ACS Elections: Candidates' Statements And Backgrounds

Two candidates will vie for the office of president-elect of the American Chemical Society for 2013 in this fall’s election. They are Thomas J. Barton, a distinguished professor at Iowa State University, and Luis A. Echegoyen, Robert A. Welch Professor of Chemistry at the University of Texas, El Paso. The successful candidate will serve as ACS president in 2014 and as a member of the ACS Board of Directors from 2013 to 2015.

Candidates for director of District I are Thomas R. Gilbert, an associate professor at Northeastern University, and Neil D. Jespersen, a professor at St. John’s University.

District I consists of members assigned to or residing in local sections with headquarters in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania (except the Erie, Penn-York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Southeastern Pennsylvania Sections), and Vermont; and those members with addresses in the states of New York and Pennsylvania and in the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec who are not assigned to local sections. The winner will serve on the ACS Board of Directors beginning in 2013 and running through 2015.

District V will also be holding elections for director. Candidates are John E. Adams, Curators’ Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri, and Peter K. Dorhout, dean of arts and sciences at Kansas State University.

District V consists of members assigned to or residing in local sections with headquarters in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan (except the Detroit, Huron Valley, Kalamazoo, Michigan State University, Midland, and Western Michigan Sections), Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (except the Brazosport, Central Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth, East Texas, Greater Houston, Heart O’Texas, Sabine-Neches, San Antonio, South Texas, and Texas A&M Sections), and Wisconsin; and those members with addresses in Arkansas (except the counties of Hempstead, Miller, Lafayette, Columbia, Union, Ouachita, Calhoun, Bradley, Drew, and Ashley), Illinois (except the counties of Clark, Crawford, Edgar, and Lawrence), Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, certain counties in Texas, Wisconsin, Dickinson County (Michigan), and the province of Manitoba who are not assigned to local sections. The winner will serve on the ACS Board of Directors beginning in 2013 and running through 2015.

Carol A. Duane, president of D&D Consultants of Mentor, in Ohio; Valerie J. Kuck, retired staff member at Lucent Technologies, in Murray Hill, N.J.; Helen (Bonnie) A. Lawlor, executive director of the National Federation of Advanced Information Services, in Philadelphia; and Ingrid Montes, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, are running for two director-at-large positions. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will serve a three-year term from 2013 to 2015.

All voting members of ACS will receive ballots enabling them to vote for president-elect. Only members with mailing addresses in Districts I and V will receive ballots to vote for director from those districts. Only voting councilors will receive ballots for the director-at-large elections.

All ballots will be mailed during the week of Sept. 28. The deadline for voting or return of marked ballots, which may be done online or by paper ballot, respectively, is close of business on Nov. 9.

The ACS Committee on Nominations & Elections did not provide candidates with specific questions to frame their statements. Information about ACS policies for elections and campaigning can be found in Bulletin V, Bylaw 5, Section 13 and in “Guidelines for Campaigning & Communication.” Candidates’ views have also been posted online at www.acs.org/elections.