There's a version of Quality's future being written right now, and most of it is being written by people who are stuck in the state of "this is how it's always been done".
Vendors are deciding what your job is. Executives are deciding how many of you they need. AI tools are getting deployed into pipelines by people who've never sat with a flaky test at 11pm trying to figure out if it's the code or the environment or just the universe being cruel.
Decisions about your craft are happening above your head, and the room making them is short on actual Quality Professionals
AST was started by people who got tired of this reality. They didn't have titles or permission. They decided the field deserved better than what it was being handed, and they made the decision to build something new. Two decades later it's still here, still run by volunteers, still standing because people keep showing up to do the work and keep it moving forward.
WE NEED THE NEXT GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS TO SHOW UP AND CONTINUE THAT WORK
If you're early in your career, you've probably been told to keep your head down and learn the ropes before you have opinions.
Ignore that.
You're watching this industry change in real time, you see what's broken in ways the people who've been here fifteen years have stopped noticing, and you have more standing than anyone is telling you.
The next era of quality isn't going to be defined by the people who were comfortable. It's going to be defined by whoever decides to put their hand up.
We're opening board nominations and we have two critical vacancies to fill.
This is YOUR chance to actually shape where AST goes, who it reaches, and what it fights for.
We want people who:
✔️ Refuse to let testing get reduced to a checkbox or a cost line
✔️ Want to build real ways for testers to learn, connect, and help one another evolve on a global level
✔️ Will say the uncomfortable thing in a meeting when everyone else is nodding
✔️ Bring unique experience, perspectives, and new, innovative ideas and fresh energy in testing that this board doesn't already have around the table
You don't need a perfect résumé. You need to care about this discipline and the associated activities and challenges and be willing to do something about them.
If you've ever looked at this field and thought "someone should fix that," we're telling you it can be you. And if a name just popped into your head, someone you've watched do great work and quietly lead without the title, nominate them.
A FEW REQUIREMENTS
- Active AST member for at least a year
- Seconded by another AST member (no second lined up? Tell us and we'll help you find one)
- Willing to give 2 - 5 hours a week to the work
Nominations close July 15, 2026
After you nominate, we'll check eligibility, send out a questionaire to learn a bit more about you, and have you share your vision for AST through a candidate questionnaire. Then we share your information with our members for the official voting.
The people who built AST didn't wait to be invited. Don't wait either.
With Our Continued Gratitude,
The AST Board
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