Executive

2023–2024 Executive Committee

President: Richard Ascough (Queen’s University).

Vice-President: Erin Runions (Pomona College)

Executive Secretary: Mark Leuchter (Temple University).

Treasurer & Membership Secretary: Laura Hare (University of Toronto).

Programme Coordinator: Ken Ristau (MacEwan University).

Communications Officer: Matthew Thiessen (McMaster University).

Student Liaison Officer: Laura Kassar (Université de Montréal)

CSBS Executive Roles and Duties

The President chairs the Executive and Annual General Meeting. Along with the Vice-President, they judge the student essay prizes. The President invites and introduces the Craigie Lecturer (alternating years) and delivers the Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting.

The Vice-President participates in Executive meetings, receives receives nominations for Executive positions, and prepares the slate for the Annual General Meeting. The Vice-President also supports the President in adjudicating the student essay prizes and oversees the Norman E. Wagner Award.

The Executive Secretary prepares the Fall and Spring mailings and arranges the Winter and Spring Executive meetings. The Secretary records minutes at all Executive meetings and the Annual General Meeting. The Secretary facilitates the student essay competitions by accepting submissions and ensuring their anonymity before forwarding entries along to the President and Vice-President. They also represent CSBS as the meeting of the Canadian Corporation for the Study of Religion.

The Treasurer manages the membership database and its related accounts and communications. They pass on membership information to both the publisher of Studies in Religion (Sage) and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. The Treasurer also maintains the financial records and chequing account of CSBS. Based on these ongoing activities, they prepare the books for the annual review of financial statements, tax returns, and reports at the Annual General Meeting. Treasurer duties are coordinated with the support of a professional accountant.

The Communications Officer maintains communications with members of the society. This includes disseminating the Fall and Spring mailings, maintaining email correspondence of member news and updates, and managing both the CSBS website and social media accounts. The Communications Officer facilitates both the R. B. Y. Scott and Frank W. Beare book awards by receiving nominations, procuring review copies, and communicating with review committees.

The Program Coordinator receives proposals for the general programme of the Annual Meeting. They arrange the full program by coordinating session chairs, assisting special sessions with practical matters, booking rooms and audio-visual needs for session, and working closely with the local area coordinator for aspects of planning the CSBS Annual Meeting at the host university.

The Student Liaison participates in the Winter and Spring Executive meetings, arranges the special student session and lunch at the Annual Meeting, and represents the interests of student members in the life of the society.

Past Presidents

  • 1933-34 Sir Robert A. Falconer
  • 1934-35 Canon G. Abbott-Smith
  • 1935-36 Prof. H. L. MacNeill
  • 1936-37 Prof. W. R. Taylor
  • 1937-38 Principal Richard Davidson
  • 1938-39 Rev. F. H. Cosgrave
  • 1939-40 Rabbi M. Elsendrath
  • 1940-41 Prof. J. H. Michael
  • 1941-42 Prof. F. W. Beare
  • 1942-43 Prof. N. H. Parker
  • 1943-44 Prof. S. M. Gilmour
  • 1944-45
  • 1945-46 Prof. W. E. Staples
  • 1946-47 Prof. John Dow
  • 1947-48 Prof. W. S. McCullough
  • 1948-49 Very Rev. K. C. Evans
  • 1948-50 Prof. F. V. Winnett
  • 1950-51 Prof. D. K. Andrews
  • 1951-52 Prof. David Hay
  • 1952-53 Prof. R. J. Williams
  • 1953-54 Principal R. Lennox
  • 1954-55 Prof. E. R. Fairweather
  • 1955-56 Prof. W. Morison Kelly
  • 1956-57 Prof. M. T. Newby
  • 1957-58 Principal G. B. Caird
  • 1958-59 Rev. David M. Stanley, S.J.
  • 1959-60 Prof. R. Dobbie
  • 1960-61 Dean Stanley B. Frost
  • 1961-62 Prof. J. Macpherson
  • 1962-63 Principal G. Johnston
  • 1963-64 Prof. E. Cyril Blackman
  • 1964-65 Pere Andrien Brunet, O.P.
  • 1965-66 Prof. G. H. Parke-Taylor
  • 1966-67 Dean U. S. Leupold
  • 1967-68 Prof. Ernest G. Clarke
  • 1968-69 Principal George Taylor
  • 1969-70 Principal Robert F. Schnell
  • 1970-71 Prof. Robert E. Osborne
  • 1971-72 Prof. R. B. Y. Scott [retired]
  • 1972-73 Prof. John C. Hurd, Jr.
  • 1973-74 Prof. C. H. Parker
  • 1974-75 Prof. Andre Legault
  • 1975-76 Prof. Norman Wagner
  • 1976-77 Prof. Joseph Cahill
  • 1977-78 Prof. John Sandys-Wunsch
  • 1978-79 Prof. Charles P. Anderson
  • 1980-81 Prof. C. H. H. Scobie
  • 1981-82 Prof. Robert Culley
  • 1982-83 Prof. William Klassen
  • 1983-84 Prof. Donna Runnalls
  • 1984-85 Prof. G. Peter Richardson
  • 1985-86 Prof. Peter C. Craigie [deceased in office]
  • 1986-87 Prof. Lloyd Gaston
  • 1987-88 Prof. Paul Dion
  • 1988-89 Prof. Ben F. Meyer
  • 1989-90 Prof. Sean McEvenue
  • 1990-91 Prof. Alan Segal
  • 1991-92 Prof. Stephen G. Wilson
  • 1992-93 Prof. David Jobling
  • 1993-94 Prof. Harold Remus
  • 1994-95 Prof. Eileen Schuller
  • 1995-96 Prof. Jack Lightstone
  • 1996-97 Prof. Wayne McCready
  • 1997-98 Prof. Adele Reinhartz
  • 1998-99 Prof. Daniel Fraikin
  • 1999-00 Prof. John Van Seters
  • 2000-01 Prof. John S. Kloppenborg Verbin
  • 2001-02 Prof. Ehud Ben Zvi
  • 2002-03 Prof. Frederick Wisse
  • 2003-04 Prof. Gary Knoppers
  • 2004-05 Prof. David Hawkin
  • 2005-06 Prof. William Morrow
  • 2006-07 Prof. Mary Rose D’Angelo
  • 2007-08 Prof. Glen Taylor
  • 2008-09 Prof. Terence Donaldson
  • 2009-10 Prof. Francis Landy
  • 2010-11 Prof. Margaret MacDonald
  • 2011-12 Prof. Marion Taylor
  • 2012-13 Prof. Edith Humphrey
  • 2013-14 Prof. Mark J. Boda
  • 2014-15 Prof. Dietmar Neufeld
  • 2015-16 Prof. John McLaughlin
  • 2016-17 Prof. Willi Braun
  • 2017-18 Prof. Christine Mitchell
  • 2018-19 Prof. Stanley Porter
  • 2019-21 Prof. Richard Middleton
  • 2021-22 Prof. Colleen Shantz
  • 2022-23 Prof. Judith Newman