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Elections

For District II director: Dawn Mason

September 8, 2019 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 97, Issue 35

 

A photo of Dawn Mason.
Credit: Courtesy of Dawn Mason
Dawn Mason

North Carolina Section. Eastman Chemical Company, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Academic record: University of Missouri–Columbia, BS, 1991; Texas A&M University, PhD, 1996.

Honors: ACS Fellow, 2015.

Professional positions (for past 10 years): Eastman Chemical Company, external innovation manager, 2017–, technology manager, 2015–17, manager, Portfolio and Special Projects, 2014–15, human resources manager, 2012–14, technology process manager, 2012, group leader, 2007–12.

Service in ACS national offices: Committee on Corporation Associates, 2010–19, chair, 2013–15; Younger Chemists Committee, consultant, 2018; Leadership Advisory Board, 2010–19; ACS National Awards Canvassing Committee, 2014–16; Polymer Industrial Advisory Board, 2017–19; ACS Safety Summit Organizing Committee, 2018–19; ACS National Award Selection Committee, 2017–19, 2014, 2012.

Service in ACS offices: Division of Business Development and Management: chair, 2019; chair-elect, 2018; Leadership Advisory Board, subcommittee chair, Advancing Leadership Programs and Leaders, 2016–18; Marketing and Pipeline, 2015.

Member: Member of ACS since 2007; Alpha Chi Sigma; North Carolina State University: Hazardous Materials Committee, Analytical Instrumentation Facility Advisory Board; University of California: UC Center for Laboratory Safety Advisory Board; ACS divisions: Business Development and Management, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry.

Related activities: ACS symposia organizer, 2019, 2017, 2016; the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, Lab Safety Task Force, 2015; SCI Scholars, reviewer; Laboratory Safety Institute Scholarship Committee, 2014–16; Inorganic Gordon Conference, Sustainable Manufacturing Round Table, 2012–14; North American Catalysis Society, publicity chair, 20th NAM.

Mason’s statement

The American Chemical Society is the largest and one of the best scientific societies in the world. However, much like the world, it is not without its challenges. Right now, the society is presented with some key opportunities for growth. The society is poised to transform itself into the recognized leader in promoting safety for the betterment of the entire chemical enterprise. The society’s Leadership Development Program presents the opportunity rethink how we continue shaping the future by developing tomorrow’s leaders. Utilizing the society’s convening strength to increase engagement with the industrial sector is another opportunity that deserves focused effort. I have been steadily working within the society on each one of these key topics and, with your support, would like to continue to do so as a member of the Board of Directors.

Safety. Our challenge is to determine what it means to have safety as a core ­value and then how to integrate it into our daily operation as a society. As the natural resource for chemical safety, ACS can transform itself into the externally recognized leader on this front. Efforts to do so are already underway. Last year’s Safety Summit prioritized several focus areas to enable swift progress. These focus areas include serving as a source of information for all aspects of chemical safety, supporting the integration of safety knowledge into the standard educational curriculum at every level, reaching out to sister disciplines regarding the safe use of chemicals, and broadly communicating how ACS is providing safety leadership at a more intense level than in the past.

Leadership development. For over 50 years, the society has been developing leaders. The essential skills acquired through society service translate to our professional and personal lives. In today’s world, we need to consider not only the skills necessary to produce future society leaders but also the training needed to be successful on a global scale. By continually empowering our membership to develop, we will ensure that ACS remains a vibrant organization that is prepared for the challenges that the future holds.

Member engagement. Over time, the number of individual ACS members who identify themselves as industrial chemists has declined. The society cannot be the best it can be or serve its congressionally mandated purpose successfully if a large sector is missing from the table. We simply must change the value proposition for the increased engagement of all members within the society, particularly those in the industrial sector. There are a variety of means to accomplish this. Some current efforts we have been piloting include promoting and coordinating industrially relevant programming within the divisions, inviting companies that do not have ACS members to present at ACS meetings near them, and providing networking opportunities. Working together, we can forge stronger relationships that will inspire our future.

Through multiple leadership roles, I have helped the society to capitalize on opportunities by advising and developing its individuals and its suborganizations. With your endorsement, I will continue to support efforts to enhance our society’s strengths by serving on the Board of Directors.

We have a bright future—let’s create it together!

Candidates will not be notified of comments left on this webpage. To contact this candidate directly, email dmason@eastman.com.

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