James (Jimmy) Bernot is an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut where he studies copepod phylogeny, parasitic copepod taxonomy, and crustacean genomics. Jimmy hopes to continue to serve the World Association of Copepodologists (WAC), especially through efforts focused on the student membership. He has been a member of WAC since 2015, served as a Executive Council member since 2022, served as the founding chair for the Student Grant Program in 2023, chaired the Student Presentation Awards Committee in 2024, and manages the WAC Twitter and Facebook accounts. He has experience with leadership roles in other scientific societies including The Society of Systematic Biologists, The American Society of Parasitologists, and the Helminthological Society of Washington. He looks forward to the opportunity to continue serving WAC as a council member.