In the mid-1990s, SfN could claim a growing and diverse membership, a strong volunteer leadership, and a record of success in building public recognition and support for the field of neuroscience. But, as the new millennium approached, the leadership began to recognize that the Society’s structure and governance were not keeping pace with its growth and mission. Membership plateaued between 1996 and 2001; the financial reserve grew more slowly; tensions developed between the volunteer leadership and staff. SfN faced major challenges ahead, in coping with its own size and increasing diversity, in developing a professional governance that promoted smooth working relationships, in ensuring financial security to develop new programs, in maintaining public and government support for basic research, and in keeping up with the rapid pace of technological and social change. As Eve Marder (President 2007–2008) has commented, SfN as an organization parallels the adult nervous system: It must be both plastic and robu...