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Candidates’ election statements and backgrounds
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wo candidates will vie for the office of president-elect of the American Chemical Society for 2017 in this fall’s election. They are Peter K. Dorhout, vice president for research at Kansas State University, and Thomas R. Gilbert, acting chair of the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern University. The successful candidate will serve as ACS president in 2018 and as a member of the ACS Board of Directors from 2017 to 2019. Candidates for director of District II are George M. Bodner, Arthur E. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Education & Engineering at Purdue University, and Christina C. Bodurow, senior director of external sourcing in the medicines development unit at Eli Lilly & Co. in Indianapolis. District II consists of members assigned to or residing in local sections with headquarters in Indiana (except the St. Joseph Valley and Wabash Valley Sections), Kentucky, Michigan (except the Kalamazoo and Upper Peninsula Sections), North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee (except the Memphis Section), Pennsylvania (except the Central Pennsylvania, Erie, Lehigh Valley, Penn-
York, and Susquehanna Valley Sections), Virginia, West Virginia; and those members with addresses in the states of Indiana (except the counties of Lake and Porter), Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan (except Dickinson County), Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia who are not assigned to local sections. The winner will serve on the ACS Board of Directors beginning in 2017 and running through 2019. District IV will also be holding elections for director. Candidates are Rigoberto Hernandez, Thomas E. Gompf Professor at Johns Hopkins University, and Larry K. Krannich, executive director of the Alabama Academy of Science. District IV consists of members assigned to or residing in local sections with headquarters in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee (except the East Tennessee, Nashville, and Northeast Tennessee Sections), Texas, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and those members with addresses in Arkansas (except the counties of Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Drew, Hempstead, Lafayette, Miller, Ouachita, and Union), Georgia (except
For President-Elect ▸ Peter K. Dorhout Kansas State University Section. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan. Academic record: University of Illinois, B.S., 1985; University of Wisconsin, Ph.D., 1989 Honors: ACS Fellow, 2013; Oliver P. Pennock Service Award, Colorado State University, 2011; Distinguished Service Award, Colorado School of Public Health, 2008; Distinguished Service Award, Office of International Activities, Colorado State University, 2008; ACS Colorado Local Section Service Award, 2004; Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, Colorado State University, 2002; Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1997; Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, 1997; Exxon Faculty Fellow Award in Sol-
id-State Chemistry, ACS Divison of Inorganic Chemistry, 1996; National Science Foundation Career Award, 1996; Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar, 1994; Sigma Xi, 1991 Professional positions (for past 10 years): Kansas State University, professor of chemistry, vice president for research, 2016– , dean of arts and sciences, 2012–15; Colorado State University, Pueblo, interim provost, 2011; Colorado State University, vice provost for graduate affairs and assistant vice president for research, 2004–11, Office of International Programs, interim executive director, 2005, College of Natural Sciences, associate dean, 2002–04, professor of chemistry, 2002–12 Service in ACS national offices: Board
the counties of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Walker, and Whitfield), Louisiana, and certain counties in Texas who are not assigned to local sections. The winner will serve on the ACS Board of Directors beginning in 2017 and running through 2019. Four candidates are running for two director-at-large positions. They are Joseph A. Heppert, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Kansas; Kristin M. Omberg, group leader in the Chemical & Biological Signature Science Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Dorothy J. Phillips, who is retired from Waters Corp.; and Kathleen M. Schulz, president of Business Results in Albuquerque, N.M. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will serve a three-year term from 2017 to 2019. All voting members of ACS will receive ballots enabling them to vote for president-elect. Only members with mailing addresses in Districts II and IV will receive ballots to vote for director from those districts. Only voting councilors will receive ballots for the director-at-large elections. All ballots will be mailed on Sept. 30. The deadline for voting or return of marked ballots, which may be done online or by paper ballot, respectively, is close of business on Oct. 28. The ACS Committee on Nominations & Elections did not provide candidates with specific questions to frame their statements. Information about ACS policies for elections and campaigning can be found in Bulletin V, Bylaw 5, Section 13 and in “Guidelines for Campaigning & Communication.” Candidates’ views have also been posted online at www.acs.org/elections.
of Directors, District V, director, 2010–12; councilor ex officio, 2010–12; Executive Committee, 2011–12; Committee on Budget & Finance, 2015–17, committee associate, 2014, Communications Subcommittee, chair, 2015; Presidential Task Force on the U.S. Employment of Chemists, 2015–16; Committee on Professional & Member Relations, chair, 2011–12; Sustainability Stakeholders Steering Group (S3G), member, 2011; Graduate Education Advisory Board, chair, 2009– 11; International Center Working Group, chair, 2010; International Activities Committee, chair, 2009; Board Oversight Group on Leadership Development, 2005–09; Joint Board-ConC AET, chair, 2008; Committee on Committees (ConC), 2002–08, chair, 2008, secretary, 2005–06; Presidential Task Force on Stopgap Funding, 2001–02; Committee on Divisional Activities, 2001, committee associate, 2000; Younger Chemists CommitSEPTEMBER 12, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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tee, 1996–98, committee associate, 1995, consultant, 2013–14 Service in ACS offices: Colorado Section: councilor, 2001–09; Nominating Committee, 2000, 2008; newsletter editor, 1999– 2004; chair and program chair, 1999; chairelect, 1998. Division of Inorganic Chemistry: councilor, 1999–2001 Member: Member of ACS since 1985. American Association for the Advancement of Science; Society for Advancement of Hispanics/ Chicanos & Native Americans in Science, life member. ACS Divisions: Industrial & Engineering Chemisty, Inorganic Chemistry, Nuclear Chemistry & Technology Related activities: Research Corporation Board of Directors, 2003– , advisory committee, 1998–2004; ACS Leadership Development System, cofacilitator, 2013–15; ACS Webinars, facilitator, 2013; Defense Threat Reduction Agency, consultant, 2013; Army ROTC Influencers Course, 2012; NSF Workshop on Solid-State & Materials Chemistry, organizer, 2004–08; International Science & Technology Center, Russian Federal Nuclear Center, U.S. project adviser/director, 1998–2006; Los Alamos National Laboratory, consultant, 1988–2006; 219th ACS National Meeting Symposium on New Synthetic Methods in Solid-State Chemistry, symposium coorganizer, 2000; author of more than 110 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters
Dorhout’s statement Of the members, by the members, and for the members. In today’s political environment, this might be a worn-out cliché, but for our society, this is the critical requirement of any president. ACS was created 140 years ago by 35 chemists based on this principle. We have grown into the world’s largest scientific organization, but we did it through the devoted volunteers in local sections and divisions. We are a membership organization for the benefit of our many diverse members, which then promotes chemistry and the profession.
We have problems. Our profession is in a tough situation. I recognize the difficulties that our members, young and old, face as I serve on a presidential task force investigating the challenges with employment. As a faculty member and academic leader for many years, I have witnessed that universities are struggling with grant funding and other financial support. Industry continues to be threatened and changed by global forces that are impacting jobs across America. Education is being impacted by cuts to both K–12 and higher education institutions, eroding the quality of our classroom and laboratory experiences. Chemistry has
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an image problem, which greatly handicaps education, employment, and industry. We need to focus on our original charter and be a leading society for change, promoting and advancing our members.
Can we solve them? I could list the usual promises, such as easy access to ACS Publications, working with Congress to get funding, and influencing the media to spread the benefits of chemistry. No president has a magic wand to accomplish significant change overnight or even during their term. However, working with the council, board, local sections, divisions, international chapters, and most important with you, Dorhout the nearly 157,000 members, we can all make a difference. The best solutions to problems never come from top down. They come from the stakeholders; they are brought forward by the members. We must invest our resources in the members. Together we can make progress toward improving the lives and advancing the careers of our members and the people of the world through the transforming power of chemistry.
How can we start affecting changes? Promoting industrial job growth. Focusing on the future, I will build on the partnership with Corporation Associates and engage stakeholder groups of key ACS committee representatives in discourse and action. An Industry Partners Advisory Board (IPAB) should be established and tasked with advising ACS about aiding our nation’s industries, promoting the chemical enterprise to Congress, and preparing chemists for the future workforce.
Enhancing education. Teaching chemistry should be a partnership. We need to build stronger alliances and prepare our workforce to be successful in a global marketplace. The American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) is positioned to engage members in dialogue around K–12 chemistry education; our college and university faculty are key to preparing the next generation of chemists, and so are our industrial members. ACS should continue to lead in promoting the highest standards and safest chemistry education programs and enhance the educational opportunities for all students, including nontraditional
and adult learners. Members from industry and the academy should be joined in regular dialogue as part of the IPAB I mentioned, discussing and promoting the critical skill sets necessary for new chemists as well as how we can keep our established chemists engaged in lifelong learning to enhance their skills.
Chemistry is rewarding, if you have a job! Our task force on employment has worked diligently on improving the domestic employment situation for starting and experienced chemical professionals. We investigated, among other things, the imbalance of supply and demand and the training needed for preparation for industrial jobs, entrepreneurship, and career development. My time as president will be spent on realizing the key recommendations being made by the task force.
I have the qualifications. As we endeavor to work together to improve our employment situations and invest in our members, the president needs to embrace an atmosphere of open communication and transparency. I am proud of my record of transparency as an academic and ACS leader. Given my track record as a collaborative leader in ACS activities from the board of directors to the local sections, divisions, and committees, people know that I get things done—I am a member for the members.
I’ve enjoyed learning and growing among you. I want to continue to work with you—because we are in this together—to ensure that ACS continues to advance the profession, continues to be relevant to members, and continues to make a difference. Members standing for members. For more about my platform, please visit my website, peterdorhoutACS.com, and follow me @PeterDorhoutACS.
▸ Thomas R. Gilbert Northeastern Section. Northeastern University, Boston Academic record: Clarkson College of Technology, B.S., 1968; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 1971 Honors: Outstanding Teacher of First-Year Students Award, Northeastern University, College of Engineering, 2015, 2013, 2010;
ACS Fellow, 2011; Henry A. Hill Memorial Award, 2010; Excellence in Teaching Award, Northeastern University, 1999; Sigma Xi; Gamma Sigma Epsilon Professional positions (for past 10 years): Northeastern University, department of chemistry and chemical biology, acting chair, 2015−16, professional science master’s programs in biotechnology, academic director, 2009−11, School of Education, acting dean, 2004−06, associate professor of chemistry and education, 1999−2006 Service in ACS national offices: Task Force on Web-Based Resources for Volunteers, chair, 2015− ; Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations, 2014−15; Board of Directors, District I, director, 2013−15; councilor ex officio, 2013−15; Committee on Professional & Member Relations, 2013−15, Subcommittee on Web Strategy & Innovation, 2013−15; ACS Network Task Force, chair, 2014; Long-Range Planning Subcommittee, chair, 2008−12; Council Policy Committee, (voting) 2007−12, vice chair, 2008−10; Board of Directors Planning Committee, 2008−10; Committee on Nominations & Elections, 2001−06, vice chair, 2004−06; Task Force on Election Procedures, chair, 2003−05; Committee on Meetings & Expositions, 1995−2000, chair, 2000 Service in ACS offices: Northeastern Section: councilor, 1990−2013; Centennial Celebration Program, chair, 1998; Long-Range Planning Committee, chair, 1989; Nominations Committee, chair, 1989; alternate councilor, 1987−89; chair, 1988; chair-elect, 1987; Analytical Group, chair, 1983−86. Northeast Regional Meeting: general chair, 1993. Division of Analytical Chemistry: 46th Annual Summer Symposium on Analytical Chemistry, Organizing Committee, cochair, 1993 Member: Member of ACS since 1968. ACS Divisions: Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Education Related activities: ACS Division of Chemical Education, Examinations Institute, 2000; Analytical Chemistry Examination Committee, 1998−2000; International Symposium on High-Performance Capillary Electrophoresis, Organizing Committee, vice chair, 1998−99, 1993−96; New England Aquarium, associate director of research, 1977−81; published 45 journal articles and two general chemistry textbooks (in their 4th and 1st editions); three patents
Gilbert’s statement I welcome this opportunity to touch briefly on what I would strive to accomplish if elected president of the American Chemical Society. For more details, please go to sites.google.com/site/thomasgilbertacs.
Connecting with our members/growing our membership. Through my years of
service in ACS, I have gained a deep appreciation for the many things that ACS does and does well. However, I’m also convinced that there are some things we need to do better, starting with making membership in ACS more valuable for more chemistry professionals. I believe that addressing this value proposition is essential if we are to reverse recent declines in membership and get ACS growing again. My growth plans start with our youngest members. If elected, I will work with the council’s Membership Affairs and Younger Chemists Committees to launch a program whose goal will be to recruit as student members and retain as full members a majority of the more than 50,000 students currently enrolled in ACS-approved baccalaureate programs. I will host focus groups of students preGilbert senting posters at national and regional ACS meetings to assess their interest in (and access to) student chapter activities such as those supporting professional skill building, career planning, and public outreach emphasizing interactions with K–12 and community college students from underrepresented groups. For midcareer chemists, my focus will be on the growing number of them who work in industries that require knowledge and skills that cross the boundaries that once separated chemistry from biology and the health sciences on the one hand and physics and materials science on the other. It is essential that ACS, through its expanding list of journals and programming at its meetings, be seen as a principal source of information and ideas in these evolving research areas. Only then will scientists working in these areas (and their supervisors) recognize the value of ACS membership. Therefore, if elected, I will organize presidential symposia for the 2018 national meetings featuring advances in “chemistry at the boundaries” that will
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be organized by the industries the research supports.
Education The interdisciplinary nature of many of the new jobs in the chemical sciences needs to be reflected in how chemists are educated. This education has to start early—in K–12 classrooms. ACS took a major step in support of precollege teachers in 2013 when we launched the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT). I supported the AACT proposal, and if elected, I look forward to expanding my work with elementary and middle school science teachers and high school chemistry teachers to include teachers from across the country as they create learning activities that are both content-rich and share the sense of investigation and discovery that we chemists find so rewarding. I would also work with the Committee on Professional Training, the Society Committee on Education, and federal funding agencies to put into practice the recommendations of our Presidential Commission on Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences. This country can no longer afford to have colleges and universities preparing graduate students for jobs that no longer exist, forcing them to continue their preparation for the job market through years of postdoctoral research. These perpetual postdocs are victims of a system that is inefficient and unfair. I believe ACS should take the lead in developing guidelines for Ph.D. programs in chemistry that align students’ graduate experiences with the knowledge and skills (and not just laboratory skills) they need to succeed in today’s chemical enterprise and, indeed, to serve as future leaders of the American Chemical Society.
For District II Director ▸ George M. Bodner Purdue Section. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. Academic record: State University of New York, Buffalo, B.S., 1969; Indiana University, Ph.D., 1972
Honors: Morrill Land-Grant University Award for Outstanding Achievements in Research, Teaching & Service, Purdue University, 2013; James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry, ACS Northeastern Section, 2010; Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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2010; ACS Fellow, 2009; Clifford C. Furnas Distinguished Alumni Award, the University at Buffalo, SUNY, 2003; Nyholm Medal, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2003; Pimentel Award in Chemical Education, ACS, 2003; Founding Fellow, Purdue Teaching Academy, 1997; Catalyst Award in Chemical Education, Chemical Manufacturers Association, 1989; Distinguished Professor, Transylvania University, 1989; Distinguished Professor, Xi’an Jiaotung University, 1985; NASA Predoctoral Fellow, 1969–72; NSF Predoctoral Fellow, 1968; 10 teaching awards at the department, college, and university level, Purdue University; Alpha Chi Sigma; Phi Lambda Upsilon Professional positions (for past 10 years): Purdue University, Arthur E. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Education & Engineering, 2000– , professor, 1989–2000, associate professor, 1981–89, assistant professor, 1977–81 Service in ACS national offices: Board of Directors, District II, director, 2011–16; councilor, ex officio, 2011–16; Board Committee on Grants & Awards, 2011–16, chair, 2016; Society Committee on Education, 2015–16, committee associate, 2015–16, 1993; Board Awards Review Committee, chair, 2012–15; Board Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations, 2011–15; Committee on Ethics, 2009–11, committee associate, 2007–08; Committee on Publications, 2000–08, committee associate, 1999; Committee on Divisional Activities, 1987–92, committee associate, 1986 Service in ACS offices: Chemical Education Division: immediate past-chair, 2013; chair, 2012; chair-elect, 2011. Purdue Section: councilor, 1985–2010; chair, 1983; chairelect, 1982; vice chair, 1981; secretary-treasurer, 1978–81. Great Lakes Regional Meeting: chair, 1985. Biennial Conference on Chemical Education: treasurer and exhibits chair, 2006; cochair, 1988 Member: Member of ACS since 1969. American Association of Chemistry Teachers, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal Society of Chemistry, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Association for Science Teacher Education, Phi Lambda Upsilon, Sigma Xi. ACS Division: Chemical Education Related activities: Chemistry Education Research & Practice, associate editor, 2004– ; Journal of Science Teacher Education, associate editor, 2006–10; Journal of Research in Science Teaching, associate editor, 1993–98; organized and/or chaired 30 symposia at ACS meetings; program chair for chemical education for the 241st ACS National Meeting (Anaheim, 2011), 233rd ACS National Meeting (Chicago, 2007), and 201st ACS National Meeting
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(Atlanta, 1991); published 150 papers, eight textbooks, and a book on research methods in discipline-based educational research; presented 516 papers at technical conferences and more than 575 invited lectures, including almost 200 talks at ACS local section meetings
Bodner’s statement Six years ago, I began my position statement with a famous quote from Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. …” Little did I know how perceptive this quote would be for my term on the ACS Board of Directors. I still maintain that in many ways it is the best of times for ACS. Every time I work with ACS staff, I am impressed by their exceptional levels of competence and commitment to the society. This combination is something one might expect from the executive leadership team that reports to the executive director and CEO, but it extends far beyond this group to characterize ACS staff at all levels. And it has been the basis upon which extraordinarily productive interactions between staff and members of the board have been built in recent years. The good news about the past few years is the unanimity of purpose exhibited by the board of directors in the development of a strategic plan that is far more than a pleasant set of Bodner phrases printed on cards that fit in one’s wallet, but a true commitment to vitally important strategic themes that guide decisions about what projects and programs the society will fund. From my biased perspective, the best news in recent years has been the commitment by the society to fund the creation of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) and then the enthusiastic support of AACT by so many ACS members. As we noted when the creation of AACT was first proposed, the society used to do things to K–12 teachers, then for K–12 teachers; at long last, we are doing things with K–12 teachers. Nothing I have done since joining the society in 1969 has given me as much pleasure as being able to walk into the High School Day program at a national ACS meeting several years ago and tell the participants that the board had funded the creation of a new organization to be run by K–12 teachers of chemistry for K–12 teachers of chemistry.
Programs such as Project SEED, the ACS Scholars Program, AACT, the ACS Science Coaches program, and a host of other efforts are going to help us ensure a future in which the chemistry enterprise continues to make major contributions to solving so many of the problems the world faces. And these efforts are particularly important in what some of our members see as the “worst of times,” when the term “retrenchment” does not begin to describe what is happening to the careers chemists have undertaken since a group of 35 individuals met on April 6, 1876, to create what has become the world’s largest scientific society. There is another famous quote that has been attributed to a disparate group of individuals that includes Niels Bohr, Mark Twain, and Yogi Berra: “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” I disagree; it is easy to make predictions. What is difficult is making accurate predictions of the future. Over the short term, I will posit that the society needs to become more flexible, more able to adapt to rapid change. It has to fight to ensure recognition of the role chemistry can play in solving many of the problems the world faces. It also has to be willing to take on difficult tasks, such as rethinking the role that local sections, divisions, and other groups within the society will fulfill and how they will meet the challenges we face. The good news is that the members of the ACS Board of Directors have demonstrated the ability to work well with each other in recent years, and they are ready to tackle the difficult questions about how to best adapt to the forces that shape society as a whole. They also have a realistic view of what can be done. The board cannot magically create new job opportunities for chemists, or reduce the unacceptable levels of unemployment we’ve recently experienced. But we can provide information that helps chemists understand new career opportunities that arise as well as provide the framework for networking that helps our members build successful careers. Once again, I would like to thank the members of District II for having faith in my ability to represent them as a member of the board of directors. I hope to have the opportunity to continue working with the board on the issues ACS will face as we look into the future.
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Christina C. Bodurow
Indiana Section. Eli Lilly & Co., Indianapolis Academic record: Kalamazoo College, B.A., 1979; Princeton University, M.S., 1981, Ph.D., 1984 Honors: ACS Fellow, 2014; Volunteer of the Year Award, ACS Indiana Section, 2014; ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 2001 Professional positions (for past 10 years): Eli Lilly & Co., Lilly Research Laboratories, 1984– , senior director, medicines development unit, external sourcing, 2009– , director, global R&D operations, product R&D, 2004–09, director, global R&D operations, Xigris product team, 2001–04 Service in ACS national offices: Advisory Board for Industry Relations, 1996–98; Women Chemists Committee, 1989–97, chair, 1995–97; Corporation Associates Committee, 1991–94 Service in ACS offices: Indiana Section: councilor, 2016–18; ACS national meeting host committee, chair, 2011–13; alternate councilor, 2002–03; past-chair, 2001; chair, 2000; chair-elect and program committee chair, 1999. Indiana Regional Meeting: special events chair, 2004 Member: Member of ACS since 1980. Drug Information Association. ACS Division: Organic Chemistry Related activities: Partnership in Asia-Pacific Clinical Trials Advisory Board/Faculty, 2011– ; Global Partnerships in Clinical Trials Advisory Board/Faculty, 2010– ; Princeton Graduate School Leadership Council, 2005–13; Princeton Chemistry Department Advisory Board, 1997–2011; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, graduate program, adjunct professor of chemistry, 1990–92; Butler University, graduate program, adjunct professor of chemistry, 1985–89; Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association; published 14 journal articles; two patents (organometallic catalysis, β-lactam synthesis)
Bodurow’s statement Thank you for your consideration of my nomination for the American Chemical Society Board of Directors. Throughout my career, my service to ACS has been rewarding, inspiring, and an excellent opportunity to contribute to the profession. It would be a privilege to continue that service as District II director, and I would be honored for your consideration and vote. ACS has the power to significantly impact the future of chemistry. The reason for my candidacy is to bring some fresh perspectives, new ideas, and a drive to make things better to
ACS leadership. I believe the three most important ways ACS can do this is through our collective efforts to continuously improve chemistry education, employment, and engagement of our membership and the public.
Better chemistry education. In the area of education, tremendous strides have been made to expand how students of all ages learn chemistry—in dimensions ranging from classroom to experiential. ACS has and will continue to lead; however, we also must recognize the global competitiveness for educational excellence and ensure chemical education evolves to deliver ever better prepared students at all levels. I will work to ensure ACS efforts are focused on continually increasing excellence and impact of chemical education, especially ensuring Bodurow educational preparation for employment in all areas of the chemical profession.
Better employment. Chemistry is a ubiquitous discipline across hundreds of careers: academics, government, industrial R&D, manufacturing, and, in most every case, there is a great need to reach across the boundaries of chemistry to other disciplines to be successful. We in ACS need to foster open-minded, innovative approaches for how we develop and equip people to integrate their knowledge of chemistry into meaningful employment. ACS has made great strides in this area and will need to continue to lead, enabling full utilization of chemists in the workforce of the future.
Better public engagement. With
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progress made on education and professional employment, many chemists turn their attention to giving back to the profession, and connecting with society in general. ACS has developed many opportunities for ACS members to tailor their involvement, and this good work needs to continue. The world has rapidly become digitalized, and there is an explosion of information available. However, what has not changed is the need for interpersonal connections to drive engagement, involvement, and influence, whether it is within ACS or in the public forum. Through the combined power of digitalization and proactive communication and outreach, ACS must make a difference in shaping the profession and professional outreach opportunities. Most important, we must continue to improve our approach to shaping the perception of chemistry in society. As a long-standing industry member of ACS with a strong track record of interfacing with academia, I will bring that perspective, knowledge, and experience into an ACS director role. As a leader in the ACS women chemist movement and working mom, I will also bring the important perspectives of diversity and work-life balance to the position. My approach to maximize the success of any ACS endeavor will be to listen to all inputs and be as inclusive as possible in orchestrating the path to the future. It would be my privilege to continue to serve ACS, and I respectfully request your vote to serve as your next District II director. For more information, please see chrisbodurow.com/ACS.
For District IV Director ▸ Rigoberto Hernandez Georgia Section. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Academic record: Princeton University, B.S.E., 1989; University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D., 1993 Honors: Transformational Research & Excellence in Education (TREE) Award, Research Corporation for Science Advancement, 2016; Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, 2015–16;
Diversity Award, Council for Chemical Research, 2015; ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, 2014; Diversity Champion Award, Georgia Tech, 2013; Vasser Woolley Faculty Fellow, Georgia Tech, 2011–13; Outstanding Service Award, ACS Georgia Section, 2012; American Physical Society Fellow, 2011; ACS Fellow, 2010; Sackler Visiting Chair in Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 2010; Humboldt Research Fellow, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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2006–08; Goizueta Foundation Junior Professor, Georgia Tech, 2002–06; American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, 2005; Sigma Xi Southeast Regional Young Investigator, 2002, 2000; Blanchard Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Georgia Tech, 1999–2001; Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 2000; Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar, 1999; National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 1997; Feinberg Postdoctoral Fellow, 1994; Sigma Xi, member, 1994; AT&T Cooperative Research Fellowship Program Fellow, 1989–93; NSF Graduate Fellow, 1989–92 Professional positions (for past 10 years): Johns Hopkins University, Thomas E. Gompf Professor, 2016– ; Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE), director, 2011– ; Georgia Institute of Technology, professor, 2009–16, associate professor, 2002–09, Center for Computational Molecular Science & Technology, codirector, 2000–16 Service in ACS national offices: Board of Directors, District IV, director, 2014–16; councilor ex officio, 2014–16; Committee on Budget & Finance, 2016–18, associate member, 2015; Committee on Grants & Awards, 2014–16; Committee on Professional & Member Relations, 2014; Committee on Science, associate member, 2013; Committee on Committees, 2009–12; Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC), 2004–08; Joint DAC-Local Section Activities Committee Subcommittee, cochair, 2005–07; Board Committee on “Minorities in Academe Implementation Team,” 2003–04; Hildebrandt Award Canvassing Committee, 2002–04 Service in ACS offices: Georgia Section: Herty Award Committee, chair, 2006–16; alternate councilor, 2012–13; bylaw councilor, 2012; councilor, 2003–11; Herty Medalist Undergraduate Research Symposium, founding chair, 2006–10; 75th Herty Medal Celebration, chair, 2009; past-chair, 2000; chair, 1999; chair-elect, 1998. Computers in Chemistry Division: alternate councilor, 2013 Member: Member of ACS since 1992. American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Physical Society, Biophysical Society. ACS Divisions: Computers in Chemistry, Physical Chemistry Related activities: Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Advisory Committee, 2011– 17, chair, 2016–17; American Association for the Advancement of Science, STEM Education Review Committee, 2015–16; Georgia Tech Faculty Executive Board, 2013–16; Sloan Foundation, Minority NSF STEM Ph.D. Advisory Committee, 2013–16; NIH MSFB Study Section, 2009–13; National Academies Board on Chemical Sciences & Technology, 2007–10; Telluride Science Research Center, Board of Directors, 2007–09;
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Morehouse College chemistry department, External Review Committee, 2007; Steering Committee for NSF Workshop on Complexity & Emergent Phenomenon, 2007; Steering Committee for NSF Workshop on Excellence Empowered by a Diverse Workforce, 2007; National Academies Committee on Advanced Chemical Imaging, 2005–06; published more than 95 peer-reviewed articles
Hernandez’s statement The most important element in ACS membership is you. Every one of us, cross-linked together through ACS, makes up a personal and professional chemistry network that we can leverage to advance our careers, each other, and chemistry as a whole. Through ACS, we can celebrate that chemistry has a human side, and it must be diverse. The challenge lies in continuing to adapt our structure and our offerings to best serve the broad needs of our fellowship. This is a challenge that cannot be solved once and for all because we, and the world around us, are constantly changing. The opportunity for advancing the interaction and support of chemical scientists like you is what drove me to volunteer to serve as district director, and it is why I would like to continue for another term. I have focused on three of ACS’s core values: the value proposition of ACS membership, education of Hernandez the chemical workforce, and science advocacy. The diversity in age, experience, background, worldwide location, race, ethnicity, gender identity and orientation, and ability that makes our fellowship stronger must be addressed through these values and everything we do. My championing of diversity equity on task forces and boards and as the director of OXIDE (Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity) demonstrates my strong commitment to advancing these critical issues within the chemical workforce. As a director, I have spoken with many of you at regional and national meetings, and I wrote two comments in C&EN (July 14, 2014, page 45, and Aug. 24, 2015, page 40) promoting diversity equity and inclusive excellence. ACS remains as relevant and necessary today as when it was founded, despite the flattening in accessing information through the internet. As members, you and I are voting affirmatively with our wallets, declaring that chemistry and our network are important. Through this collective action, we are
empowering ourselves as a force for change in areas such as energy, sustainability, and human health. Nevertheless, our ACS, like many other societies, is facing the challenge of decreasing membership. This is a tide that we must stem. Our size gives us the diversity we need to advance our science. It also signifies a vote of confidence for all of our advocacy and outreach activities. As an ACS director, I will remain a strong proponent for providing clarity to the value proposition of our membership to each of our present and future members. Diversity of the emerging chemical workforce translates into a need for using multiple mechanisms in and out of the classroom to engage students in the educational process. As a Phi Beta Kappa lecturer, I have had the opportunity to engage, motivate, and mentor undergraduates though campus visits that provide small-group interactions going well beyond my classroom. (Check out undergraduate Linsey Liles’s recap of my visit to the University of the South in the Key Reporter.) If elected, I hope to continue such visits by engaging local chapters as hosts. I am also keenly aware for the need to continue professional education. I have been involved as a facilitator in the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative New Faculty Workshop (C&EN, March 24, 2014, page 36). I am also leading a team organizing the Academic Leadership Workshop aimed at supporting midcareer faculty to become university administrators or research center directors (C&EN, March 7, page 47). These programs illustrate the power of ACS to catalyze educational opportunities for chemical scientists throughout our lives. Advances in chemical science and innovation depend critically on public and private support. Advocacy for such efforts can succeed only if we make our science understandable to the public. It is particularly critical for advancing high-risk, high-potential science that tends to receive less funding when budgets are tight (C&EN, Sept. 21, 2015, page 33). Again, ACS as a professional society is uniquely positioned to provide current understanding of science and to advocate for the chemical challenges that still remain to be understood. I have enjoyed working with ACS staff in advocating for chemical science and the people who do that work. Through these priorities, I will aim to help our society become a better home for its members and a more effective partner
to the world. The resonating thread that we must advance through these and other initiatives is you. ACS programs can be effective only if they serve your needs and advance your goals. To this end, I look forward to hearing from you through links at tinyurl. com/hernandez4acs to learn more about how to make our ACS fellowship even stronger. I also ask for your vote so that I may continue to work with you and our fellow ACS members to improve your ACS.
▸ Larry K. Krannich Alabama Section. University of Alabama, Birmingham Academic record: Illinois State University, B.S., 1963, M.S., 1965; University of Florida, Ph.D., 1968 Honors: ACS Fellow, 2014; E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to ACS, 2009; Alabama Academy of Science Fellow, 2007; Salute to Excellence, ACS Local Section Activities Committee, 2001; Omicron Delta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi Professional positions (for past 10 years): Alabama Academy of Science, executive director, 2003– ; University of Alabama, Birmingham, professor emeritus, 2003– , Center for Community Outreach Development, interim director, 2004 Service in ACS national offices: Leadership Advisory Board, cochair, 2009– ; Board Planning Committee Working Group on Strategic Planning Process, chair, 2016; Board Planning Committee Working Group on Strategic Planning Management Process, chair, 2015; Planning Committee, 2015, 2013; Board of Directors, Executive Committee, 2013; Society Program Portfolio Management Goals & Metrics Team, chair, 2013; Board Working Group on Society Program Portfolio Management, 2012–13; Board of Directors, District IV, director, 2011–13; councilor, ex officio, 2011–13; Committee on Grants & Awards, 2011–13, National Awards Logistics & Processes Subcommittee, chair, 2013; Committee on Professional & Member Relations, 2011–13, chair, 2013; Award Review Committee, chair, 2012; Board Working Group on Web Strategy & Innovation, 2012; Board Operations & Technology Team, 2011–12; Committee on Committees, 2005–10; BOG Leadership Skills Implementation Working Group, chair, 2005–08; Governance Review Task Force, Action Team on Optimal & Appropriate Divisional Staff Support, chair, 2007; Governance Review SubTask Force on Disciplinary Organization, 2006; Committee on Membership Affairs, 2004–05; Board Presidential Task Force on Division & Local Section Funding Petition, 2002–03; Committee on Local Section Activities, 1996–
2001, committee associate, 1995, consultant, 2002–03; Task Force on Bylaw Changes for Local Section & Division Support, 2001–02; Task Force on Electronic Mailing Lists, chair, 1996–97; Canvassing Committee, ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry, 1993–96, chair, 1995–96 Service in ACS offices: Alabama Section: alternate councilor, 2016–18; councilor, 1994–2010; chair, 1982–83; chair-elect, 1981–82. Southeast Regional Meeting: secretary-treasurer, 1990–98 Member: Member of ACS since 1964. Alabama Academy of Science. ACS Divisions: Chemical Education, History of Chemistry Related activities: Alabama Academy of Science, executive director, 2003– , treasurer, 1992–03; Vestavia Math Team Parents Association, president, 2010, vice president, 2009; IPC Foundation Board, 2005–10, president, Krannich 2010, vice president, 2009; University of Alabama, Birmingham, professor and department chair, 1977–2003, associate professor, 1972–76, assistant professor, 1969–72; Technische Hochschule Wien, visiting professor, 1969; University of Mississippi, assistant professor, 1968–69; published 54 journal articles, a study guide (11 editions) to general chemistry text, and a chapter in an inorganic encyclopedia
Krannich’s statement Members are the society’s business. The 15 American Chemical Society directors have a crucial duty, in addition to their fiduciary responsibility, to support and empower our members professionally and scientifically. After all, a focus on members is one of ACS’s four core values, and it has been pervasive throughout our history.
Past. In 1876, 35 U.S. chemists formed ACS and achieved independence from prominent European chemical societies. That spark became a flame! Today, we have nearly 157,000 members, including 26,000 from other countries. Strength resides in our 185 local sections with professional and scientific exchange and community outreach and our 32 technical divisions (100,300 members) focused in field-specific areas. Our members enjoyed satisfying, steady employment throughout their professional careers. Fifty years ago, companies went to campuses offering jobs to seniors, and our Employment Clearing House had a registrant-to-job ratio of 1:4.
Present. While ACS is highly regarded
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worldwide as an effective force for the chemistry enterprise, we have many challenges. We provide vital information for our members through printed and electronic means and meetings to support their work. However, many members expect more. Our local sections experience low member engagement. Divisions thrive but compete for members with cross-divisional interests and lack a global focus. Although we sign up large numbers of new members, we lose them rapidly. Last year, we added nearly 23,000 new members but lost 22,000! Apparently, they did not find membership worthwhile, and they dropped out within five years. Another issue is employment. Today, six months after graduation, 14.5% still do not have a job. At the 2016 ACS national meeting in San Diego, 739 members signed up to explore employment opportunities among 105 jobs posted by 30 employers. Although chemistry is an exciting and rewarding profession, having a job is critical.
Future. My vision is that the 21st-century ACS will be the first choice and professional home for all chemists and related scientists. Diverse challenges, each impacting member-value expectations, face us. Our future depends on retaining the thousands of new members by evolving our value proposition and onboarding processes. Fifty years ago, it was publications and meetings. Today, the internet instantly provides much of the desired information from your handheld device. Jobs of the past are disappearing through mergers and outsourcing. We cannot create jobs but can work on making the atmosphere more desirable for R&D, providing the resources to make members more competitive and improving how we prepare our graduates for tomorrow’s jobs and selling themselves in the marketplace.
What do I propose? I have extensive professional experience, demonstrated commitment to advancing ACS, and proven leadership skills to address these near-term challenges while setting the long-term vision for ACS. I do not promise instant or simple solutions to our complex problems. However, if we possess the skills and resources to develop award-winning outreach programs and have the business acumen to make us the gold standard in scientific publishing, we can make significant SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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progress. As District IV director, I commit to the following: ▸ Collaborating with you, the member, to address the challenges and prioritize these into member-generated strategic opportunity initiatives. The solutions to problems are rarely successful when they are generated from the top down. History shows that a grassroots approach can solve the most difficult problems. As a team member, member-value advocate, leadership course facilitator, and ACS leader, I have useful insights about ACS and its mission and challenges. I value inclusive decision-making. Collaborating annually with six committees/technical divisions/District IV local
sections in the same manner. Let’s explore fostering partnerships between technical divisions and local sections to synergistically enhance the member-value proposition. What does research suggest about successful onboarding processes for new member retention? Working with the Board Planning Committee to clarify the ACS strategic planning and management process and promote member engagement in setting priorities.
Details? Please visit my website I have the necessary background! With due modesty, but confidence, I believe I am a great fit for director, am well-prepared, and desire to focus my efforts in serving District
For Director-at-Large Joseph A. Heppert Wakarusa Valley Section. University of Kansas, Lawrence Academic record: San José State University, B.S., 1978; University of Wisconsin, Ph.D., 1982; Indiana University, postdoctoral fellow, 1985 Honors: ACS Fellow, 2012; University of Kansas Leading Light Award, 2012; Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, 2002; University of Kansas Center for Teaching Excellence Graduate Teaching Award, 1998; Keeler Intra-University Professor, 1998 Professional positions (for past 10 years): University of Kansas, associate vice chancellor for research, 2009– , chemistry chair, 2005– , professor, 2001– , Center for Science Education, director, 2001–09 Service in ACS national offices: Committee on Budget & Finance, 2013–15, vice chair, 2015–16, committee associate, 2011–12; Task Forces on Program Valuation & Metrics, 2013–14; ACS Chemistry Teacher Education Coalition National Advisory Board, 2011–14; ACS Joint Board President’s Task Force on Education, 2009–10; Committee on Education, 2002–10, chair, 2004–06, committee associate, 2000–01; ACS President’s Task Force on Competitiveness, 2007–08; Governance Review Team A, 2007; ACS Program Review Advisory Group 2005–06; Council Policy Committee, (nonvoting) 2004–06 Service in ACS offices: Wakarusa Valley Section (formerly the University of Kansas Section): councilor, 1997–2017; chair, 2004, 1993; chair-elect, 2003, 1992; alternate councilor, 1994–96; treasurer, 1991. Midwest Regional Meeting: general meeting cochair, 2017; program chair, 2002 Member: Member of ACS since 1979. Amer-
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IV members as director. I am regarded as a highly focused doer within ACS. I possess the time, energy, and expertise to do this. I have the leadership skills to listen to the ideas of others, work toward consensus, and collaborate to develop successful projects within established deadlines. I do this now with local sections, divisions, and national committees. When we work together, nothing is impossible.
ican Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, National Science Teachers Association, American Association of Chemistry Teachers, Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research. ACS Divisions: Chemical Education, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry Related activities: University of Kansas Medical Center, Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation, advisory board member, 2015; ACS Legislative Summit, participant, 2008; Sen. Pat Roberts Advisory Committee on Science, Technology & the Future, past member; University of Kansas Center for Science Education, past director; University of Kansas Faculty and University Senate Executive Committees, past chair; Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (NSF Engineering Heppert Research Center), education director; Advanced Academy of Georgia Board of Directors, past member
Heppert’s statement All chemists can be proud of the work we accomplish through ACS. ACS is acknowledged as one of the world’s top professional scientific societies. The value proposition that motivates chemists to associate with ACS is multifaceted: scholarly information, education, professional activities and employment, advocacy for STEM issues, and fellowship with like-minded chemical scientists. ACS does a remarkable job accommodating these broad needs under a single umbrella. As we look to the coming decade,
(larrykrannich.com) for specifics. Most important, e-mail me (
[email protected]) your concerns, questions, and thoughts on your important issues.
I believe the society needs to expend particular effort in these and related areas that represent challenges and opportunities for the future of the society.
Chemical jobs. Over the past 75 years, the international chemical industry, led by U.S. chemical innovation, has ushered the world into a healthier, more prosperous, and increasingly more environmentally conscious era. The chemical industry, along with all of its client and supplier businesses, has long been a key strength of the U.S. economy. The potential for erosion of this mainstay of economic prosperity and employment explains membership concerns about ongoing structural changes in U.S. chemical businesses. Regardless of the changing structure of the U.S. high-technology industry, ACS members know that chemical innovation must continue to play a central role in driving U.S. competitiveness. Without sustained chemical entrepreneurship, we will stifle one important pathway for developing chemical innovations critical to the vitality of the high-tech industry. ACS needs to advocate for chemical entrepreneurs on a national level and help connect the originators of promising technologies in industry and academics with resources needed to successfully launch new product lines and chemistry startups. The society must encourage talented chemists and chemical engineers to obtain the business and political skills and experiences required to become discerning leaders of and advocates for U.S. chemical businesses.
Chemical education. Degrees in chemistry provide an excellent foundation for career paths in chemical-, biotechnology-, and materials-related industries and in business, teaching, and government service. Leadership from members of the Division of Chemical Education and the Committee on Professional Training has created greater traction for innovation in undergraduate curricula over the past decade. However, the society needs to go further to ensure that graduate and undergraduate students are prepared for the rapidly changing environment in high-technology employment. Undergraduate students need expanded access to research at chemistry’s disciplinary interfaces, and all students should have opportunities to explore strategies for applying their knowledge of chemistry in parallel career paths such as information science, biotechnology, law, international relations, and government service. More students need to learn how to take processes from conception to the market through experiences in makerspaces, internships in high-technology businesses, and participation in entrepreneurship training. ACS has already conducted experiments in many of these areas and must advocate for providing these opportunities earlier in the formal educational process.
Building on existing ACS strengths. ACS programs, including Project SEED, ACS Scholars, and local section outreach, are already working to increase the diversity of student populations studying in STEM fields. ACS needs to redouble its efforts in these areas. The society can play an increased role in advocating for federal, state, and local programs to enhance STEM education and in ACS sponsorship of programs bringing the wonder of the chemical sciences to students from underrepresented populations. ACS remains the world’s premier source of chemical science knowledge, which is an important value proposition for scientists who associate with the society. Recent changes in ACS Publications and information services have been very popular among academic and industry client bases. As the society considers strategies for retaining younger scientists, we need to examine how these individuals access and consume scientific information and how we can adapt society programs beyond Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) and Pubs to support this critical segment of our membership. The vast majority of scientific professionals are appalled by a governmental climate that seems to marginalize the role of scientific knowledge in policy-making, sidetrack programs to build high-quality STEM education, and disregard the urgent
need to support research that leads to technological innovation. ACS must sustain support for its Office of Public Affairs while seeking additional partnerships to publicly support science with like-minded stakeholders among other scientific societies and technology-related businesses. It is truly an honor to have been asked to stand for election to an at-large seat on the ACS Board of Directors. If elected, I will work with ACS members and with other representatives on the board to support society policies, practices, and programs that will address these and other questions of importance to ACS members.
▸ Kristin M. Omberg Central New Mexico Section. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash. Academic record: Gonzaga University, B.S., chemistry, 1993, B.A., philosophy, 1993; University of North Carolina, Ph.D., chemistry, 1998, doctoral certificate in public policy analysis, 1998; Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), postdoctoral fellow, 1999–2001 Honors: LANL Distinguished Performance Award, 2015, 2001; ACS Fellow, 2012; U.S. Secret Service Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Support to the Democratic National Convention, 2008, 2004; LANL Women’s Career Development Outstanding Mentor Award, 2005; Certificate of Appreciation for Service to National Security Special Events, Department of Homeland Security, 2004; R&D 100 Award, 2003; LANL Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1999–2001; ACS Congressional Fellowship, 1998–99; gold medal, Northwest Olympiada of Spoken Russian, American Council of Teachers of Russian, 1989; Sigma Xi Professional positions (for past 10 years): Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Chemical & Biological Signature Science, group leader, 2015– ; LANL, R&D manager and technical staff Omberg member, 2001–15 Service in ACS national offices: Committee on Budget & Finance, 2014–16, chair, 2015, committee associate, 2009–13; Board Committee on Executive Compensation, 2015; Board Committee on Planning, 2015; Council Policy Committee, (nonvoting) 2015; Committee on Chemistry & Public Affairs, 2004–12, chair, 2008–10, committee associate, 2001–03; ACS Presidential Task Force on Enhancing Innovation & Competitiveness,
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2007–08; ACS Presidential Task Force on the Department of Energy, 2002 Service in ACS offices: Central New Mexico Section: councilor, 2014–16; past-chair, 2015; National Chemistry Olympiad coordinator, 2014–15; chair, 2014; chair-elect, 2013; executive adviser, 2012–13 Member: Member of ACS since 1994. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Association for Women in Science, Sigma Xi Related activities: 230th ACS National Meeting, “Symposium on Congressional Science Fellows,” organizer/presider, 2005; 223rd ACS National Meeting, “Award Symposium for Thomas J. Meyer,” organizer/presider, 2002; “How to Fund Science: The Future of Medical Research,” sponsored by AAAS, invited participant, 1999; Sigma Xi Annual Forum Steering Committee, 1997–98; 31 publications in peer-reviewed journals; two book chapters in the areas of inorganic chemistry and biology; one book chapter on career opportunities for chemists in government; author or coauthor of more than 50 controlled publications and technical reports, and federal interagency guidance
Omberg’s statement It is an honor to be considered for ACS director-at-large. Thank you for taking time to evaluate my qualifications and vision. I am passionate about ACS’s mission, and as a current councilor, current and former committee chair, former local section chair, and former ACS Congressional Fellow, I ask for your vote so that I can bring my unique perspective and experiences to the board. As a member of the board, I will consider it my duty to communicate the “what,” “why,” and “how” of society processes and decisions. ACS is an influential, complicated, and sometimes confusing organization. But fundamentally, ACS is you, me, and all of our members. We should feel ownership in our society, its direction, and its success; understanding how ACS works and having a voice in society decisions are critical to that ownership. As the current chair of the society Committee on Budget & Finance, I have made it a priority to understand the “what,” “why,” and “how” of the society’s financial decisions and to communicate them to members: For example, I’ve published C&EN comments on how dues revenues are allocated (C&EN, Nov. 2, 2015, page 47) and how dues increases are determined (C&EN, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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May 9, page 34). I will continue to do this as a member of the board. You and I may have legitimate disagreements about society issues—for example, dues increases—but it’s hard to resolve them if we don’t have all the relevant information. It is imperative that ACS leadership broadly communicates current processes as well as possible changes and their impacts so that we can all participate in making informed choices for the society’s future. I will also consider it my duty to gather diverse input and advocate for diverse representation in the society and its decisions. One of ACS’s core values is “diversity and inclusion,” and we must remember that when decisions are made. We are strongest when we inspire all members to contribute regardless of their demographic characteristics or personal discriminants, when we gather input across a full spectrum of views, and when we participate in making informed choices, however controversial, together. I will work to ensure that ACS’s core values are emphasized across all goals and programs and whenever decisions are made. ACS has four core values: “passion for chemistry and the global chemistry enterprise in the broadest sense,” “focus on members,” “professionalism,” and “diversity and inclusion.” We often focus on ACS’s goals, because goals are easier to track. But values are integral to our identity. I will consider all board decisions in the context of promoting our values, as well as achieving our goals. I will work to strengthen ACS’s advocacy programs and will promote programs and policy positions that take a long-term perspective so that we advance science and employment prospects in the future as well as today. In 1999, I was the ACS Congressional Fellow. I worked on the Senate Committee on the Budget, organizing hearings on doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health. I learned firsthand, in that role, that the real impacts of federal research funding are felt years or even decades after decisions are made. Following my fellowship, I campaigned to join the ACS Committee on Chemistry & Public Affairs and eventually became chair of the committee so that I could give back to ACS by sharing what I had learned. Today’s flat research funding does not just hurt today’s researchers and students: It will impact technology and employment among chemists in the year 2030 in ways we cannot foresee. As a premier advocacy organization, ACS has a mandate to promote policies that support its members’ interests in the short and long term. In today’s political environment, it’s difficult to look past the next election, but ACS should be working to influence the next decade, or several decades, through policy.
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To do that, we must prioritize working with federal agencies, as well as with Congress. Federal agency staff members are already shaping the policies and initiatives we will see in the 2020s. A new President will also bring his or her priorities to the office. I will work to ensure resources are available for ACS to effectively engage the federal agencies and the new Administration, while continuing to support our successful programs on Capitol Hill. I appreciate your consideration of my statement, and I hope I have convinced you to give me one of your two votes. I would be honored to represent you as director-at-large. Please leave any feedback at kristinmomberg.wordpress.com.
▸ Dorothy J. Phillips Northeastern Section. (Retired) Waters Corp., Milford, Mass. Academic record: Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1967; University of Cincinnati, Ph.D., 1974 Honors: Dr. Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Endowed Chair, Vanderbilt University, 2015; Distinguished Chemist Award, New England Institute of Chemists, 2011; ACS Fellow, 2010; Shirley B. Radding Award, ACS Santa Clara Valley Section, 2008; Waters Leadership Award for Outstanding Contributions to Waters & Waters’s Community, 2008; Dr. Dorothy Wingfield Phillips Award for Leadership, Vanderbilt University, 2007; Henry A. Hill Award, ACS Northeastern Section, 2006; Unsung Heroine Award, Vanderbilt University, 2006; Salute to Excellence Award, ACS Nashville Section, 2004; honored by TTT Mentor Program of Cambridge, Mass., “Minority Role Model in Science, Mathematics, Technology & Engineering,” 2004; Distinguished Alumni, University of Cincinnati, McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, 1994, Center for Women Studies, 1993 Professional positions (for past 10 years): Waters Corp., 1984–2013, strategic marketing director, 2006–13, clinical marketing director, 2004–06 Service in ACS national offices: Board of Directors, director-at-large, 2014–16, Executive Committee, 2016; councilor, ex officio, 2014– 16; Board Standing Committee on Planning, Grassroots Dialogue Working Group, chair, 2016; Collaborative for Reimaging a Diverse ACS Membership, chair, 2016; Committee on Grants & Awards, 2016, 2014; Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations, 2015; Committee on Professional & Member Relations, 2014–16; Science & Human Rights initiatives, board liaison, 2014–16; Undergraduate Programs Advisory Board, 2013; Council Policy Committee, 2008–13, Nominations Sub-
committee, chair, 2012–13; Presidential Task Force, “Vision 2025: Helping ACS Members Thrive in the Global Chemistry Enterprise,” 2012; Committee on Divisional Activities, 2007–08; Committee on Committees, 2001– 06, secretary, 2003–04, Industrial Pipeline Subcommittee, chair, 2005–06; Committee on Membership Affairs, 1997–2000, committee associate, 1996; Committee on International Activities, committee associate, 1998 Service in ACS offices: Northeastern Section: trustee, 2014–16; Awards Committee, chair, 2009–16; councilor, 1995–2013; Centennial Celebration, cochair, 1998; Project SEED, committee chair, 1994–95; Nominating Committee, chair, 1994; chair, 1993; chair-elect and program chair, 1992. Analytical Chemistry Division: Fund-raising Committee, chair, 2012–13; chair, 2009–10; immediate past-chair, 2008–09; program chair, 2008–09; chair-elect, 2007–08 Member: Member of ACS since 1973. National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers, Sigma Xi, Alpha Kappa Alpha. ACS Divisions: Agrochemicals, American Association of Chemistry Teachers, Analytical Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Business Development & Management Related activities: ACS national meeting presentations, Committee on Minority Affairs luncheon, spring 2015, “Legacy of Henry A. Hill” symposia, fall 2015; spearheaded Waters sponsorship of the Frank H. Field & Joe L. Franklin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mass Spectrometry and the ACS Award in Separations Science & Technology; keynote or invited speaker at the 15th International Conference of the Indian Society of Chemists & Biologists, Rajkot, India, 2011, International Conference on “Chemistry for Mankind: Innovative Ideas in Life Sciences,” Nagpur, India, 2011, 3rd Annual PepCon conference, Beijing, 2010, 6th Annual Congress of International Drug Discovery Science & Technology, Beijing, 2008. More than 70 publications and presentations focused on separation sciences and a book chapter on active learning in analytical chemistry
Phillips’s statement First, I thank you for the opportunity to serve on the American Chemical Society Board of Directors from 2014 to 2016. My first term as a director-at-large has been rewarding, enabling me to gain more insight about ACS as a society while I strived to advance the broader chemistry enterprise. Among my priorities for a second term are enabling ACS to reach its potential in both globalization and diversity. My 16 years of corporate experience developing global business partnerships gives me the exper-
tise to work with ACS executive staff and the board to build sustainable global relationships. In 2015, I received a deeply appreciated recognition award from my alma mater as Vanderbilt University announced its focus to be more inclusive. Vanderbilt established the Dr. Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Endowed Chair to advance research, education, and diversity in the STEM fields. Highlights of my achievements and service during my first term and initiatives for a second term are consistent with ACS’s goals and core values. Globalization. ACS has specific objectives for continued international inPhillips volvement. As a global marketer, I realized that an important strategy to building relationships in Europe, Japan, and Asia was spending time with stakeholders in their environments. Better understanding of their culture, values, and needs fostered the building of common goals. During a second term on the board, I will push forward the idea for board members to visit international members, chapters, and business partners. Diversity and inclusion. Being recognized by Vanderbilt as a trailblazer for diversity, I am committed to making strong contributions to this ACS core value. While serving on the board’s Grants & Awards Committee, I supported the effort to increase the number of women and minority candidates for society awards and honors. In 2015, I attended the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) meeting to strengthen its collaboration with ACS. Currently, I chair the collaborative that is tasked with achieving the strategic imperative to increase the diversity of ACS membership so that it reflects that of the U.S. and the world. Science and human rights. Since 2014, I’ve been proud to serve as the ACS Board liaison for the society’s Science & Human Rights (S&HR) program that monitors the cases of scientists worldwide whose rights have been abridged. I work closely with the Office of International Activities to expand the initiative to include webinars, symposia, and collaborations. My two C&EN comments on S&HR (Oct. 13, 2014, page 30, and Jan. 18, page 35) focused on increasing the involvement of ACS members in casework. During a second term on the board, I will continue to support S&HR programs as well as encourage further involvement of ACS members.
Safety in laboratories. My level of interest in chemical safety has been enhanced by the recent increase in newsworthy safety incidents. For example, on March 16, Thea Ekins-Coward, a postdoc at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, suffered the loss of an arm in a laboratory explosion. During a second term, I will work closely with my colleagues to determine actions at the board level to noticeably enhance ACS’s involvement and profile in laboratory safety.
Legislative summits. Legislative summits are organized annually for board members to spend a day on Capitol Hill advocating for public policies related to the society and its members. As a member of the board, I visited the offices of senators and congressmen each year. When President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act on Dec. 10, 2015, I felt fulfilled because I advocated for this bill with its potential to prepare more students for careers in chemistry and related disciplines. Personal goal. I grew up in the segregated South of the U.S., yet my achievements have been far greater than expected. I exceeded my potential through the grace of God and the support of others. I was the first African American woman to receive a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt’s College of Arts & Science and a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in chemistry and to serve on the ACS Board of Directors. Whenever I tell my story, I hope it inspires someone in the audience to move forward with his/her career in the sciences or other disciplines. In summary, I have demonstrated my ability to be a strong contributor on the ACS Board of Directors. I have extensive leadership experience as a corporate director and within ACS governance, local sections, and divisions. I have high enthusiasm and many ideas for my second term as a director-at-large. Please visit my website at dorothyphillips. net and cast your vote for me!
▸ Kathleen M. Schulz Central New Mexico Section. Business Results, Inc., Albuquerque, N.M. Academic record: Eastern New Mexico University, B.S. summa cum laude, 1964; University of Missouri, Ph.D., 1973 Honors: ACS Fellow, 2009; Sandia President’s Quality Award, Advanced Sales Training
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Program, 2005; American Marketing Association Marketer of the Year Award of Achievement for New Mexico, government category, 2000; Sandia/Lockheed Martin Employee Recognition Award-Robotic Industries Association Trade Show Team, 2000; ACS Office of Public Outreach Appreciation Award, 1996; Professionalism Award, Midwest Research Institute Council of Principal Scientists, 1989; Pioneer in Laboratory Robotics Award, International Symposium on Laboratory Robotics, 1988; Outstanding Young Women in America, 1974; Gulf Oil Fellowship, University of Missouri, 1971–72; ACS Analytical Division Summer Fellowship/Carle Instruments, 1970; National Defense Education Act Graduate Fellowship, University of Missouri, 1968–71 Professional positions (for past 10 years): Business Results Inc., president, 2009– ; Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratories, systems engineer/performance improvement consultant, business development manager, technology marketing consultant, 2000–08 Service in ACS national offices: Board of Directors, director-at-large, 2011–16; councilor, ex officio, 2011–16; Board Executive Committee, 2015; Board Standing Committee on Planning, 2015–16, chair, 2015–16; Board Standing Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations, 2011–16, chair, 2012–14; Committee on Professional & Member Relations, 2015; Committee on Grants & Awards, 2011–13; Presidential Task Force on Climate Science, 2011–13; ACS Leadership Advisory Board, member, 2009–13; Presidential Task Force on Innovation in the Chemical Enterprise, 2010; Council Policy Committee, (voting) 2008–10, (nonvoting) 1999–2001; Committee on Nominations & Elections, 2002–07; Board of Trustees, Group Insurance Plans for ACS Members, 1999–2007; Board Oversight Group on Leadership Development, 2004–05, cochair, 2004–05; Committee on Committees (ConC) Task Force on Governance, 2003; ConC Task Force on Committee Effectiveness, 2002–03; Presidential Working Group on Leadership Development, 2002-03, chair, 2002–03; Presidential Task Force on Bylaw Changes for Division & Local Section Support, 2001; Presidential Task Force on Leadership Development, 2000–01; Advisory Board for Industry Relations, 1999–2001; Committee on Local Section Activities, 1999–2001, chair, 1999–2001; Presidential Task Force on Society Support to Local Sections & Divisions, 2000; Board of Directors Task Force on Technical Programming, 1998; ConC Future Directions Task Force, 1998; ConC Industry Pipeline Task Force, chair, 1997–98; Committee on Committees, 1996–98; Committee on Public Relations, 1992–98, chair, 1997–98, committee associate, 1992–93 Service in ACS offices: bylaw councilor, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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2010. Division of Business Development & Management: councilor, 2004–09; Membership Committee, chair, 2003–08. Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry: councilor, 1994–2002; Automation Program Chair, 1990–96; Program Committee, 1990– 96, program secretary, 1990–94; alternate councilor, 1988–93; past-chair, 1990; chair, 1989; chair-elect, 1988; Executive Committee, member-at-large, 1986–88. California Section: Executive Committee, 1974–77. Fresno Subsection: secretary-treasurer, 1979, 1974; chair, 1976–77; chair-elect, 1975 Member: Member of ACS since 1965. Association for Talent Development. ACS Divisions: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, Small Chemical Businesses Related activities: Facilitator for 19 ACS grassroots unit strategic planning retreats, 2012– . Developer of ACS training, programs, subdivisions, and symposia. Trained/Certified in many consulting and organization development skills. Professional experience: 40-year career in every sector of the chemical enterprise; wide range of positions, e.g., professor, principal investigator, program manager, business unit director, consultant. Speaker/ Presenter: Many technical presentations, seminars, and workshops delivered nationally and internationally in person and via live TV or videoconference. Because of space restrictions, see www.sandiaspring.com/kms4dal for full details
Schulz’s statement “Keeping ACS strong in uncertain times” We are used to uncertainty in ACS, but this year takes things to a whole new level. We can’t predict what will happen in 2017, but disruptive change seems increasingly likely. Changes in governments and other world events could produce major shifts in the business climate, jobs, R&D funding, pre-K through postdoctoral education, and more. The good news: Today, ACS is financially strong, with a large membership, committed volunteers, valued products and services, stellar credibility, and a stellar reputation. To ensure that we remain a world-class organization, the 2017 ACS Board of Directors must work closely with grassroots and staff leaders to effectively meet the challenges ahead.
The challenges Today’s challenges for ACS are wide-ranging and likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It’s a long list, including globalization, decreased support for R&D and science education, declining ACS membership, decreasing science literacy among the public and legislators, and more. These
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challenges require the board to consider big questions, including ▸ How can we make ACS indispensable to the chemistry enterprise, including current and potential members? ▸ What should we do to improve members’ career competitiveness, strengthen chemistry education, and help lawmakers understand the benefits of supporting science? We address such questions by focused action in the four goal areas of the ACS strategic plan: information, careers, education, and communicating chemistry’s value. The board annually reviews progress, considers new challenges, seeks input, and modifies the plan that guides us all. What about new, unpredictable challenges? I believe these will be our greatest test in the immediate future. Disruptive change requires new skills and major adjustments—perhaps completely new strategies. To address such issues, ACS needs adaptability, creative new approaches, and even closer collaboration between the board and other ACS leaders.
What did I do? No single board member can address ACS’s astonishingly broad portfolio. Instead, we work collaboratively, each contributing unique strengths and experience. Here are the areas I’ve focused on (with recent contributions) during my past two terms:
Supporting ACS grassroots—Facilitated 19 strategic planning retreats for local sections, divisions, and ACS regional and advisory boards. Advocacy—Chaired Board Standing Committee on Public Affairs & Public Schulz Relations; annually visited Capitol Hill to advocate for funding. Strategy—Chaired Board Standing Committee on Planning; led many environment scan and Strategy Café dialogues (for example, with national committees and new councilors). Leadership development—Wrote white paper for board development discussion; facilitated advanced leadership and strategic planning workshops at the ACS Leadership Institute. To summarize, I’ve collaborated with my board colleagues, contributed as an individual board member, and actively served on the board’s four main standing committees and its elected Executive Committee. I’ve also chaired two standing committees and led or served on several
task forces (for example, one concerning awards equity).
Qualifications Going forward, I offer the following qualifications, in addition to board experience: ▸ Commitment to keeping ACS local sections and divisions strong. ▸ The ability to understand diverse member needs, from a career in all sectors of the chemistry enterprise. ▸ Deep understanding of ACS, from many years as an active volunteer. ▸ Willingness to commit time and do the work required, proven by my long ACS track record. If disruptive change happens, please consider my additional helpful skills and experience: ▸ Proven ability to assess and adapt to changing situations, from a wide-ranging career as a bench chemist, educator, business developer, manager, and consultant. ▸ The ability to recognize and grow opportunities, demonstrated in marketing/business development success in five different organizations. ▸ Strong skills in creative problem solving, guiding and communicating change, developed through 20 years of consulting. ▸ Experience and special training in critical skills— consulting, organizational/ leadership development, human performance improvement, facilitation.
Our future I believe in ACS and its mission and am committed to helping achieve our vision of “improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.” We can truly make a difference in the world by keeping ACS strong and able to support chemical professionals as they solve pressing problems worldwide! The best legacy of my service on the ACS Board would be a financially strong, respected society that’s indispensable to the chemical professionals of tomorrow. After two terms as a fully engaged board member, and 40 years as an active ACS volunteer, I remain energetic, enthusiastic, and committed to partnering with you to serve ACS members and the society! I would be honored to receive one of your two votes for director-at-large. For additional information on my qualifications and activities, see www. sandiaspring.com/kms4dal.
