CES Roster

Chair

• Steve Moss

Committee Bios

Members | Liaisons | Staff

Dr. Steven Moss, Member (2025) and Chair

Dr. Steven Moss is a Senior Program Officer for the Board on Life Sciences at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Dr. Moss joined NASEM in 2019, where his work focusses on convening groups of experts to discuss, and make recommendations related to, science policy issues in the life sciences and other related fields. His current portfolio of projects includes understanding the convergence of scientific disciplines, as well as projects on environmental sustainability in the chemical economy, synthetic biology, and the future of biotechnology. Prior to joining NASEM, Dr. Moss received his Ph.D. in chemistry and chemical biology from the University of California, San Francisco. Before starting his PhD, he received a B.S. in biochemistry from American University, and then worked as a laboratory technician for 2 years at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Moss also serves as a member of the Public Affairs Committee for the Biophysical Society and serves as a judge for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition.

Muhammad Abbas, Associate (2024)

Edgar A. Arriaga, Assosciate (2024)

Dr. Katherine Aubrecht, Member (2024)

Katherine Aubrecht is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, where she also serves as the Division Head for Sustainability Studies. Her scholarship focuses on the development and assessment of learning materials connecting chemistry to issues of sustainability. She is serving as a module developer for the ACS GCI Green and Sustainable Chemistry Module Development Project. She was one of the 2016 recipients of the ACS-CES Award for Incorporation of Sustainability into Chemical Education. She received a B.A. in Chemistry from Reed College, a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Cornell University, and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Minnesota.

Ms. Jenelle Ball, Member (2024)

Jenelle Ball is a high school chemistry teacher in Chico, California. As a 30+ year teacher of chemistry, she still has a true enthusiasm for her profession. She currently teaches college prep chemistry and Advanced Placement Chemistry, and serves as the science department chair.

Ms. Ball received her BS in chemistry from California State University, Chico. Her MS in chemistry is from UC Santa Cruz and her MA in education is from UC Santa Barbara.

In 1982, Ms. Ball became a full member the ACS after having been a member and president of the Student Affiliates at CSU Chico. She is a long-time member of the California Section. In 2010, the California Section recognized her teaching efforts and selected her as the Lloyd Ryland Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher. Many opportunities came from that recognition. In 2015, she received the James Bryant Conant Award from the ACS. In 2016, she served as a member of the Recommendations Task Force for the American Chemical Society Guidelines for Teaching High School and Middle School Chemistry. In 2017, Ms. Ball served as President of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers, and was recognized as the Outstanding Alumni from the College of Natural Sciences at CSU Chico. She has been the program organizer and co-organizer for many Teacher Day programs during the ACS Spring National Meeting. She is very excited to now be a councilor for the California Section and member of CES.

Dr. Marie Bourgeois, Consultant (2023)

Dr. Marie Bourgeois is a Research Professor and Toxicologist at the University Of South Florida College Of Public Health. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Chemistry from USF and an MPH and Ph.D. in Toxicology and Risk Assessment from the Environmental and Occupational Health Department at USF COPH in 2010.  Her research includes lactational transfer of pesticides, toxicity assessments of investigational compounds, and the effects of PARP inhibition on pharmacologically mediated hepatotoxicity.

Dr. Bourgeois was a Councilor (2014 – 2018) for the Tampa Bay ACS Chapter. She is currently serving as interim Secretary and has been an active member of ACS since 2006. She holds leadership positions in SOT at a regional and national level. She also is a member of the SETAC Human Health Risk Assessment Advisory Group and is an active promoter of K12 science education outreach.

Dr. Edward Brush, Member (2024)

Ed Brush is professor of chemistry at Bridgewater State University (BSU) in Massachusetts.  Ed received his Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from Penn State University, and B.Sc. in Chemistry from King's College of Pennsylvania.  Ed is faculty coordinator of Project GreenLab, an outreach initiative engaging students and educators in projects that apply the Principles of Green Chemistry to solve real world problems related to the use of chemicals in society.  Ed teaches organic chemistry and introduction to green chemistry at BSU, where he engages students through research, flipped classroom pedagogy, and the integration of Project-Based Learning into his lecture and lab courses focused on carbon capture. He has served as co-PI on a variety of departmental and institutional projects at BSU: to integrate and scaffold research through the chemistry curriculum; and integrate interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning (PBL) across the curriculum via connections to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Ed serves on the advisory board for the Green Chemistry Commitment and is a member of the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement. He has contributed to the ACS CPT Green Chemistry Supplement and was a guest editor for the Journal of Chemical Education special issue on “Systems Thinking, and Green and Sustainable Chemistry”. Ed has co-organized numerous symposia and workshops on green & sustainable chemistry at ACS national meetings, and represents the CES on the thematic programming team for the ACS 2022 fall meeting in Chicago.

Dr. Peter F. DeCarlo, Associate (2023)

Dr. Peter DeCarlo is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering.  Dr. DeCarlo has a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 2001, and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Colorado in 2007 where he was an EPA Graduate Research STAR recipient and awarded the AAAR Sheldon K. Friedlander Award for his doctoral thesis in 2009. From 2008-2010 he was an NSF International Postdoctoral Fellowship recipient from 2008-2010 at the Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry at the Paul Scherrer Insititut in Switzerland. He also is interested in the intersection of science and policy and was an AAAS Science Policy Fellow hosted at the US EPA in 2010-2011. Dr. DeCarlo’s research is focused on the measurement and quantification of trace gases and particulate chemical composition in air and how these chemical species impact human health and the environment. 

Dr. Jillian Goldfarb, Member (2025)

Dr. Jillian Goldfarb received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and Ph.D. from Brown University. She is an Associate Professor of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Goldfarb’s research tackles challenges surrounding energy generation and its impact on the environment. She has developed new concepts for solid waste to green material conversion and proposed new biorefinery concepts for low-carbon fuels. Her work is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, USDA, U.S.-Israel Binational Research Development Fund, the Eppley Foundation and the Towards Sustainability Foundation. Prof. Goldfarb is co-Principal Editor of Fuel. She is recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an ACS Green Chemistry Institute GreenX: Rising Star Award, and was a 2017 Fulbright Scholar to Italy. In 2022 she was a delegate to the 1^st National Academies of Science U.S.-Africa Frontiers symposium and a recipient of the Cornell University College of Engineering James and Mary Tien Excellence in Teaching Award.

Erin M. Gross, Associate (2024)

Dr. Heriberto Hernandez, Member (2024)

Heriberto Hernández is a passionate chemistry professor with many years of experience administering education, conducting research projects with undergraduate students, and serving the chemistry community. He received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Purdue University. His research area is computational chemistry and spectroscopy. Currently, his research focuses on understanding the role of ligands in the electronic and molecular structure of noble metal nanoclusters. In his years as a professor at Grinnell College, Heriberto has worked with over 50 students, has several peer-reviewed publications with undergraduate student co-authors, and has presented over 25 abstracts at the American Chemical Society (ACS) National meetings. Besides his research, Heriberto is an active member of the ACS. He is a member of the ACS Committee on Environmental and Sustainability (CES). He was previously an associate of the ACS-CES, organized the 2022 ACS Midwest Regional meeting as arrangement Chair, and is currently the treasurer of the ACS Iowa section. Besides his work at the ACS, he is also a reviewer-editor for Frontiers in Chemistry and Frontiers in Physics journals. A two-time Paul Harris fellow, Heriberto has contributed to local and international projects in collaboration with Rotary International. He is also a volunteer math coach at the local middle school and has been a member of the external advisory board for diversity at Purdue University for the past five years. 

Dr. Keisuke Ikehata, Member (2025)

Dr. Keisuke Ikehata is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering in the Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.  He joined Texas State as one of four founding members of the new Civil Engineering Program in July 2019.  Dr. Ikehata received his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 2003.  Prior to joining Texas State, Dr. Ikehata worked as a technical consultant/R&D manager at a water resources engineering firm in Orange County, California for more than eight years.  Dr. Ikehata is a registered professional environmental engineer in Alberta and Arizona.  His research interests and expertise include aquatic chemistry and biology, xenobiotics toxicology and risk assessment, water and wastewater treatment, disinfection and disinfection by-products, water reuse, desalination, and environmental microbiology and biotechnology.  Dr. Ikehata has published more than 160 technical publications, including peer-reviewed research articles, review papers, and invited book chapters.  Dr. Ikehata has been an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) since 1999. Dr. Ikehata was the Chair (2019) and an Alternate Councilor (2016-2019) for the Orange County Section of the ACS (OC ACS).  He was also an active member of the Environmental Committee of the OC ACS and severed as a program co-chair for the ACS Western Regional Meeting in San Marcos, California in 2015. 

Dr. Anastasia Ilgen, Member (2024)

Dr. Anastasia G. Ilgen is a Principal Member of Technical Staff in the Geochemistry Department at Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Ilgen is an experimental geochemist, specializing in molecular mechanisms of chemical reactions at solid-water interfaces. Her notable discoveries include identifying chemical complexation reactions which control fracturing in crystalline phases, with implications for geological carbon and nuclear waste storage. She developed new insights into the nanoconfinement-driven chemical changes to the structure and thermodynamics of surface complexation reactions for copper and lanthanide ions.

Anastasia has been a member of ACS since 2008, joining as a graduate student.  She Anastasia has been a member of the ACS and the Geochemistry Division since 2008. She served a four-year rotation as Program Chair-Elect (2015), Program Chair (2016), Division Chair (2017), and Past Division Chair (2018) of the Geochemistry Division as well as elected twice to serve as Councilor (2019-2021, 2022-2024). Anastasia received an M.S. equivalent degree in water quality and engineering from Kamchatka State Technical University, Russia in 2001.  She worked at the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Kamchatka, Russia (2001-2004). She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry from University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK, in 2010. 

Heidi B. Irrig, Associate (2024)

Dr. Csaba Janaky, Associate (2024)

James J. Kiddle, Associate (2024)

Dr. V. Faye McNeill, Consultant (2024)

V. Faye McNeill is a Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Earth and Environmental Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in 2007 and received tenure in 2014.  She received her B.S. in Ch.E. from Caltech in 1999 and in 2005 she received her PhD in Ch.E. from MIT, where she was a NASA Earth System Science Fellow. From 2005-2007 she was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington Department of Atmospheric Sciences. She received the NSF CAREER and the ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator awards in 2009.  She was the recipient of the Kenneth T. Whitby Award of AAAR in 2015. She was a Co-Editor for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics from 2007-2017, and she is a founding Associate Editor for ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.  She has served in elected officer positions at AAAR, AIChE Environmental Division, and AGU. She is currently the Vice President Elect of AAAR (President in 2023). She is a Member of the ACS Committee on Environment and Sustainability.

Michael J. Morello, Associate (2024)

Dr. Clifford Murphy, Member (2025)

Clifford Murphy received his B.S. in Chemistry from Saint Michael’s College, and his Ph.D. in Physical Inorganic Chemistry with Prof. Wayne E. Jones Jr. at Binghamton University.   Currently, Cliff is a Professor of Physical Chemistry at Roger Williams University where he mentors undergraduates in chemical research.   His recent projects have included development of a electrochemical chemosensor device for detection of nitrate, nitrite, and thiocyanate ions in seawater and investigating the photophysics of oxygen pulsimetry measurements in model solution systems containing hemoglobin and melanin. Cliff has been a member of the American Chemical Society since 1998 and is an active member with the Rhode Island Local Section of the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Abby R. O'Connor, Associate (2023)

Abby O’Connor is a Professor of Chemistry at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Abby received a B.S in Chemistry from Lafayette College and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Following graduate school, Abby conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Washington-Seattle, where she was a member of The Center for Enabling New Technologies Through Catalysis (CENTC). Her teaching interests are in inclusive teaching pedagogies for organic, inorganic and general chemistry. Abby also created a course on green and sustainable chemistry. Abby’s research focuses on developing base metal catalysts for CO₂ functionalization and developing greener methodologies to synthesize safer ligands for organometallic catalysis. Abby was recognized by the Women’s Chemist Committee as a Rising Star for 2021 and was the 2022 recipient of the E. Emmet Reid Teaching Award. Abby continues to be involved with several TCNJ groups including serving as vice president of the Faculty Senate.

Abby is an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS). She has chaired sessions for the inorganic division at National ACS meetings, organized symposia, and currently serves as councilor and the chemists celebrate earth week coordinator for the Trenton local ACS section. She co-organized and ran the highly successful Career Café Program put together by the Trenton local section and in the past coordinated efforts for the Chemagination competition held in conjunction with the Princeton Section. Abby also serves as a reviewer for manuscripts, grants, and student ACS chapter reports. She was the chair for student programming at the MARM in 2022.

Dr. Sara V. Orski, Member (2024) and Secretary

Dr. Sara Orski is a research chemist in the Materials Science and Engineering Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD.  Her research expertise is in synthesis and characterization of polymers and polymer thin films.  Current projects involve characterization of well-controlled branched polyolefins for next-generation standard reference materials as well as improving identification and measurement methods for plastics found in marine environments, with the goal of quantifying the degradation rates and mechanisms of different commercial polymers.

Sara Orski completed a postdoc in the NIST Sustainable Polymers Group as a National Research Council fellow in 2013.  She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Georgia in 2011 in Athens, GA, and her B.S. in Chemistry with honors in 2006 from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.  She is actively involved with her local ACS section, the Chemical Society of Washington, where she serves as chair of the Younger Chemists Committee and as a councilor.  She is also active in ACS POLY where she serves as the Student Chapter liaison.

Dr. Michelle M. Rogers, Member (2025)

Michelle Rogers joined Cargill, Inc. in April 2020 and currently is the Manager of Industrial and Regulatory and Scientific Affairs – North America. In this role she is responsible for developing the industrial regulatory strategy to ensure compliance while enabling business success along with managing a team of regulatory and hazard communication specialist. Prior to joining Cargill, Michelle spent 13 years working for The Lubrizol Corporation. Michelle joined Lubrizol as a research scientist where she developed novel detergents for engine oils. She then transitioned to the Product Safety and Compliance Department (PSCD). Michelle’s time in PSCD was focused on the EU and Korean REACH regulations along with the associated systems and process development.

Michelle is very involved with the American Chemical Society (ACS) on a national level, previously serving on the Women Chemists Committee (WCC) and as chair of Nomenclature, Terminology and Structure Representation (NTS) committee. She is also involved at the international level with International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Michelle has been involved with the Committee on Chemistry and Industry (COCI) and Division VIII – Nomenclature  and Structure Representative, where she currently serves as President. Michelle received her BA in Chemistry from Washington University in Saint Louis and her PhD in Organic Chemistry from University of Wisconsin – Madison. Her PhD work involved the development of new oxidative Palladium catalyzed C-C and C-N bond forming reactions. Michelle’s hobbies include: Needlepoint, bicycling, traveling, cooking and spending time with husband and 7 year old daughter.

Dr. Joseph E. Sabol, Member (2025)

Joe Sabol is a consultant to the chemical, semiconductor, metal/oxide, polymer, and related industries, specializing in technical and business development services for start-ups, small, and growing chemical businesses. Sabol grew up on an apple farm in Racine County, Wisconsin, and received a B.S. in chemistry from Carroll College (now Carroll University, Wisconsin) and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater). After a postdoc in chemical engineering at University of Minnesota, Sabol taught analytical, physical, and environmental chemistry and studied the transport, magnetic, and crystallographic properties of transition metal substituted magnetite, variants of Fe3O4. Sabol joined ACS in 1976, was named ACS Fellow in 2018, and has served in many volunteer roles, including Division of Small Chemical Businesses Program Chair (2008-2022) and Councilor (2016-2024), Upper Peninsula Local Section Treasurer (2008-2025), and Great Lakes Region Director (2011-2024) and Treasurer (2019-2025). Sabol served on Committee for Chemistry and Public Affairs (2015-2021) before joining CES in 2022. In 2003, Sabol was appointed to Marquette County [Michigan] Local Emergency Planning Committee and has been Chair since 2017. In 2022, Sabol was elected Director, Friends of Peter White Public Library [Marquette, Michigan]. 

Fatin Samara, Associate (2024)

Dr. Peter Smith, Member (2026)

Pete Smith is a Professor of Chemistry at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA where he has worked since 2002. He earned his B.S. (1997) and Ph.D. (2000) in chemistry from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Before beginning his career at Westminster College, Pete was a Franklin Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at the University of Georgia. Pete began his service to the ACS and its members in his local section where he has served as chair (2006), secretary (2007 – 2009), member-at-large (2003, 2018 – 2020), and alternate councilor (2005 – 2012). In 2007, he began his national service as an Associate on the Younger Chemists Committee (2007 – 2009). From there, Pete has served the Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry as chair of the Green Chemistry & Engineering subdivision (2009), program chair (2014 – 2015), and councilor (2018 – 2020). He has also served as treasurer (2008 – 2014) and chair (2017) of the Division of Professional Relations. Additionally, Pete has served on the Committee for Chemical Abstracts Service (2012 – 2017) and as a member of three General Chemistry Exam Committees for the ACS Examinations Institute (2005, 2010, 2014).

Pete’s research focuses on creating new methods for the recovery of valuable materials from scrap and end-of-life high tech products. He and his students are currently developing more sustainable and benign methods for separating the rare earth components from the transition metals in scrap permanent magnets. As a complement to his research, Pete created and has been the primary professor for the green chemistry course offered at Westminster College.

Dr. Jane Wissinger, Member (2026)

Jane Wissinger is a Teaching Professor of Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory Director at the University of Minnesota. She received her B.A. from Susquehanna University (PA), M.S. from Georgia Institute of Technology, and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Northwestern University (IL). She was employed as a research scientist at Rohm & Haas Co. for five years before beginning her academic career at the University of Minnesota. Wissinger’s teaching and research interests focus on the development of curriculum materials for the college and high school levels that exemplify modern green chemistry methodology, advances in sustainable polymers, and guided-inquiry pedagogy. She is a Senior Principle Investigator in the Center for Sustainable Polymers and active in promoting green chemistry education locally and on a national level through funded projects, publications, and conferences. Her contributions to education were recognized with a U of MN Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor award (2014), ACS-CES Award for Incorporation of Sustainability in Chemistry Education (2018), and 2021 Brasted Award for Excellence in College Teaching. Jane has served on a Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) committee for developing a Green Chemistry Education Roadmap and is a symposia organizer at national ACS meetings and the Green Chemistry & Engineering conferences. Jane is a member of the IUPAC Interdivisional Committee on Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development (ICGCSD) and task group members on several projects.

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Liaisons

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Staff

William Hartwig, Ph.D., CES Staff Liaison; ACS Government Affairs

Dr. Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal, ACS Director of Sustainable Development

Dr. Voutchkova-Kostal is the Director of Sustainable Development at the American Chemical Society. She joined ACS in June 2023 from a robust academic career at the George Washington University as an Associate Professor in the Chemistry, with a research focus on development of methods that facilitate circular economies through catalysis and designer solvents. Her research has been recognized by a GWU Young Investigator Award, an NSF CAREER award and Rising Star award by the ACS Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. In addition to research, she has been committed to green chemistry education, serving as co-Directing of the MS program in Environmental and Green Chemistry at GWU, and as curriculum developer for green chemistry coursework through ACS Green Chemistry Institute and the NGO Beyond Benign. She is also Principal of Designing Out Toxicity LLC, a service provider of predictive toxicology tools for hazard evaluation and design of functional and safer commercial chemicals. Prior to starting her independent career, she served as Research Associate at the Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and obtained a PhD in organometallic chemistry from Yale University with Bob Crabtree. She holds a BA in Chemistry from Middlebury College.