ARCUS Announcement
Helen Wiggins Selected as Executive Director
Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)
Fairbanks, Alaska
About ARCUS: https://www.arcus.org/
The Board of Directors of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) is pleased to announce today the appointment of Helen V. Wiggins as its new Executive Director.
For the past year, Wiggins has served as ARCUS’ Interim Executive Director, and has held the position of ARCUS’ Director of Programs since 2008. “ARCUS is very pleased to recognize Helen’s expertise in managing ARCUS’ programs, staff, and the complexity of our membership community. She has repeatedly demonstrated her capability at leading the organization to success in numerous endeavors,” said ARCUS outgoing President of the Board Audrey Taylor. “This is a critical time in the Arctic research community, in terms of increased public awareness of the changing polar regions and greater need for the research community to be inclusive of the diversity of people, cultures, and disciplines currently engaged with understanding the Arctic,” she added. “Helen is well equipped to lead ARCUS into the new decade with bold ideas for addressing these issues.”
The ARCUS Executive Committee of the Board of Directors conducted the national search for an Executive Director. A strategic process was used by the Committee to identify the talents, skills, and abilities needed to successfully lead the organization, and finalist candidates were invited to interview with the committee.
“We are very pleased with how the search was conducted - both in terms of the process undertaken and its final outcome,” ARCUS incoming President of the Board David Cairns said. “In the end, Helen’s long experience and skills working on behalf of the Arctic research community—as well as the strong working relationships that she has built over many years—make her exceptionally well qualified to lead ARCUS and its community-building initiatives.”
Ms. Wiggins earned a B.S. from the University of Maryland and an M.S. from the University of Georgia, both in Geography. She moved to Alaska in 2002 and started her tenure with ARCUS in 2003. Before her time at ARCUS, she worked in ecology and mapping science for state government, university, and federal research labs. Her focus at ARCUS has been on defining the extent of complex communities, breaking down barriers to collaboration, and promoting inclusivity and outreach.
“I am honored to be able to continue to work with ARCUS’ exceptional staff, Board, members, and partners in this new position,” said Wiggins. “I look forward to building on ARCUS’ vision to bring people together to achieve our common goals for Arctic research and education.”
About the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS)
The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) is a nonprofit membership organization serving a globally connected Arctic research community. ARCUS achieves its mission through the four goals of networking, communications, education, and research community support & facilitation. ARCUS programs work to connect Arctic research across the boundaries of organizations, disciplines, geographies, sectors, knowledge systems, and cultures.