Leaving Behind a Strong Legacy of Growth, Innovation and Impact

The beginnings
In 2018, while transitioning into science policy and starting to learn more about the field, I was selected as Director of Communications & Outreach for JSPG. This role proved instrumental in understanding the journal’s communication and public relations, and social media and marketing strategies, which are critical to running a digital publication with global reach. In 2020, I was promoted to JSPG’s Chief Outreach Officer, where I understood the role that outreach played to raise awareness of the journal in relevant science policy circles, target specific communities, and seek opportunities to highlight published authors. In large part, I attribute my success as JSPG CEO to having gained a solid understanding of the critical role that communication and outreach play for publication submissions and highlighting published authors. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the privilege and responsibility I would feel to our authors, editors, ambassadors, advisors and to the entire science policy community, to do well as the third CEO. 

​Building on the foundation
Being the CEO of JSPG for the past two years has been a great honor and taught me so much. I am grateful to have worked with fantastic colleagues and advisors, and to learn from those smarter than me, both in terms of policy knowledge and business skills. This role allowed my creative and entrepreneurial personality to flourish, and taught me what servant leadership means. I am thankful to those who came before me for creating this space for the next generation to publish their policy research, and for building a solid foundation upon which to build what will now become my legacy. When I took over as JSPG CEO, the appetite for science policy among the young generation had been steadily growing. Staying true to our mission, I chose to say yes to opportunities that would help the organization grow in specific strategic areas, while continuing to find ways to expand in new directions. I am proud of the achievements we had over the past two years, which exceeded my expectations of what was possible at the start.

Taking on the challenge
I am grateful for the opportunity to leave a mark on the journal and to shape it based on my own beliefs and desired directions, and for the support I received along the way. This role has become an integral part of my professional identity and gave me a chance to spread my wings, discover what I was capable of, and push a little beyond that every day to see how far we could go. But I did not always have it all figured out. In fact, I almost didn’t apply for the CEO role. It seemed beyond my reach and I didn’t think I could do it well. But I decided to try anyway. The interview process had several rounds. To my surprise, I passed all the rounds and was offered the position. Once in this role, there were times when I didn’t feel brave for having taken it on, or when I didn’t know what the right answer was. I learned to trust my gut and intuition and keep going, to always continue innovating, and to ask for advice from trusted peers and advisors when needed.

Examples of growth
The journal’s published issues have continued to grow and remain timely and relevant in a number of areas in science policy and governance.

• We fostered innovative policy ideas in our volumes with a focus on international expansion, showcasing the breadth of the journal;
• We published standard issues on important topics such as COVID-19 impacts on remote work, developing S&T Councils for Members of Congress and others;
• We published a number of special issues focused on intersectional science policy, STEM education and workforce development, open science and national security, among others;
• We secured new partners and sponsors both nationally and internationally, expanding the journal’s reach into new policy areas such as science diplomacy and digital health;
• We had our first multilingual publication which was translated into several languages and highlighted in the media;
• We facilitated the expansion of publication formats to include policy briefs in order to better meet the needs of our audience.

​Examples of innovation
The journal has expanded nationally and internationally into specific policy spaces through outreach, programs, and innovative partnerships.

• We worked with several influential international partners, including UNESCO, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research and others;
• We enhanced internal infrastructure and policies, including an author database and analyzed publication data from the past decade becoming more data-driven;
• We enabled prospective authors and editors to interact with the journal’s staff and editorial leadership through establishing new networking events in the community;
• We created leadership opportunities and (some new) roles for staff, and broadened our editorial board leadership to facilitate additional engagement;
• We conducted a number of educational workshops and webinars, and co-developed a policy & advocacy certificate program to build the next generation in policy;
• We expanded outreach by developing the new ambassador program and our podcast to provide additional engagement opportunities supporting published work.
  

Examples of impact
These innovative developments allowed us to showcase the policy impact achieved by published authors, including the journal’s alumni and others in the community.

• The JSPG 10-year anniversary celebration afforded opportunities to highlight our impact, and for alumni to showcase science policy journeys starting from the journal;
• Authors published the most innovative, timely and relevant policy papers on a number of topics, and integrated these ideas into real-world policymaking through visits to Capitol Hill and responding to an OSTP RFI;
• Authors spoke about their work on the international stage through several panels, conferences and other avenues such as the British Embassy;
• Through media engagement opportunities the work of JSPG authors was highlighted by Inside Higher Ed and SACNAS among others, expanding to new audiences;  
• We facilitated community building through leadership chats with governing board members and advisors for our early career audience to interact with; 
• We recruited additional experts to the governing board and celebrated those from the advisory board who left us but had tremendous impact in the field.

Acknowledgements
At the conclusion of my tenure as JSPG CEO, I would like to thank everyone who has supported our mission since the beginning, and those who continue to promote our initiatives. Thank you to those who submitted to the journal in the past few years for giving us the opportunity to celebrate your contributions in various ways. Thank you to our staff, senior advisors, editorial leadership, associate editors, competition reviewers, ambassadors, governing and advisory board members for believing in our mission. Finally, thank you to our many (and growing) partners and sponsors who continue to bring their expertise and enthusiasm to the journal and elevate published work and authors. 

Future directions
As Strategic Advisor for JSPG, I will seek to provide guidance and lend my expertise to support future leadership in the next phase of the journal, while continuing to engage with the broader science policy community. Additionally, I look forward to leveraging the lessons learned and knowledge gained as JSPG CEO to continue growing my own impact and influence in the field through other roles that seek to develop the next generation of leaders in science policy and governance. 

With much gratitude,

Adriana Bankston
JSPG CEO & Managing Publisher