National Postdoctoral Association

The Meetings Committee plans and coordinates all NPA-sponsored meetings and seminars.

This committee interacts with all NPA committees, officers, and staff to develop programmatic content for all NPA-sponsored meetings and works with the Outreach and Resource Development Committees to help advertise the meetings. This committee offers an opportunity to network with postdocs and administrators from institutions across the country. It also provides a great way to develop management and organizational skills. There are many small tasks on this committee if your availability is limited. The Annual Meeting is the showcase event of the NPA. Join us to help keep the meetings vibrant!

Charges

• Identify and announce venues for NPA-sponsored meetings, including Annual and Regional Meetings and seminars.
• Develop agendas and programmatic content for meetings.
• Convene a fundraising team to secure sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers for meetings.
• Convene teams to solicit and recommend travel and service awards.
• Consult with staff and the Finance Committee to establish budgets for meetings.
• Consult with Outreach Committee to market/advertise meetings.
• Complete post-meeting functions, including evaluation and debriefing activities.
• Consult with other committees and Officers to avoid project duplication and promote coordination.

Meet Our Meetings Committee Leaders

Rachel Bergerson, Ph.D.
Meetings Committee Chair
(Contact)

Rachel J. Bergerson, Ph.D., obtained a bachelor's degree in biology at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, and her Ph.D. in cancer biology from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Upon completion of her graduate studies, she accepted a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Chicago (U of C). While at U of C, she became actively involved in the Postdoctoral Association and served as Social Chair and President for a year. She was on the fundraising and program committee for the two U of C Symposiums and was instrumental in planning and implementing the first Career Development Mentoring Roundtable in 2012. Bergerson is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Minnesota and continues the work of improving the postdoctoral experience on the executive steering committee. She has been involved with the Meetings Committee for the last two years (Distinguished Service Award sub-committee).

Jana Stone, Ph.D.
Meetings Committee Vice Chair
(Contact)

Jana Stone, Ph.D., obtained her bachelor's degree in microbiology from Indiana University and her Ph.D. in genetics & molecular biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), her research focused on DNA replication and mutagenesis. While there she was a member of the NIEHS Trainees Assembly Steering Committee and the NIEHS Biomedical Career Fair Planning Committee. In 2011, Stone transitioned from research to academic administration, taking the position of Scientific Coordinator at the Duke Center for Systems Biology. In this position, she manages education and outreach programs, grant preparation, program evaluation, and communications.