco raised a broader question about considering global locations such as Mexico City or European cities; Kristin Kessler explained that size and cost constraints often limit viable international options. Lee added that accessibility and carbon cost concerns also factored into the decision.
Aseem Prakash moved to approve Atlanta as the 2030 site, with Jason Casellas seconding. The motion passed unanimously.
2031 SITING PROPOSAL
Turning to the 2031 meeting, Kristin shared that with the 2030s meeting in Atlanta and 2032 in Washington, DC, staff focused on Midwest cities for 2031. Proposals were received from Minneapolis, Chicago, and Phoenix. Phoenix was ruled out due to its dispersed venues, significant walking distances, and extreme heat during the proposed meeting period. Chicago’s riverfront hotel package had a central location but did not provide an ideal fit for APSA’s program needs, carried high food and beverage minimums, and required crossing the river between venues.
Minneapolis emerged as the recommended site. The meeting would primarily be held in the convention center, with some panels in the Hilton Minneapolis, which would serve as the headquarters hotel. Most overflow hotels are within a block of the convention center, and all are within eight blocks. While the Hilton’s sleeping rooms require updates, renovations to common spaces have already been completed, and any future work is unlikely to coincide with the meeting. Minneapolis also met other important siting policy criteria: the airport offers 161 nonstop destinations; the city is walkable with strong public transportation; it is a new location for APSA; costs are reasonable; the city has a Human Rights Campaign score of 94/100 and the state holds the highest possible HRC rating; both the convention center and Hilton employ union labor; and the convention center holds multiple sustainability certifications.
Tolbert confirmed that the Meetings Policy Committee reached consensus in support of Minneapolis. Prakash praised staff’s attention to environmental, climate, and human rights considerations.
Aseem Prakash moved to approve Minneapolis as the 2031 site, with Alison McCartney seconding. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS
Executive Director Mealy reported on a meeting with former APSA Presidents, which included three current APSA Presidents, 16 former presidents, Mealy, and Government Relations and Advocacy Associate Ben Goodridge. Participants identified several priority areas for continued focus: civic education, advocacy and outreach, collaboration with other associations, support for vulnerable scholars, and strengthening higher education coordination and support for faculty and departments. Looking ahead, Mealy noted that future engagement with this informal group could be connected to APSA policy committees. The meeting also served as an opportunity for APSA to brief former presidents on recent public statements, advocacy initiatives, and legislative outreach, which was met with appreciation.
Stokes emphasized the remarkable perspectives and commitment of the group. She suggested that the group’s expertise could help strengthen APSA’s committees while also providing space for innovative initiatives.
Executive Director Mealy then updated Council on APSA’s recent nominations to US State Department’s Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation. APSA is statutorily required to nominate members to this committee. APSA leadership has been working to identify and confirm candidates with input from Presidents Taeku Lee, Susan Stokes, and Mark Warren. Council members raised the possibility of formally recognizing the service of the departing scholars previously serving on the committee.
Mealy then reported on productive meetings at the IPSA World Conference, noting strong engagement and enthusiasm for continued collaboration, with several IPSA attendees confirming they will join APSA in Vancouver. McCartney highlighted a well-attended roundtable on APSA’s future, sparking robust discussion that extended beyond the session time.
Goodman asked about annual meeting registration, Kristin Kessler shared that current numbers are slightly behind both Montreal (2022) and Philadelphia (2024), the latter being APSA’s second-highest attended meeting on record. She noted that Vancouver’s West Coast location and Canadian venue may naturally draw lower attendance compared to East Coast meetings, but targeted outreach is underway to potential participants in Canada and the Pacific Northwest to boost registration.
Lee adjourns the meeting.
