Monday, November 6, 2023 – Scott Kurashige has announced that he is moving on from his position as Executive Director of the American Studies Association. The ASA wants to acknowledge Scott’s committed service to the Association in several capacities, as President-Elect (2018-19), President (2019-20), Past-President (2020-21), and then as our Executive Director starting in April 2022.

We’d like to begin with our thanks to Scott for having steered the organization into a period of greater financial stability and institutional growth. Furthermore, the successful Spring 2023 hire of two new Program Coordinators—one for Membership and Events and the other for Media and Public Scholarship—is hugely significant for the Association and has already made an impact in the capacity and function of the ASA. Dr. Kurashige’s tenure as Executive Director was also marked by successful management of our November 2022 annual conference in New Orleans and November 2023 annual conference in Montreal.

“I was tapped to help steward the ASA through a critical period following John Stephens’s nearly four decades of service,” Dr. Kurashige said. “I am proud of the work that the entire team in the Office of Executive Director has done to complete the essential elements of that transition, especially restoring the in-person conference.”

The ASA’s board of directors has embarked on a comprehensive search for new executive leadership. The ASA is well positioned to continue its mission to support scholarship and promote the development and dissemination of interdisciplinary research on U.S. culture and history in a global context, and we wish Scott every success in future endeavors.