Political Science professor Beth Simmons was elected president of the American Political Science Association for the 2025-26 slate of officers and council members.
Eight new council members were elected to APSA’s governing body this year and will serve from 2025 to 2028. Simmons has been an active APSA member for over 30 years and has previously served on the APSA Council and numerous prize committees.
The newly elected officers and council members began their terms this September following the 2025 APSA Annual Meeting.
Founded in 1903, APSA is the world’s largest political science association, with over 11,000 members from over 100 countries. 1,877 ballots — from about 18.3% of APSA members — were cast in this election. The organization publishes four major journals, organizes the annual APSA meeting, and sponsors initiatives to support teaching, research, and professional development.
The APSA Council — which includes the president, president-elect, past president, three vice presidents, the treasurer, and a rotating group of elected members — is the association’s main governing body. It is responsible for setting the organization’s priorities, approving budgets, shaping research and teaching programs, and overseeing diversity and inclusion initiatives at APSA.
Simmons is known for her work on the impact of international law on human rights, political economy in the interwar period, and global policy diffusion.
Her books “Who Adjusts? Domestic Sources of Foreign Economic Policy During the Interwar Years” and “Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics” won APSA’s Woodrow Wilson Award. “Mobilizing for Human Rights” was also recognized by the American Society for International Law, the International Social Science Council, and the International Studies association.
Simmons has previously worked at the International Monetary Fund, directed the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, served as a past president of the International Studies Association, and has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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