For director-at-large: Wayne E. Jones Jr.

Northeastern Section. University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire.

Academic Record: St. Michael’s College, BS, chemistry, 1987; University of North Carolina, PhD, inorganic chemistry, 1991.

Honors: E. Anne Nalley Northeast Region Award for Volunteer Service, 2015; ACS Fellow, 2010; Distinguished Service Award, Binghamton Section, ACS, 1999; Honorary Golden Key Faculty Award 2005; State University of New York Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2001, University Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2001; Who’s Who Among American Teachers 1998, Who’s Who is Science and Engineering 2001–; Alpha Xi Sigma Teaching Award, 1996.

Professional positions (for past 10 years): University of New Hampshire, provost and vice president of academic affairs, 2018–, dean of engineering and physical sciences, 2017–18, professor of chemistry and materials 2016–17; Binghamton University, interim dean of arts and sciences, 2012–13; department chair 2009–16; professor, 2006–16; associate professor, 1999–2006; deputy to the president, 2001–06; director, Center for Learning and Teaching, 1996–2009; University of Pennsylvania, visiting professor, 2000; assistant professor, 1993–99.

Service in ACS national offices: Board Committee on Strategic Planning, 2017–20; Board Committee on Professional and Member Relations, 2018–20; Committee on Committees, 2014–16, chair, 2015–16; Committee on Membership Affairs, 2010–13, chair, 2011–13, Program Review Advisory Group, 2010–12; Council Policy Committee, ex officio (nonvoting), 2015–16, 2010–12, 2008–09; Committee on Local Section Activities, 2003–09, chair, 2008–09; Board Committee on Planning, (nonvoting), 2008.

Service in ACS offices: Binghamton Section: councilor, 1997–17, chair, 2001, chair-elect, 2000. Northeast Regional Meeting Board: treasurer, 2007–20. 34th Northeastern Regional Meeting: chair, 2005–06. 41st Northeastern Regional Meeting: chair, 2015–16. Division of Chemistry Education: Program Committee, 2005–15, coprogram chair, Denver, 2015, 2011; Chicago, 2007.

Member: Member of ACS since 1989. American Association for the Advancement of Science; Materials Research Society. ACS Divisions: Chemical Education and Inorganic Chemistry.

Related activities: Graduate program director, 2006–09; director, Go Green Institute, 2008–; undergraduate program chair, 1996–2001; SUNY Faculty Access to Computing Technology Advisory Committee, 2001–06; guest editor, special issue of Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 2005–08; education director, Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing, 2006–09; Science Olympiad volunteer, 1996–2009; Science Olympiad PR chair, 2005–09; Chemistry Olympiad coordinator, 1995–98. Author of over 150 publications and book chapters, 9 patents, approximately 300 invited lectures, and organizer/co-organizer of eight national and international symposia in inorganic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and chemical education.

Jones’s statement

It is an honor to have been nominated to continue my service to the American Chemical Society as director-at-large on the Board of Directors. As a midcareer chemist with over 25 years of experience across the chemistry enterprise in ACS, education, and start-ups, my goal is to focus on members and supporting the resources which help them succeed professionally.

Members are the lifeblood of a more vibrant and diverse ACS, and it is critical that they are involved in ways that reflect our core values. In my recent service on the Board of Directors Strategic Planning Committee and as a facilitator of strategic-planning retreats, I have been particularly impressed by the unique role that member engagement plays in moving ACS forward. We need to find more opportunities for members across the chemistry enterprise to engage with ACS and improve lives through the transforming power of chemistry. I have appreciated working with the board to look internally at the barriers and missed opportunities to expand the diversity of membership and to search for ways to expand our commitment to equity, inclusivity, and respect in all aspects of the society and chemistry enterprise.

As a member and chair of several national ACS committees, including the Local Section Activities Committee and the Membership Affairs Committee, it has been abundantly clear that the value of ACS membership must be communicated more clearly. This includes publications and meetings, of course, but also professional development, advocacy for the chemistry enterprise, and outreach to future chemists and society. Focusing on a diverse membership and member needs will ensure the viability and impact of ACS and chemistry for years to come.

Education, even in this challenging time of COVID-19, remains the key to advancing the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners, and ACS has a powerful role to play in supporting diverse communities of learners and educators now and in the future. I am proud of the concerted efforts to support the transition to remote instruction, and am committed to leveraging the many conversations, collections, and collaborations occurring across ACS. The resulting insights and approaches, combined with strategic investments in research-based activities, will enhance our educational portfolio.

Having participated actively in division and local section education activities throughout my career, I am excited about opportunities to expand the impact of initiatives such as the NSF-supported “Get the Facts Out” project and ACS Bridge Project. As chair of two regional meetings, I worked hard to ensure that programming included research-based teaching, undergraduate research, and interactive workshops—areas that I continue to support and expand at the national level. We now have opportunities to implement the use of culturally aware mentoring practices and support expanded use of ChemIDP beyond the graduate and postdoctoral level. ACS can help to bring mentoring and career programming to our education community.

Jobs and career development across disciplines that employ chemical professionals is a global challenge that ACS is helping to address now and in the future. Our advocacy efforts are benefiting employees and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and they also need to incorporate the global community in which we work. Looking ahead, I am leading an implementation team that is developing the blueprint for a professional and leadership-development portfolio recommended by the NextGen Leadership Task Force I cochaired with Allison Campbell. This competency-based portfolio will meet the needs of global and diverse audiences, taking into account the multiple ways that chemists become highly effective professionals throughout their careers while managing themselves and leading others. This effort is also exploring and mapping the partnership of ACS Pubs, CAS, and society programs to leverage the many different types of assets that ACS offers. ACS is positioned to play a bigger role in using online methods to deliver professional development, as well as connect and help individuals to network and gain access to new opportunities.

Thank you for the opportunity to continue working with you and my fellow councilors in support of the ACS mission and vision. Ultimately, the director-at-large position is an opportunity to represent you directly on the Board. We truly can have an impact for our members, and I look forward to learning more about your ideas to advance the chemical enterprise. Please reach out to me at wayne.e.jones.jr@gmail.com with challenges, ideas, or questions that we can address together.