AIYS is a non-profit (501(c)3) consortium of scholarly institutions (universities, museums, and research centers) founded in 1977. It is governed by officers elected by a Board of Directors who delegate responsibility for specific programs to designated committees. Day-to-day oversight of AIYS activities is provided in the U.S. by the AIYS Executive Director and in Yemen by the AIYS Resident Director in Sana’a.

AIYS is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA).

The President of AIYS is Dr. Daniel Martin Varisco and the Resident Director in Sanaa is Dr. Salwa Dammaj.  The AIYS website has a list of Yemen Experts and a Yemen Webdate Blog. There is also an AIYS Facebook Page.