For President-Elect: Cheryl A. Martin

Martin's Statement

We enter this ACS presidential election cycle in a period of unprecedented global financial and political turmoil, marked by significant volatility and uncertainty, loss of jobs, and the prospect of slow recovery. Times of crisis, however, are historically when the innovations that fuel the next growth cycle are developed, when the truly great ideas and breakthroughs arise. So, given all of this, what do we do as a society? How do we help ensure the greatest benefits for our members and for humankind—be it development of jobs for the mid-term or a better world for the longer term?

As a candidate for president-elect 2010, I distill my thoughts into a single word: sustainability. In its broadest sense, the term means both "green" and "ongoing"—sustaining our members, sustaining the environment, sustaining jobs in the U.S.—and broadly in the field of chemistry, it means sustaining partnerships that allow the spread of technology developments worldwide and sustaining dreams in the eyes of our children. To deal with the complex challenges that lie in front of us, I believe we must focus our actions, within the tenets of the new ACS Strategic Plan, in four areas: innovation, partnerships, education, and leadership.

Sustainability of Innovation: ACS has worked diligently to engage scientific professionals in many fields to address key issues facing society. We should provide even broader forums for sharing knowledge about emerging technologies, especially those in "green spaces" that may address the world's challenges. We should provide experts and position papers to help government officials understand these new areas and drive support for enhanced funding. Efforts like these will lead to employment growth and to improvements in both the environment and overall human welfare.

Sustainability of Partnerships: ACS can have even more leverage in bringing together a broad spectrum of people to address problems facing the world. Over the past few years, much has been done by ACS to increase understanding and partnership between industry and academia, especially here in the U.S. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry, providing a wonderful opportunity to showcase how chemistry benefits people's lives and how global organizations can work together to bring progress through chemistry. These are tremendous opportunities to boost science education and literacy!

Sustainability of Education: The cornerstone of ACS is education, from K–12 to postgraduate levels. ACS must continue its leading role, not only in guiding and championing the education agenda but also in engaging all our members in painting a vision of what new technologies mean in terms of chemistry careers. The society must ignite the fire in the eyes of our youth, creating a groundswell of interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects!

Sustainability of Leadership: During the spring national meeting, the ACS Leadership Development System was launched. We need to embrace this program, along with mentoring and other concepts, to help each of us in the society to become better leaders—for the benefit of our research groups and our cross-discipline consortia as well as in companies from boardroom to lab bench and in the halls of government. In times of crisis, we need leaders who are courageous and gracious—who inspire, motivate, remove barriers, drive new ideas, and embrace diversity. I have worked hard to develop new leaders on all of my teams—it is truly a great return on your investment!

So why vote for me? Over the past 20 years, I have engaged actively in many ACS local and national events and committees, and I believe strongly in ACS and its mission: "Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry." ACS has provided significant benefit to my professional development, allowing me to work with others to move forward projects focused on science education, communication and outreach, partnerships, and finance. I have been both an active team member and a leader/mentor, and I know how the society works. My professional career has been varied and challenging, moving from lab bench to marketing and from finance to management. Most recently, I have had the opportunity to lead the Rohm and Haas Paint & Coatings business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, introducing innovative new solutions with a significant focus on sustainability. This has been an amazing experience, enhancing how I view the possibilities of broad partnerships and diversity of thought to bring new ideas to fruition. I would enjoy sharing all these learnings with you as president of ACS in 2011: The International Year of Chemistry. I ask for your vote! You can see more details on my blog: camartinacscandidate.blogspot.com.