Successful Women in Chemistry - American Chemical Society

Chapter 3

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Anne DeMasi, Regulatory Specialist, A FamilyOriented Career Path Jacqueline Erickson GlaxoSmithKline, 1500 Littleton Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Within the chemical sciences, a career can venture many different paths. This profile of Anne DeMasi shows that it is possible to have a successful family life as well as a successful career. Perhaps sacrifices must be made along the way, but more importantly one must be open to different opportunities in order to best balance work and home life.

Anne DeMasi is currently the Hazard Communication and Regulatory Specialist in the Product Integrity area at Rohm &Haas, where she is responsible for preparing the material safety data sheets (MSDS) and determining the inventory status of all products for regulatory purposes. Preparation of the M S D S involves knowing the regulatory compositions of all the company products as they impact the business and the countries within which certain products can be sold.

Education and Early Career When Anne first started college at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she planned to attend medical school. However, in college, she met Sister Helen Burke, who became one of her mentors. Sister Burke encouraged her to join the American Chemical Society (ACS) and opened her eyes to a career in chemistry. Undergraduate course work and summer work on National Science Foundation (NSF) programs helped Anne decide to continue

© 2005 American Chemical Society

Hinkle and Kocsis; Successful Women in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.

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Anne DeMasi (Courtesy ofRohm and Haas.)



19 her path in chemistry. After graduating from college, Anne spent the summer working in Product Integrity at Rohm & Haas. She then attended Villanova University, where she earned an M.S. degree in Biochemistry. After earning her M.S. degree, Anne joined Rohm & Haas as a full-time employee in the Analytical Research Department. She initially worked on rheology of polymers, even though rheology was a completely new area for her. She joined Rohm & Haas because she was familiar with the company and believed that it was the type of company within which she could build a career and was also family-oriented. After five years in Analytical Research, Anne moved into the Industrial Coatings area, where she worked on the product development for wood and plastic substrates. While in this department, she filed two patents and learned a great deal about the business. This area was particularly interesting because she worked with a variety of chemistries and applications. After a few years in this department, an opportunity became available in the Product Integrity area, and Anne switched careers again to move into her current position.

Balance When asked about sacrifices, Anne replied that she chose to work part-time for several years. Perhaps she made a small sacrifice because the rate of promotion might have been slower, but she is thankful for the opportunity to have had the option to work part-time. She is comfortable with her choice as it has been very beneficial to her family life. With two daughters, a busy career, and volunteer activities, work-life balance is important to Anne. She has a huge support system and nearby extended family that helps when she travels. Additionally, her husband of 15 years is very supportive and helps as much as possible. Although not a consideration when Anne moved to the Product Integrity area, the ability to work at home when necessary has made it much easier for Anne to balance work and life.

Success Anne believes that being successful has nothing to do with her job. She says success is a "sense of inner peace" and an "acceptance of what I can and can't do." Success is also about feeling the ultimate level of satisfaction with a healthy career, a healthy body, and a healthy family. Anne doesn't see herself as being driven in one direction or being competitive. For her, success is more about managing multiple goals. She also believes that success does involve compromise because life requires compromise. For those who define success as


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becoming C E O of a corporation, much more compromise is required, as family and a life outside of work are often sacrificed. Anne believes that you "can't do it all or have it all." A l l can be differently defined for everyone, and each person must find what works for them to be successful. Anne has had a very successful and enjoyable career at Rohm & Haas, and she plans to continue with this job. In order to stay current, she attends seminars and job-specific courses. Networking and maintaining contacts in a variety of areas have also been helpful to her career.

Mentors In becoming successful, Anne's mentors (the "2 Burkes in her life") have been very helpful. First, Sister Helen Burke at Chestnut H i l l College was instrumental in Anne becoming a chemist. Then, James (Jim) Burke originally hired Anne at Rohm & Haas and has provided guidance throughout her career. Jim has also encouraged her to participate in A C S activities. Anne joined the A C S while in college and has been involved with the Philadelphia local section since 1991, when she first became a member of the Philadelphia Board of Directors. The A C S has also helped Anne in her career as she gained experience in running meetings and dealing with different groups of people.

Advice When asked what advice she could provide to others, Anne suggests that it is important to take time to listen actively, gather as much information as possible, and hear what others have to say. Working by consensus and building relationships is also important. Critical skills for advancement include organizational skills, along with a willingness to get involved and make changes.


Successful Women in Chemistry - American Chemical Society

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