A Note from the New Chair
September 6, 2026,
Greetings, CUSS Fam!
Hello! I’m excited to write my first note to the section as Chair. First, I want to thank our new Past Chair, Brandi T. Summers, for her outstanding leadership over the past year. It was a challenging year for the section and the discipline, but we are stronger thanks to her grace, patience, and wise leadership. I have big shoes to fill. I’m also grateful to our outgoing leadership, whose hard work has kept CUSS committed to being a vibrant, diverse space for community and urban scholars.
I’m eager to collaborate with the talented members of CUSS council, along with our Publications, Membership, and Diversity Committees, as well as our editors at City & Community. With their support and leadership, I aim to expand our network, boost our membership, especially among graduate students, junior faculty, and non-academics, and create inspiring programs that reinforce our dedication to critical urban analysis and social inquiry.
We have many reasons to celebrate this year. It was such a thrill to honor our section award winners, including the amazing Mary Pattillo from Northwestern University, the 2026 recipient of the Robert and Helen Lynd Lifetime Achievement Award. 2027 marks the 25th anniversary of our journal City & Community, and our editors have planned exciting programs and surprises for this milestone, including an Emerging Scholars Conference next April in Washington, DC (see below for more details). I’m also thrilled to return to Chicago for our 2027 Annual Meeting. Chicago is where I first fell in love with cities as a graduate student at Northwestern University, and I look forward to the opportunities our programming will offer at next year’s ASA. Moreover, we aim to introduce new programming throughout the year and are planning for the future, too! I’ve been talking with our Chair-Elect Bill Holt, who is already in the early planning stages for a 2028 preconference at the 2028 Annual Meeting in Baltimore!
As we prepare for the upcoming year, I invite everyone to get involved in any way they can. I’m always eager to hear your ideas about programming, both throughout the year and at ASA next year. I also encourage you to consider running for one of our leadership roles or volunteering to help organize our programming. We’re currently seeking a graduate student to serve as a representative on the Publications Committee for 2026-2027, as well as individuals interested in editing our quarterly newsletter and managing our social media and section website. I have created this survey for you to share your ideas and express your interest in volunteering for one of our various positions. Please complete the survey by Friday, September 18.
I also invite you to share your new publications! We have created this form to share new articles and book announcements! I am always excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our marvelous intellectual community (and to read the hottest new entries in our ever-growing CUSS library)!
With enthusiasm for the conversations ahead,
Theo Greene, Chair
tgreene@bowdoin.edu
Community and Urban Sociology 