Nominations for service on the ACTR Board of Directors in the 2026-2029 cycle are now open. 

The ACTR Nominations Committee welcomes nominations (including self-nominations) for prospective Board membership from members of ACTR in all types of teaching environments and at all levels. Information about the two-stream process, directions for submission, and a timeline are available on the ACTRNominations Page. The ACTR candidacy prompts are available here.

The 2026 election will include the position of the graduate student representative, as well as the two elected officer positions, the presidency and the vice-presidency. These three positions have a two-year term (2026-2028). Any current graduate student in the field who is a member of ACTR may run for the position of graduate student representative. Any current member of the ACTR Board is eligible to run for the officer positions.

All members of ACTR are welcome to run for the Board of Directors. For the 2026 election, the Nominations Committee especially, but in no way exclusively, encourages those with an interest in serving or learning how to serve in the following areas of current board need:

• Pre-college program outreach and support (National Russian Essay Contest, Olympiada, Russian Language Scholar Laureate Award)

• Newsletter (especially copy editing, formatting and technology skills)

• Fundraising

• Social media, publicity, and web services

Questions? If you are interested in running for the ACTR Board and would like to speak with a member of the Nominations Committee about what service to the Board entails or about the nominations process, please email this year’s chair, Susan Kresin, at BoardACTR@gmail.com, no later than November 20 for Stream 1 and December 20 for Stream 2. Guidance will also be available from other ACTR committees. 

The election will be held in January 2026, and the results will be announced at theAnnual Membership Meeting, the evening of February 11. 

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

Two weeks remains to nominate a K-12, post-secondary or graduate student instructor of Russian for an ACTR Excellence in Teaching Award! We invite you to join us in recognizing the impact of exceptional teaching by nominating stellar colleagues for these awards. 

Why Nominate?

These prestigious awards celebrate dedication and impact in Russian language teaching, enhancing professional visibility and recognizing the most exceptional educators in our field. 

Award Categories and Deadlines: 

For all awards, the materials and letters of support are due by December 1, 2025. Please see the following websites for detailed instructions and submission links:

• ACTR Teaching Excellence Award for K-12 Teachers. Two awards: K-8 and 9-12 and one new award: Excellence in Teaching Russian at K-12 Level in Community-Based and Online After-School, Weekend, and Summer Programs recognizing outstanding educators who teach Russian to K-12 students in community-based settings. This award honors instructors working in community-based Russian language institutions, including both in-person and online schools and camps (after-school/weekend/summer) at the elementary, middle, or high school level 

• ACTR Teaching Excellence Award for Post-Secondary Instructors

• ACTR Teaching Excellence Award for Graduate Student Instructors

Special funding opportunity: Please also keep in mind the ACTR Olga E. Kagan Professional Development Grant, with a deadline of April 1, 2026. Two grants (up to $500 each) are awarded each year to offset the cost of professional development in language pedagogy.  

Questions?

For any questions or additional information, please contact the relevant committee chair:

• K-12 Awards Committee Chair: Julia Denne, bytheonionsea@gmail.com
• Post-Secondary Awards Committee Chair (including the Graduate Student award): Alexandra Shapiro, aeshapiro@uga.edu
• Olga E. Kagan Professional Development Grant Committee Chair: Susan Kresin,