The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has promoted Andrew Black to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Before this appointment, he held the dual role of chief of staff and chief public affairs officer.
In his new position, Black will oversee the day‑to‑day operations of the organization in coordination with the executive leadership team. He will also continue serving as senior adviser to AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh and manage the AAAS Office of Public Affairs, which includes government relations and advocacy, international affairs, communications, governance and legal, and the AAAS Annual Meeting.
The promotion recognizes Black’s contributions to aligning the organization’s priorities with its strategic vision, approved by the AAAS Board of Directors in 2022.
Beyond his AAAS responsibilities, Black has held roles that supported American science. He co‑founded United for Science, an initiative advocating continued federal funding and bipartisan congressional support for the U.S. scientific enterprise. From 2024 to 2025, he served as executive director of the Vision for American Science & Technology (VAST), coordinating a task force of more than 70 leaders across academia, industry, government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector.
He is also a co‑founder and current co‑chair of the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM, a coalition of more than 100 scientific, engineering, and medical societies established in 2018 to address sexual and gender harassment in STEMM fields. He shares the co‑chair role with AAAS Senior Advisor Dr. Shirley Malcom.
A native of New Jersey, Black previously worked as a senior aide to former U.S. Representative Rush Holt, Jr. (D‑NJ) for 11 years. Holt later served as the 18th CEO of AAAS from 2015 to 2019, during which Black joined the association.
Click here to read the original press release.
