Who Serves on the Society for Germanic Linguistics Executive Committee and What Does It Do?

The Society for Germanic Linguistics (SGL) Executive Committee is the governing body that works alongside the Society's officers to run the organization. As of 2026, it has six elected members plus one ex officio seat held by the Chair of the Journal of Germanic Linguistics (JGL) Editorial Committee. The current members are Andrew Kostakis (2026–2028), Erin Noelliste (2026–2028), Rose Fisher (2026), David Natvig (2024–2026), Katie Somers (2025–2027), and Björn Köhnlein (2025–2027), with John Sundquist serving ex officio. The list below reflects the roster published on the Society's home page; because terms rotate, check the official site for the most current membership.

Current SGL Officers and Executive Committee (2026)

The Society distinguishes between its officers — the four elected positions that handle day-to-day leadership — and the Executive Committee, the broader group of elected members. Both are listed together on the SGL home page.

Officers

Executive Committee Members

How the Executive Committee Differs from the Officers

The two groups have distinct but overlapping roles:

• Officers hold specific functional titles. The President leads the Society, the Vice-President supports the President and typically steps in when needed, the Secretary manages records and correspondence, and the Treasurer handles finances.
• Executive Committee members serve without a named office. They participate in governance decisions as a body — reviewing policy, approving initiatives, and providing continuity across leadership transitions.
• The ex officio seat belongs to the Chair of the JGL Editorial Committee. "Ex officio" means the person holds the committee seat by virtue of another position, not through separate election. This ensures the journal's editorial leadership has a direct voice in Society governance.

Term lengths vary by position and cycle. Some members serve two-year terms (e.g., 2026–2028), while others appear with single-year terms (e.g., Rose Fisher, 2026). The staggered terms are designed so that the committee does not turn over all at once.

What the Executive Committee Does

Based on the Society's structure as described on its home page, the Executive Committee operates within an organization that:

• Serves the broad international community of scholars teaching and researching Germanic linguistics and philology.
• Represents approaches ranging from formal syntax and phonology to historical linguistics and textual editing.
• Covers languages including Modern German, Dutch, Yiddish, the Scandinavian languages, Afrikaans, Pennsylvania German, English before 1500, and Gothic.
• Publishes the Journal of Germanic Linguistics (JGL), which appears quarterly.
• Holds the international Germanic Linguistics Annual Conference (GLAC) each spring under the Society's auspices.

The Executive Committee's governance role connects directly to these activities: it helps oversee the Society's operations, supports the annual GLAC, and works with the officers and the JGL Editorial Committee to sustain the organization's mission. The Bylaws — last amended and ratified by the membership on April 30, 2021 — define the formal rules under which the committee and officers operate.

How to Verify the Current Roster

Membership and terms change over time, so the authoritative source is the Society's own website:

1. Go to societyforgermaniclinguistics.org.
2. Look for the "About the Society for Germanic Linguistics" section on the home page, where officers and Executive Committee members are listed with their terms.
3. Check the Bylaws link for the formal rules on elections, term lengths, and committee responsibilities.

If you need to contact a specific committee member or confirm a term before a conference or election cycle, the home page listing is the most direct reference.