Editorial: Change

This is a guest editorial by Susan R. Morrissey, vice president of communications at the American Chemical Society and publisher of C&EN.

Change is never easy. When things we’ve been a part of for years are suddenly different, it can be unsettling and disruptive. But change is also the start of something new, which is exciting and filled with opportunities.

C&EN is experiencing change. As we prepare to enter our centennial year, we are doing so with a slightly different organizational structure. Last week, we made some organizational changes to better position C&EN for the future, allowing it to strengthen its focus on its role as the official organ of the American Chemical Society by providing information to its members about society business, programs, and activities. The changes will enhance C&EN’s scope of coverage, reduce organizational redundancies, and improve operating efficiencies. This change, however, will not reduce the focus on our coverage of science and related news, which remains at the heart of C&EN. Renewing our focus on covering ACS-related news while maintaining our focus on science and related news will position C&EN to thrive for the next 100 years.

As part of this change, we sadly said goodbye to our editor in chief of 8 years, Bibiana Campos Seijo. We also said goodbye to longtime staff member Jyllian Kemsley, who wrote for many years within the science department before assuming the role of executive editor of the policy department. Both Campos Seijo and Kemsley contributed to this issue, so they remain on the masthead for that reason. We wish them well as they move on to new opportunities.

We will start work immediately to identify our next editor in chief. In the short term, I am pleased to announce that Sarah Tegen, senior vice president of the Journals Publishing Group within the ACS Publications Division, will take the reins as interim editor in chief. Tegen brings with her experience with strategic development, editorial and production operations of ACS journals, international strategic planning, and significant budget oversight. Before her 17 years with ACS, she worked for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the weekly journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Tegen is a former president of the Council of Science Editors and is vice-chair and chair-elect of STM (the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers). She holds a PhD in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As you can see, Sarah is well positioned to guide C&EN through this transition period.

Looking forward, we will be renewing our focus on covering the things that are important to you as ACS members and professionals in the chemistry enterprise. C&EN remains one of the top ACS member benefits, and we want to continue to provide everything that you’ve come to expect and more. I welcome your ideas for stories or areas we should be covering. Please send those along anytime to cenfeedback@acs.org.

I started this editorial by noting that change is never easy, and it’s not. Through this renewal, we will emerge stronger and ready for another 100 years of being the most trusted news source for ACS members and the global chemical sciences community.

With warm regards,
Susan R. Morrissey
Publisher