Role, Responsibility, Relevance: Societies in an Era of Funding Changes, AI, and Revenue Diversification Pressures
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
11 a.m. ET – 12 p.m. ET
Scholarly societies have spent generations as the connective tissue of their disciplines: setting standards, convening communities, and stewarding the record. That role is now being severely tested from several directions at once: federal funding changes, AI reshaping how researchers find and trust information, shifting public perception, revenue diversification pressures, and even mounting pressure to consolidate for some smaller societies.
Join us for an hour with thought leaders in this space as they discuss the topics challenging societies, their roles, responsibilities, and relevance, as well as their futures. Expect a frank conversation about where the money comes from now, what members at different career stages actually value, which problems only a society can solve, whether smaller societies can stay independent, and how to anticipate change rather than react to it. Bring your hardest questions. There’ll be time for audience Q&A.
Moderator:
Jason Pointe, Publishing Director, International Anesthesia Research Society
Jason is the Publishing Director at the International Anesthesia Research Society. He oversees all aspects of the IARS journals portfolio as well as the Society’s online education products and program. His previous roles in scholarly publishing have included book publishing and marketing, journal ad sales, and journals publishing.
Speakers:
Laura Ansley, Director of Publications, American Historical Association
Laura Ansley is director of publications at the American Historical Association, where she oversees the journal, magazine, and other projects. With colleagues, she co-edited a new edition of the AHA’s Careers for History Majors (2026) and Designing Introductory History Courses for Student Success (2024). She previously worked as the AHA’s managing editor and at the American Society of Civil Engineers in journals production. From 2017–22, she volunteered as managing editor of Nursing Clio, a website focusing on histories of gender and medicine. From 2022–24, she was co-facilitator of the Humanities and Social Sciences Publishing Professionals community of interest for the Society of Scholarly Publishing.
Gwendolyn Whittaker, Director of Publications, American Meteorological Society
Gwendolyn Whittaker is the Publications Director for the American Meteorological Society, overseeing operations for AMS’s 12 peer-reviewed journals and the Glossary of Meteorology. Gwendolyn’s scholarly publishing career began at AMS 20 years ago and has spanned everything from the tail end of paper-based workflows to the eruption of AI into scholarly publishing. Her roles have included managing in-house teams and vendor relationships, coordinating platform transitions, workflow restructurings, and new journal launches, and supporting and collaborating with AMS’s editorial boards and senior leadership to ensure the program continues to evolve and serve the Society’s researcher and reader communities.
Violeta Ribarska, Head of Partners, Policy & Engagement, IOP Publishing
Terri Teleen, Senior Director Partner Publishing, Wiley
Terri is Senior Director for Business Management & Development at Wiley. In this role, she leads the team responsible for leading engagement with Wiley’s top society partners and driving the development of new business proposals. Terri returned to Wiley this year via the acquisition of Emerald Publishing, where she was a member of the executive leadership team. Terri previously served publishing and operations roles at Blackwell and Wiley.
Webinar Registration Pricing:
SSP Member Registration – $55
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Low/Middle Income Country Non-Member Registration (as classified by World Bank) – $15
Residents of countries classified as low, lower middle, or upper middle on the World Bank List of Economies quality for a discounted registration rate. Select the Main Registration type and the discount is applied to registrations for attendees residing in any country that is not classified “high income.” Discounts cannot be combined with organization group discounts.
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Refund/Cancellation Policy
No refunds will be processed for webinars. SSP encourages you to send a substitute in your place if you cannot attend and the webinar is recorded and available to registered attendees for 60 days after the broadcast. SSP reserves the right to cancel any program. In the unlikely event of cancellations, we will refund your registration fee, however, SSP is not responsible for any costs, damages, or other expenses of any kind incurred by registrant. Speakers are subject to change without notice.
