Anisa Zvonkovic, head of the Department of Human Development at Virginia Tech, has been chosen president-elect of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR).

Zvonkovic, who has held various leadership roles within the organization for more than two decades, will begin her two-year term as president-elect at the organization’s 2015 international meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in November. This will precede her two-year term as president beginning in 2017.

April Few-Demo, an associate professor in human development, served as chair of the NCFR elections council that nominated Zvonkovic. “Our selection recognizes Anisa’s long, distinguished service to the NCFR, the excellence of her scholarship, and her extensive networks within the organization,” Few-Demo said.

Zvonkovic joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 2011 as a professor and department head. She was previously a professor and chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University and on the faculty at Oregon State University.

She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree from Penn State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. Her research has focused on the effects of contextual demands, such as paid employment, on individual health and well-being and family lives.

With a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Zvonkovic studied work-related travel. The average number of nights spent away from home for work is 77 per year. Her team’s findings covered a range of topics, including division of household labor, daily diet and sleep habits, and parenting responsibilities.

Widely published, Zvonkovic has written articles for such journals as Family Relations; Journal of Marriage and Family; Journal of Family Issues; Work, Employment & Society; Journal of Social and Personal Relationships; and Sex Roles.

“I am deeply honored to have been chosen by my NCFR colleagues to hold this prestigious position,” Zvonkovic said. “I will rely on their support and advice to help me lead the organization into the future.”

Founded in 1938, NCFR is a multidisciplinary professional association focused on family research, practice, and education. Its membership includes researchers, therapists, educators, social and public health workers, clergy, and counselors.

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