The 2024 Nominations Committee was appointed by SOF President Earl Showerman in November 2023 at the Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Appointed were Board member Don Rubin (Chair) and SOF members Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and John Hamill.
Under the SOF bylaws, the Committee is responsible for nominating candidates for any new Board terms as of the conclusion of the 2024 Annual Meeting and nominating someone to serve as SOF President for a one-year term starting at the conclusion of the 2024 Annual Meeting.
Of the current Trustees, the three-year terms of Dorothea Dickerman, Don Rubin and Tom Woosnam expire in 2024. All three are eligible to be renominated for a second three-year term, but Don Rubin has announced that he will step down from the Board at the end of his current term.
In addition Earl Showerman (who is now SOF President and whose current three-year term as a Trustee ends in 2025) has announced that he will leave the Board one year early.
To this end — and with the approval of all who are named herein — the Nominations Committee makes the following nominations (new candidates in Bold Face):
Trustees for three-year terms (2024-2027):
- Dorothea Dickerman (nominated for a second three-year term)
- Tom Woosnam (nominated for a second three-year term)
- Brent Evans (nominated for a first three-year term)
Brent has a master’s degree in Asian History from the University of Pennsylvania and two additional years of intensive Japanese language study at International Christian University in Tokyo. He is retired after a 40-year career in international trade. In terms of the authorship question, as lifelong devotees of Shakespeare, Brent and his wife, Patty, were thunderstruck when they stumbled upon a YouTube video of two of their favorite Shakespearean actors, Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance, convincingly outlining their incredulity about “the man from Stratford.” For Brent, the traditional “genius” explanation quickly disintegrated. It was replaced by a passionate interest in the authorship question, which has prompted years of reading and study. In addition to the SOF, Brent is a member of the UK’s De Vere Society and has visited Hampton Court Palace, Castle Hedingham and St. Stephen’s Chapel in Bures. He is currently researching primary documents for a reassessment of the life of Delia Bacon.
Trustee for a one-year term (2024-2025 to complete Earl Showerman’s term)
- Tom Townsend
Tom has been studying and researching both Elizabethan history and the Shakespeare authorship question for over 35 years. A long-time member of the SOF, he has presented numerous papers at conferences and has twice presented introductions to the authorship issue for those new to this issue. He has also published several articles in the SOF Newsletter. A former Director of Consumer Insights (a senior research position) for a large advertising agency, he holds a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio.
- For SOF President:
Bob Meyers. Bob is currently a member of the Board of Trustees and is Chair of the Communications Committee. He previously served as President in 2021-2022. Although, under the SOF bylaws, the nomination is for a one-year term, Bob informed the Committee that he accepts the nomination with the caveat that he does not envision serving a full year as President, but rather anticipates serving as an “interim” president through early 2025.
The SOF bylaws provide that the Board of Trustees elects all officers other than the President: these offices include one or more Vice Presidents, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The bylaws further provide that if the office of President becomes vacant (through resignation, death, or other circumstances), the vice president (or first vice president if more than one) shall “perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President.” If no vice president has been chosen at the time of the President’s resignation, then “the other members of the Board may appoint a Trustee by majority agreement (not including the Officer being replaced) to serve in the vacant office.”
In sum, the Nominations Committee formally moves the Board to
- accept this report
- publicize these motions via the SOF website by 30 July 2024 (and as early as possible in the SOF Newsletter) for action by the membership at the 2024 annual meeting in Denver (currently scheduled for September 28).
Respectfully submitted: Don Rubin, Chair; Cheryl Eagan-Donovan, John Hamill
Addendum:
N.B.
Under the bylaws (Art. IV, sec. 2) trustees may only serve TWO consecutive three-year terms.
For the record, the following terms will expire in Fall 2025:
- Rick Foulke (completing second term)
- Ben August (completing second term)
- Tom Townsend (completing someone else’s term; eligible for new first 3-year term)
The following terms will expire in Fall 2026:
- Bonner Cutting (completing second term)
- Bob Meyers (completing second term)
- Michael Dudley (completing first term; eligible for second 3-year term)
