Annapolis, MD; August 31, 2026—Jesus F. Esquivel, Ph.D., research entomologist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in College Station, Texas, has been elected by members of the Entomological Society of America as the organization's next Vice President-Elect.
Esquivel will begin his term as VP-Elect at the conclusion of Entomology 2026, November 8-11, in Columbus, Ohio. He will then serve as ESA Vice President beginning in November 2027, President beginning in November 2028, and Past President beginning in November 2029.
Four other entomologists were also elected to begin or continue positions on the ESA Governing Board:
- Kashish Verma, Ph.D., Student Representative (newly elected)
- Adekunle Adesanya, Ph.D., Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology Section Representative (newly elected)
- Floyd Shockley, Ph.D., Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Section Representative (re-elected)
- Mary Gardiner, Ph.D., North Central Branch Representative (re-elected)
ESA members also voted on several other volunteer positions within ESA Sections and Branches, new Honorary Members, and a Bylaws amendment to add a new ESA Section:
- Full Election Results
- Hutchison, Lamp Elected as Honorary Members at Entomological Society of America
- Formal & Informal Teaching Approved as New ESA Section
For more information on the entomologists elected to the ESA Governing Board, see below:
ESA Vice President-Elect
Jesus F. Esquivel
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Bio: Dr. Jesus F. Esquivel is a research entomologist with the USDA ARS, in College Station, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in entomology from Texas A&M University where he is now adjunct faculty. As a Southwestern Branch (SWB) member of ESA for 32 years within the Plant-Insect Ecosystems (P-IE) Section, he is nominated and endorsed by the Southwestern Branch; North Central Branch; Formal & Informal Teaching Pilot Section; Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology Section; P-IE Section; and Committee on Early Career Professionals.
He is an international authority on feeding behavior/mechanics of pentatomids, with emphasis on transmission of plant pathogens. He strongly believes in member rights and voices, transparency, and accountability for our Society governance processes. He advocated for these values during and after his two terms on the Governing Board.
Past ESA activity or other volunteer service: Dr. Esquivel's extensive ESA service at the national, Section, and Branch levels provides him with unparalleled experience in our Society's governance.
- National: SWB Representative to the Governing Board and Certification Corporation (2 terms). Committees: Annual Meeting Program (program co-chair; poster co-chair; student competition co-chair); Ethics and Rules (chair); liaison to the Education & Outreach and Entomology Games Committees; Task Force on Education.
- P-IE Section: Representative on Awards & Honors Committee; Nominations Committee.
- SWB: Past-president, president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer. Committees: Awards & Honors, Entomology Games, Nominations, Program, Site Selection, and Student Affairs.
- Additional: President, Society of Southwestern Entomologists; program co-chair for the 2016 International Congress of Entomology.
Candidate statement: My vision is to advance ESA as a strong, member-centered scientific society grounded in scientific excellence, transparency, and long-term sustainability. This includes actively responding to member needs, prioritizing high-quality scientific programming, and ensuring transparency and accountability in both Governing Board and staff decision-making.
We must foster meaningful engagement from members, including elected representatives, and strengthen communication between Board representatives and their constituencies.
Central to this vision is a disciplined approach to financial stewardship that promotes transparency while safeguarding and enhancing the programs and services. By aligning resources with mission-driven priorities and providing value to members, we can ensure ESA is forward-looking in its support of the scientific community.
VP-Elect candidate statement on critical issues and future vision for the Society: During my 30+ years in ESA, I feel our Society's priorities and management have shifted to focus on ESA as a business, not as a member-driven scientific society. For example, major multi-year initiatives such as the failed Governance Upgrade were driven less by members' requests for change and more by the perceived need for creating operational efficiencies. Exploring improvements is necessary, but there is a growing perception that member input (via formal voting) has not been fully recognized, since discussions continue for future governance changes. This raises concerns about ensuring that members' voices remain central to the Society's decision-making processes.
We must be more in tune with members' and potential members' needs. I support the Formal & Informal Teaching Pilot Section, which would be more inclusive of members who may not feel they have a home within ESA. FIT members are among the strongest collective supporters of ESA's Strategic Plan focus area: Sharing Insect Science.
Financial health and practices are a concern. ESA typically outspends its revenue and must rely on a line of credit annually while incurring interest obligations, and we recently liquidated investments to meet operational needs. All the while, any proposed cuts to meet budget typically target reductions in member products and services without addressing the reason(s) for budget shortfalls.
Lastly, improved transparency and communications between members and elected representatives are crucial to restoring trust. We must eliminate the current policy that prevents candid dialog between members and their elected Governing Board representatives.
Student Representative to the ESA Governing Board
Kashish Verma
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Bio: Kashish Verma is pursuing a Ph.D. in entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and is a 2026–2029 fellow of the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR). She earned her M.S. from UNL and has been recognized by both ESA's Plant-Insect Ecosystems (P-IE) Section and UNL Graduate Studies for her work. Her research focuses on plant-insect interactions, chemical ecology, and host plant resistance. She has authored five peer-reviewed papers, with several more in progress. Kashish also gained industry experience as a six-month DELTA (Developing Emerging Leaders and Talent in Agriculture) Biotech Intern at Corteva Agriscience. She currently serves as fundraising chair of the Lawrence Bruner Entomology Graduate Students' Club and has been elected as the club president for the 2026-27 term.
Past ESA activity or other volunteer service: Kashish has been an active ESA member since 2023. She has organized and moderated five symposia and workshops, delivered five presentations at ESA meetings, and takes part in student activities and booth displays. This year, she volunteered at the Reiman Gardens' live insect display during the Insect Expo at the North Central Branch Meeting. She currently serves as vice chair of the Communications subcommittee for ESA's Entomology for All Committee. She has also been actively involved in enhancing the visibility of the Association of Indian Entomologists in North America (AIENA) among ESA members and beyond by managing its social media platforms and assisting with event organization. As a Professional Advancement Career Training (PACT) and EntoMentos mentee herself, she looks forward to mentoring students through EntoMentos this year.
Candidate statement: It would be my honor to represent students on the Governing Board. The past representatives have set a strong example, and I hope to build on that momentum. Over the past few years, I have seen firsthand how financial barriers, publishing access, and the need for genuine community shape the student experience. If elected, I will advocate for expanded travel and registration support, work to lower publishing barriers, and elevate students' perspectives in Board-level decision-making so every student feels valued and included within ESA. I will strive to be an approachable and effective liaison, connecting students, the national ESA Student Affairs Committee, and the Board. Bringing both executive and relationship-building strengths, I will listen carefully, act thoughtfully, and represent students' interests with purpose and conviction.
PBT Section Representative to the ESA Governing Board
Adekunle (Kunle) Adesanya
Corteva Agriscience
Bio: Kunle is a global research scientist at Corteva Agriscience focused on developing insecticides for crop protection. He earned a Ph.D. in entomology from Washington State University and a master's degree in entomology from Auburn University. His research has examined insecticide resistance trends in mite, Lygus, and thrips populations in the Pacific Northwest and identified the genetic basis of resistance. His broader interests center on how agronomic, economic, and ecological factors interact to shape pest management strategies in agroecosystems. He has authored more than 15 peer-reviewed publications and currently serves as a subject matter editor for the Annals of the Entomological Society of America. He has also delivered more than 20 scientific presentations and posters at ESA meetings. Kunle has received several ESA honors, including ECP and Comstock awards.
Past ESA activity or other volunteer service: Kunle has been an active ESA member since 2014 and has built a strong record of service. As a graduate student at Washington State University, he participated in and captained the student debate team. He has organized and moderated six symposia at national ESA meetings. He has also served as the PBESA representative on the ESA Student Council, the Graduate Student and Early Career Professional representative on the PBT Governing Council, and most recently, president of PBT. In addition, Kunle has contributed to several ESA initiatives, including EntoMentos and science policy tours, and has facilitated multiple leadership training sessions at ESA meetings.
Candidate statement: I am seeking to serve on the Governing Board to apply my professional and technical experience in ways that strengthen and enhance the experiences of ESA members across career stages, professional roles, and affiliations. I welcome the opportunity to work with the ESA Governing Board to develop strategies that make the Society more effective and resilient.
SysEB Section Representative to the ESA Governing Board
Floyd W. Shockley
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Bio: Dr. Shockley serves as the collections manager for the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He earned his B.A. in biology from Westminster College, M.S. in entomology from the University of Missouri, and Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Georgia. Throughout his career, Dr. Shockley has conducted extensive collections-based systematics research on the evolution, taxonomy, morphology, and natural history of fungus-feeding beetles. He has authored or co-authored 94 publications and given 68 presentations at professional meetings. He is heavily engaged in science communication, having co-developed seven exhibits, conducted 56 public programs, and appeared more than 276 times in media and popular press discussing entomology, natural history, collections, and museums. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society.
Past ESA activity or other volunteer service: An active member of ESA since 1997, Dr. Shockley has served the Society at the Branch, Section, and national levels. He served as president of SysEB (2018) and program co-chair for the Annual Meeting (2024) as well as on a broad range of national ESA committees, including Membership (2004-06), Entomology Games (2014-19), and Science Policy (SysEB rep, 2016-17, Eastern Branch rep, 2022-2025), and was chair of the American Entomologist Advisory Board (2018-19) and a PACT mentor (2021-2026). He served as president of the Entomological Society of Washington (2014) and the Entomological Collections Network (2015-17), and treasurer of the Coleopterists' Society (2005-07). Dr. Shockley serves on the UGA CAES Alumni Association Board of Directors and has held many leadership positions at the Smithsonian. He currently serves as the SysEB representative on the Governing Board.
Candidate statement: ESA has been essential to my success as an entomologist by offering opportunities for research sharing, networking, and for staying updated on what is happening across the many entomological subdisciplines. ESA has greatly influenced me, and I aim to ensure it provides the same value to current and future members. At present, I am completing the final year of the term of Dr. Andrew Short, who was elected to VP-elect in 2024 and replaced by Dr. Jennifer Zaspel who stepped down in 2025. I am now seeking election for my own term on the Governing Board representing SysEB. I look forward to the opportunity to continue collaborating with volunteer leaders across Sections, Branches, Committees and the Governing Board, along with ESA staff, to maintain ESA as a strong, international, and interdisciplinary organization for all of our student, early career professional, and regular members.
North Central Branch Representative to the ESA Governing Board
Mary Gardiner
The Ohio State University
Bio: Dr. Mary M. Gardiner is a distinguished professor of food, agricultural, and environmental sciences at The Ohio State University (OSU), interim chair of the OSU Department of Entomology, and co-director of the OSU Environmental Science Graduate Program. The Gardiner Lab's research program examines the ecology and management of urban greenspaces for insect conservation including vacant lots, yards, parks and rain gardens. The Gardiner Lab has published over 80 peer-reviewed publications and been awarded $8.1 million in grant support, with current funding from the NSF and USDA. Mary has advised 23 graduate students and postdocs and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in presentation skills and grant writing. Mary served on the Entomological Society of America Governing Board and is a past president of the ESA North Central Branch.
Past ESA activity or other volunteer service:
- President, North Central Branch, 2021-2022
- North Central Branch Representative to the Governing Board, 2023-2026
- North Central Branch Executive Committee, 2020-2026
Candidate statement: Membership in the Entomological Society of America has facilitated many of our successes. Our organization provides opportunities to network and land job opportunities, build research and extension collaborations, present and publish, and be supported by so many mentors and friends. I aim to ensure these benefits continue for all members. In prior service to the North Central Branch, I organized workshops and symposia to provide graduate students and early career professionals with skills to advance their speaking and writing skills, write grants, and build their professional network. If re-elected I will continue to work with the Governing Board to identify unmet needs of current and future members and seek ways for ESA support their growth in all aspects of our scientific discipline.
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CONTACT: Joe Rominiecki, jrominiecki@entsoc.org, 301-731-4535 x3009
ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit entsoc.org.