Councilor News & Committee Alerts


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Connect with ACS Leadership

 

Dorothy J. Phillips, President

Dorothy J. Phillips
President 
 

I am both excited and humbled to be starting this year as first African American woman to be President of ACS.

I am both excited and humbled to be starting this year as first African American woman to be President of ACS. The central theme for my presidency is: Building Chemistry Careers Inclusively. This emphasizes the ACS core values of Lifelong Learning and Inclusion and Belonging. I am working with both our governance volunteers and ACS staff to highlight ongoing strategic initiatives of the society:

  • Campaign for a Sustainable Future
  • Fostering a Skilled Technical Workforce

If you’ll be in San Diego and should your schedule permit, please check out my presidential sponsored symposia and events:

  • ACS Chemistry Festivals: A Global Non-Formal Chemistry Education Model—Rationale, History, and Impact
  • ACS Kids Zone
  • Chemistry of Sustainable Production in the Grape and Wine Industry
  • Global Challenges and Advances in Energy, Food and Water Sustainability in the Face of Climate Change
  • How Belonging Unlocks Innovation in STEM Panel Discussion
  • Presidential LGBTQ+ Reception
  • Quantifying and Addressing the US Fentanyl Crisis
  • Stories From the Bench & Field: Research from Chemical Technical Professionals

Finally, in collaboration with the office of DEIR, we have launched the ACS Presidential Spark Grant, designed to increase joint programming between demographic-focused committees and other committees or divisions. Please contact Racquel Jemison (r_jemison@acs.org) for more information.

I want to thank all of you who have reached out to me with your ideas, suggestions, and concerns. Your support has meant so much to me. Please continue to share your ideas and suggestions with me at d.phillips@acs.org.

Rigoberto Hernandez, President-Elect

Rigoberto Hernandez
President-Elect
 

ACS for Life: Our membership committees are already exploring new membership categories, and I believe that a life membership category will provide assurance to all of our members that once they are a chemist, they are always a chemist. 

I remain honored and grateful that Council and our Membership elected me to be your President-Elect in 2025. I am excited to work together with you—Committee Chairs and Councilors from Local Sections,  Divisions, and, soon, Zones—to advance ACS’s mission and vision on behalf of our members and all chemists.

To stay current with our members, we need to meet them where they are, and where they would like to be. My platform items, ACS First, ACS for Life and ACS for All, set a course for directions along which change is needed. How we implement these changes will depend on how you and our members, working through our existing governance structures, shape it. 

ACS First: I would like to ensure that our strategic planning and our communications align with the objective that we should be the first place our members and the public turn to when they need an answer to a chemistry question. 

ACS for Life: Our membership committees are already exploring new membership categories, and I believe that a life membership category will provide assurance to all of our members that once they are a chemist, they are always a chemist. I also look forward to identifying other ways that help members feel more engaged with chemistry and the ACS for all their lives. Let’s think about ACS for Life as broadly as possible as we work together to enhance community engagement.

ACS for All: The ACS has already charted a path towards increasing diversity and inclusion. I hope to broaden and catalyze that directive during my tenure by promoting a diversity culture and championing belonging within that culture. It’s a win-win when a new member joins. They get access to all of us, and what we can do together. We get access to the perspectives and talents that they add to us, and what we can do together. That is why we must be open to and welcome all who self-identify as chemists.

These planks may seem incremental because they can be enacted through policy changes within our current governance structures. They are also paradigm shifting, however, because they set a course for a society that will welcome more chemists with increasingly varied experiences to help us learn and grow with an emphasis on in-person experiences at scale. I look forward to hearing from you about how we can best advance these initiatives. I’m also open to other ideas and directions. Please reach out to me at ACS meetings or e-mail me at acs-hernandez@jh.edu.

Mary K. Carroll, Immediate Past President

Mary K. Carroll
Immediate Past President
 

Thanks for a Great Year!

My sincere thanks to ACS volunteer leaders, ACS staff members, and the broader chemistry community, for your support during 2024, my presidential year. I look forward to continuing to work constructively, respectfully, collaboratively and creatively with you to amplify ACS initiatives in 2025.

Wayne E. Jones Jr., Chair of the Board of Directors, and Director-at-Large

Wayne E. Jones Jr. 
Chair of the Board of Directors, and Director-At-Large

As we embark on the new year, there is much to celebrate as we welcome our first International Board Member, meet our new & returning ACS governance volunteers, and launch the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan.

On behalf of the American Chemical Society, I am thrilled to welcome our new Board Members: President-Elect Rigoberto Hernandez, District V Director Silvia Jurisson, and International Director David Wu. Their impressive experience and backgrounds will be invaluable to the ACS, and you can learn more about them and the other 2025 Board Members on the Board of Directors page

As we embark on the 149th year of the ACS, and plan for our 150th celebration next year, it's a great opportunity to reflect on the incredible progress we've made together. Our vision of a world built on science can only be achieved through collaborative leadership and a shared commitment to advancing scientific knowledge, empowering our global community, and championing scientific integrity.

Each of you plays a vital role in ACS's success. As we pursue our strategic goals to elevate the reputation of science, enhance community engagement, empower scientists, and deliver innovative solutions, I am confident that together, we can achieve remarkable things. I firmly believe in leadership at every level, and I am incredibly excited to see what we can accomplish as a team this year.


Announcements

The ACS Board of Directors has approved the new ACS Strategic Plan for 2025–2029.

The plan, effective January 1, 2025, captures the dynamic nature of ACS and provides a clear path forward for the organization. It is built on the previous plan to ensure continuity.

The ACS Strategic Plan focuses on supporting ACS’ global community, which includes members and all engaged with the organization. The plan also supports sciences broadly, with chemistry at the cornerstone. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) principles are embedded throughout the plan, strengthening ACS’ efforts through action. DEIR principles are in our commitment and the core values of lifelong learning and inclusion and belonging, while the goals incorporate aspects of accessibility, equity, and belonging.

If you have questions about the Strategic Plan, please contact strategicplan@acs.org.  

Learn More about the Strategic Plan

ACS Spring 2025

Pushing Boundaries. Solving global challenges

Get ready to learn, network with industry and academia
San Diego, CA & Virtual I March 23-27

If you are attending ACS Spring 2025 in person, please complete your registration,
including housing request, as soon as possible. 


Recognition of Committee Service


I am pleased to announce the committee appointments for 2025 have been approved by ACS President Dorothy Phillips and ACS Board Chair Wayne Jones, and everyone completing service on their assigned committee has been notified.

All committee volunteers who reached the statutory limit on their ACS governance committee at the end of 2024 are noted below.

On behalf of ConC, we thank you for your service, and very best wishes for continued success in all your future endeavors - personal, professional, and those with the ACS.

Sincerely,
Brian Mathes, 2025 Chair
ACS Committee on Committees


Budget and Finance
Christina Bodurow
Dana Ferraris
Richard Lomneth

Chemical Safety
Joseph M. Crockett
Anna L. Dunn
Michael G. Koehler
Leah R. McEwen
Al Ribes

Chemical Technical Professionals
Erin M. Dotlich
Aida Melendez
Scott A. Schlipp

Chemistry and Public Affairs
Michael (Mick) Hurrey
James J. Moran
Heidi R. Vollmer-Snarr

Chemists with Disabilities
Ashley Neybert
Theresa L. Windus

Committees
Susan M. Schelble

Community Activities
David S. Heroux
Lori R. Stepan
Veronica I. Jaramillo
Regina Malczewski

Constitution and Bylaws
Keith R. Vitense

Divisional Activities
Sheila M. Murphy
Elsa Reichmanis 

Economic and Professional Affairs
Richard J. Mullins

Education
Jesse D. Bernstein
Tracy A. Halmi

Environment and Sustainability
Katherine B. Aubrecht
Edward J. Brush

International Activities
Kap-Sun Yeung
David Wu

Local Section Activities
Justyna Widera-Kalinowska
Michael J. Kenney
Natalie L. McClure
Kim M. Morehouse 

Meetings and Expositions
R. Daniel Libby

Membership Affairs
Joan M. Esson
Alison G. Hyslop
Laura S. Sremaniak

Minority Affairs
Thomas W. Smith

Nomenclature, Terminology, and Symbols
Maria R. Kriz

Nominations and Elections
Allison Aldridge

Patents and Related Matters
Richard G.A. Bone
Andrew Coates
Diana F. Mederos

Professional Training
Gregory A. Caputo
Regina (Gina) Frey
Cora E. MacBeth

Project SEED
Omar E. Christian
John W. Hartman

Publications
Xiaosong Li

Public Relations and Communications
Scott R. Goode
Steven C. Hayden
Mark E. Jones
Andrej (Andrii) Matsnev
Susan D. Richardson

Science
Maria-Jesus Blanco
Matthew A. Fisher
Diana J. Gerbi
Emily R. Grumbling

Senior Chemists
Adriane G. Ludwick
Anne T. O’Brien

Women Chemists
Pamela D. Kistler
Despina Strong
Gloria Thomas-Fuller

Younger Chemists
Michelle Brann
Stephanie K. Ramos
Jennifer Schmitt


Join us for the Priestley Medal Award & Board Open Meeting at ACS Spring 2025

Featuring the 2025 Priestley Medal recipient, Dr. Frances Arnold

Sunday, March 23 at 4:00 p.m. PT | San Diego Convention Center, Room 6A/B

Frances Arnold, winner of the 2025 Priestley Medal.
Christopher Michel for Caltech

Please join the ACS Board of Directors on Sunday, March 23 to recognize the world-renowned chemist Dr. Frances Arnold, the 2025 Priestley Medalist. Dr. Arnold is being honored for her contributions to the development of directed evolution as a method for chemical and biological design. 

According to David A. Tirrell, Provost at Caltech, over the past 25 years, “Frances Arnold has emerged as one of the world’s premier chemical scientists, as she has led the development of ‘directed evolution’, an approach to chemical and biological design used in hundreds of laboratories and industrial organizations worldwide.

The event will be held at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 6A/B at 4:00 p.m. PT and is open to all registered meeting attendees. It will begin with opening remarks from the ACS Board Chair, Wayne E. Jones, Jr., followed by the Priestley Medal address from Dr. Arnold.

Dr. Arnold is also the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and is currently the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry, and serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology, Executive Office of the President at Caltech.

Immediately following the Board Open Meeting, attendees are invited to the ACS Connect Happy Hour that will take place at the San Diego Convention Center, in the Sails Pavilion and Terrace from 6:00-7:00 p.m.


Highlighted Governance Activities

 

Image of podium and microphone in front of a crowd

Governance-related meetings with assigned date, time, and location, will be published on the ACS Governance Meetings page. 

Questions? Please contact secretary@acs.org

 
  • ACS Spring 2025 Council
    The ACS Council meeting will be on Wednesday, March 26 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel beginning at 8:00 a.m. PT and online. The Council agenda will be distributed around Wednesday, February 12.

  • Webinar and Orientation Program for Newly Elected Councilors and Alternate Councilors 
    The ACS Council Policy Committee is presenting a Pre-Spring Meeting Webinar for newly elected Councilors and Alternate Councilors on February 27 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET.  The webinar will provide information on the role of Councilors in ACS governance. The 2025 New Councilor Orientation Program for all newly elected Councilors and Alternate Councilors will be held on Saturday, March 22 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. PT at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront,. A networking reception with Committee Chairs and mentors will follow from 6:00-7:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with other ACS leaders, establish mentoring relationships, and learn more about the Society and its committees. Special remarks will be given by the ACS President and other ACS leaders. If you are a newly elected Councilor or Alternate Councilor, please place these important dates on your calendar and RSVP to let us know that you are planning to attend. 

  • President-Elect Town Hall, Hosted by the Committee on Nominations and Elections
    Save the date and listen to the 2026 President-Elect Nominees at the Town Hall on Sunday, March 23 at 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. PT. The event will be located at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in the Sapphire K/L Room. 

Society Awards, Events & Meetings

 
  • Women Chemists Committee: IUPAC Global Women's Breakfast & Spring Events
    The Women Chemists Committee (WCC) will begin the year recognizing the efforts of women in science and sparking engagement to highlight accomplishments and progress across the chemical enterprise. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Global Women's Breakfast (GWB) is held each year in February in conjunction with the U.N. Day of Women and Girls in Science with a series of events around the world. Join the global chemistry community in Accelerating Equity in Science and celebrating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology on February 11, 2025. Events of all sizes, scopes, and formats are welcome. Learn more and register your event at IUPAC Global Women's Breakfast, including “ACS” in your event name. Be sure to tag @IUPAC and @AmerChemSociety in your social media posts and use #GWB2025 to join the global conversation.

    On March 24, WCC will host its Women in the Chemical Enterprise Breakfast featuring Vanessa Rosa, Director of STEM Education Initiatives at Cuvette Collective. The Women Chemists of Color “Sweet Treats” networking event in the afternoon. On March 25, the WCC Luncheon will feature the 2025 Garvan-Olin Medal Winner, Jean Chmielewski. Winners of the WCC Rising Star Award, the Pfizer Emergent Leader Award, and the Eli Lilly Travel Award will be recognized. All events will be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The WCC breakfast and luncheon are ticketed events. Update your registration here to attend. For more information on WCC events, please send an email to WCC@acs.org. See you San Diego!

  • CCS and YCC Joint ChemLuminary Award!
    The ACS Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) and the Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) are excited to announce a new joint ChemLuminary Award! The Outstanding Activity Promoting Research Safety ChemLuminary Award recognizes outstanding achievements for an impactful activity organized by or for younger chemists, to include young faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, that promote chemical safety in research laboratories. Nominations for this award close on February 15, 2025. ChemLuminary Awards nominations should be submitted by Local Sections, Divisions, or International Science Chapter officers in their unit’s Annual Report. Please contact chemluminary@acs.org for more information.

  • CMA Events at ACS Spring 2025
    The ACS Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) is excited to host impactful events during the ACS Spring 2025 Meeting. On Monday, March 24, the CMA, in collaboration with the Society Committee on Education (SOCED), will present a half-day symposium titled “Accomplishments, Lessons Learned, and Advice from Former ACS Scholars and Project SEED Recipients.” Starting at 8:00 a.m., this session will feature former program participants sharing their journeys, valuable insights, and advice for current and aspiring ACS Scholars and Project SEED participants. The speakers include Prof. Ben Garcia, who will discuss his path from ACS Scholar to ACS Fellow; Prof. Nicholas Ball, reflecting on the career impact of the ACS Scholars Program; and Prof. Joshua Figueroa, sharing career reflections beyond the program. Later that day, at 12:00 p.m., the CMA Luncheon will feature a keynote address by Dr. Amanda Bryant-Friedrich, Dean of Wayne State University. Dr. Bryant-Friedrich will share her expertise and perspectives in a thought-provoking talk. Both events offer a chance to connect, learn, and celebrate the contributions of these influential ACS programs.

  • Guide to Inclusive and Accessible Hybrid Meetings
    Hosting hybrid meetings can be tricky when trying to balance the needs of both in-person and virtual attendees. Considering the needs of people with disabilities in those hybrid meetings can be even more challenging for some. Use the quick 10-minute video as an inclusion moment or pre-work for your next meeting. If you’re short on time, distribute the 2-page quick guide (PDF) on inclusive and accessible hybrid meetings. Equip your group with the tools to hold effective meetings that consider the needs of everyone, regardless of disability status or location.

  • Panel on How Belonging Unlocks Innovation in STEM
    Attending ACS Spring 2025 in San Diego? Save the date for a panel discussion on How Belonging Unlocks Innovation in STEM. Award-winning scientists will discuss the importance and challenges of bringing your background, identity, and culture into your chemistry. We’ll discuss how connecting with your background and values can lead to scientific innovation and fulfilling career opportunities. This event will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. PT in the San Diego Convention Center.

  • Call for Nominations for 2025 Fellows
    The ACS Fellows program recognizes and honors members of the American Chemical Society for their outstanding achievements in and contributions to the science and the profession and for their equally exemplary service to the ACS. Nominations for the 2025 ACS Fellows will be open from February 1, 2025 to April 1, 2025. Nominations can be submitted by individuals or on behalf of Committees, Divisions, International Chemical Sciences Chapter, or Local Sections. For more information on the ACS Fellows, please visit our website or contact fellows@acs.org.

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