Mary K. Carroll elected 2023 ACS president-elect

Mary K. Carroll, Dwane W. Crichton Professor of Chemistry at Union College, has been elected the 2023 American Chemical Society president-elect by members of ACS. Carroll will serve as president of the society in 2024 and immediate past president in 2025; she will also serve on the board of directors from 2023 through 2025.

With 6,582 votes, Carroll won the president-elect race against Rigoberto Hernandez, Gompf Family Professor at Johns Hopkins University, who received 5,670 votes. ACS, which publishes C&EN, also elected or re-elected four other board directors.

“I feel honored and really pleased,” Carroll says. “I look forward to promoting ACS activities that are going to yield maximum results for the members and for society at large. And I’m also eager to have the opportunity to work with other ACS member volunteers from all different levels.”

During her presidential year, Carroll intends to support the dissemination of research to the scientific community, communicate the value of science to elected officials and members of the public, encourage ACS members’ engagement in outreach activities, and increase diversity among the society’s membership. “I think what we need to focus on is, what is ACS uniquely positioned to do? Where can our efforts collectively have the most impact?” Carroll says. “I am not necessarily going to be focused on starting new initiatives, but using the platform that is afforded to me as a member of the presidential succession to help elevate ongoing activities.”

In other election news, Kimberly Agnew-Heard, director of regulatory affairs at Altria Client Services, was elected director of District II, defeating Marcy Towns, Bodner-Honig Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University.

Lisa Houston, vice president of process analytics at Petroleum Analyzer Company, was re-elected director of District IV, defeating Christopher J. Bannochie, a research and development manager at Savannah River National Laboratory.

Two candidates were elected director-at-large: Malika Jeffries-EL, associate dean for the graduate school in arts and sciences at Boston University, and Will E. Lynch, Chemistry Department chair and professor at Georgia Southern University. They defeated Milagros (Milly) Delgado, an undergraduate program director at Florida International University, and Ellene Tratras Contis, a distinguished professor at Eastern Michigan University.

A total of 12,298 valid votes were cast for president-elect. Voter participation was 12.5% of all eligible voters.