Comment: What’s in a name? Expanding the community of chemical technical professionals

Seven years ago, I joined a national American Chemical Society committee for the first time. For years, I applied to serve on a national committee that had a competitive roster of applicants, but I had limited visibility into the committee’s needs and charge. I could not seem to secure a spot. At the time, I didn’t have a broad network. I sought guidance from individuals with more national-level experience. After I talked with some excellent ACS mentors, they recommended a different committee that was better aligned with my interests and was seeking my skillset. Leveraging their advice, I applied the following year and successfully joined the recommended committee.

That committee, which was called the Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) at the time, quickly became a passion for me and gained my immediate loyalty. When I joined the committee, I learned that the committee’s name represented only a small portion of the entire base of individuals relevant to our mission. The committee members found they needed to repeatedly clarify that we serve all chemical technical professionals, which include but are not limited to technicians. The term “applied chemical technical professional” has been central to the official committee charge for years, and the mission to “support, advance, and recognize chemical technical professionals” accurately reflects the individuals involved, but this was not apparent in the name of the committee. After years of using this disclaimer, we decided it was time to update our name to better align with those we serve. After unanimously passing at the committee level, the proposal was reviewed and passed by the Committee on Committees and the ACS Board of Directors. Finally, at ACS Fall 2024, the proposal to rename our committee the “Committee on Chemical Technical Professionals (CTP)” passed at the council meeting, thereby solidifying our new title.

Our outreach subcommittee has just begun a rebranding campaign with our new, more appropriate name. The awards subcommittee has already updated our rubric for the National Technician of the Year award to help ensure recognition by the targeted talent pool. While updating our name and brand has kept the committee excited and busy, we’ve also worked through more than 20 projects in the past year.

We completed publication of The ACS Mentee Playbook—a guide to helping take charge of the mentor-mentee relationship. This resource is now available directly on the committee’s web page or by downloading the PDF. We hosted our first webinar in over 6 years: “How can ACS support your career as a chemical technical professional?” The webinar answered questions about what a chemical technical professional is, how to get involved, and how the committee and ACS benefit both chemical technical professionals and their employers. This recorded webinar is currently available for viewing online. We developed a new grant for local sections that wish to sponsor an event or activity with the goal of promoting the engagement of chemical technical professionals. Applications for the grant are currently being accepted at this website. We hosted our first award symposium. This symposium featured technical talks on themes related to the work of our 2024 National Chemical Technician Award winner, Richard Miller. We also worked through a strategic branding and recruitment campaign. You may have seen us featured at Committee Row or more actively engaged at various ACS events with our advertisement fliers. As a result, we saw a fivefold increase in the number of people who selected CTP as their first committee priority.

These projects are just a few of our new accomplishments from the last year in addition to our ongoing legacy projects and commitments. Our committee continues to analyze and monitor demographic data, looking for gaps to address as we prioritize our projects. Seven years have gone by too quickly. As my term concludes, I am proud of how much CTP has accomplished. I humbly reflect on those conversations that led me here years ago, and I have such gratitude for my ACS mentors. I offer any ACS member who is considering CTP as a committee to “pay it back” as a mentor myself—so please feel free to email me directly with any questions you may have.

I look forward to cheerleading members as they continue to evolve and grow under the incoming chair, Dan Fonseca. I thank my predecessor, Jennifer McCulley, for leaving behind a strong and well-steered ship.

For more information about CTP or to inquire about working with or serving on the committee, visit our website or contact us at cta@acs.org.

Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of C&EN or ACS.