PCA committees are where strategy becomes action. Committees help design programs, shape policy, plan events, and keep member services responsive to real needs. When members volunteer, we gain fresh perspectives, specialized skills, and the bandwidth to move faster and smarter. Committees also give you a clear voice in priorities, meaningful leadership experience, and a stronger professional network. We need more hands and minds on Events, Advocacy, Education, and Membership to keep momentum high and blind spots low. If you want your association to reflect what matters most, step onto a committee role. Just a few hours a month makes a real difference.

PCA Committees include: 

Area Chairs

Description

Awards

The PCA Awards Committee oversees the Association’s awards program through award-specific subcommittees, ensuring fair, transparent, and consistent selection. As a whole, it coordinates nominations, sets and shares common evaluation criteria, facilitates discussion and virtual voting, manages conflicts of interest (recusals), and reports winners and any honorable mentions to the VP of Awards by deadline. The committee also maintains active subcommittee membership in coordination with the VP and supports public recognition of recipients at the annual ceremony.

Belonging, Outreach & Membership

Description

Bylaws

The PCA Bylaws Committee maintains and regularly updates the Association’s Bylaws, proposing and reviewing amendments to keep them clear, current, and effective. It forwards recommended changes to the Governing Board for discussion and approval and monitors the Board’s actions to ensure ongoing compliance with the PCA Bylaws.

Elections

Description

Ethics

The PCA Ethics Committee administers the Popular Culture Association’s Code of Conduct; proposes and reviews amendments to keep it clear, current, and effective; and ensures the Code is maintained in good working order. It forwards recommended changes to the Governing Board for discussion and approval, reviews complaints alleging breaches of the Code, and recommends appropriate actions to the Governing Board.

Finance

The PCA Finance Committee advises the Vice President of Finance and the Governing Board on initiatives, policies, and procedures; supports the Popular Culture Association’s mission by safeguarding financial health through cost savings, fundraising, sponsorships, collaborations, grants, and donations that align with PCA values; and partners with the Endowment Committee on fundraising initiatives to secure the endowment’s long-term stability.

Marketing & Public Relations

The Public Relations and Marketing Subcommittee supports the mission, visibility, and strategic communication goals of the Popular Culture Association by developing and coordinating communications, marketing, outreach, and digital engagement efforts across the organization.

Policies & Procedures

Description

Programming

Description

Student Engagement

The Student Engagement Committee (SEC) supports student members at all levels, from college freshmen to doctoral students preparing to defend. The SEC acts as liaison between student members and the Governing Board, ensuring that students have a voice both in the implementation of ideas for the annual conference and in PCA as an organization. 

Travel Grants

The PCA Travel Grant Committee serves as a reference body that advises the Chair of the Travel Grants Committee, the Chair of the Endowment Committee, and the PCA Governing Board on initiatives, policies, and procedures; upholds the Association’s long-term commitment to advancing the study of Popular and American Culture across all forms, venues, contexts, and exchanges; and fosters a culture of learning by encouraging programming, events, and materials that address the needs and interests of a diverse and inclusive community—including participants from graduate programs, four-year institutions, and community colleges, as well as practitioners, independent scholars, and the association’s varied subject areas.