Madam Chair – Mister President – Members of the Board
Let me begin by thanking you for your support. I have been extremely impressed with my colleagues on the Board, their thoughtful guidance, and their tolerance as I continue to grow into my new role.
I believe that there is great power in this presidential succession. We are an effective team with many shared interests. This synergy will not be lost as I continue to develop programming for 2009. I pledged to put a human face on chemistry and I am working with ACS staff and our committee structure to do just that. Extending and developing new relationships both here and abroad to help ensure that people around the world understand how we are “Improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.” As that important message is delivered, we will be calling for enhanced and sustainable funding for innovation and education. The Education Division and OLGA are helping me to better understand what we can do to more efficiently achieve this end.
I am pleased to announce that the Dow Corning Foundation has made a $90,000 restricted gift to the ACS ($30,000 per year for three years) to support some of my strategic programming initiatives.
As I look towards 2009, I have two proposals; both of which are under development. The first will target the 2009 Spring meeting and is centered around offering our membership the opportunity to learn more about chemistry’s role in addressing significant societal needs. This would be accomplished by building programming which would allow leadership from the automotive, electronic, telecom, health care, and other major industrial segments to share their thoughts regarding the barriers to innovation, new material properties requirements, and/or market wish lists for the future. Extending our hand to groups that we do not formally associate with could provide us with valuable insights into the role chemistry plays in an everyday consumer context. Having these business leaders engaged in our meeting opens the opportunity for them to participate in a second event, which would offer them the opportunity to share their thoughts on education, development and training as it relates to organizational development and leadership – a topic which could fortify the official launch of the ACS Leader Development Program.
Presidential programming for the Fall, 2009, would highlight insights gained from a presidential “call to arms” on the topic of education and relationship building. In my C&EN statement [September 3, 2007, 85 (36), 48-59] I said, “Through relationships, we build trust, new friendships, and the capacity to make ACS stronger.” The statement went on to say; “We must unleash the power of our membership, get deeper into our communities, and provide science-based experiences that stimulate imaginations and offer opportunities for continued discovery and learning.” With this as a backdrop, I plan to set forth the following challenge to all local sections, divisions, and committees: I will call on our membership to:
In closing, I have had several truly exciting conversations with staff groups, committees, and members over the last few months. The dialogs have been rich and productive. Their excitement for and dedication to the Society is contagious. I applaud their commitment in helping me put a human face on chemistry.
Madam Chair - that concludes my remarks.