ACS Industry-to-Governance Pipeline

Sixty percent of ACS members work in industry, yet only a third of the industrial members participate in ACS governance at the national level. For employers, it is advantageous to have employees represented at all levels of ACS governance. They have the ability to contribute their vision to the direction of the Society as a whole. With nearly 30 national governing committees and leadership opportunities in Technical Divisions and Local Sections, there are several avenues for members to get involved.

The Importance of Industry Volunteers in ACS Governance

The dynamic growth and strength of governance committees, both individually and collectively, is an excellent indicator of the Society’s intellectual vitality and response to the members’ ever-expanding scientific and technological interests. The value of committee experience, both personally and professionally, includes:

• Influencing the direction of the world’s largest scientific society
• Assuring better ACS responsiveness to issues important to industry members
• Developing and exercising new technical and interpersonal skills
• Networking with industrial colleagues
• Shaping ACS through committees, Technical Divisions, and Local Sections

Getting Involved in ACS Governance

Volunteering in the Society has enriched the lives of other industrial chemists and engineers. We openly invite ACS industrial members to become more active in ACS’s governing body. The following resources describe the function and membership requirements of each committee, the time commitment and typical assignments of its members. Individuals interested in serving on an ACS committees to meet your professional needs, and others may suggest new avenues for exploration.

The selection and appointment process varies according to committee, but it always starts with an expression of interest from you.

• Comprehensive list of ACS Committees and Service Requirements and detailed information about ACS Committee Meeting Schedules and Membership Terms.
• Hear from Industry Members like you in ACS Governance
• Homepages for ACS Committees
• The Industry Pipeline Task Force of the ACS Committee on Committees (ConC): ConC, one of three elected committees of the Council, oversees over all 30 Council–related committees. The committee also recommends appointees for each committee to the ACS president in the Fall, who makes final decisions on appointments for the coming year. The Industry Pipeline Task Force of ConC focuses on increasing the participation of industrially-employed chemical professionals in ACS governance.
• Call the ACS Office of the Secretary for more information on joining a committee at 202-872-4510. They can put you in contact with the ACS Committee on Committees to discuss your desire to volunteer for a committee assignment.
• Shape the ACS through ACS Committee: ACS Committees offer members an opportunity to contribute their vision to the direction of the Society through participation in governance. Members serving in the capacity are able to serve as an information conduit to their Local Section and Division constituents.
• Learn more about the Society’s Board of Directors.
• Volunteer in Your Technical Division or Local Section: Technical Divisions and Local Sections need many volunteers and leaders, so consider getting involved whatever your background, interests, talents, and time constraints might be. Volunteer opportunities range from staffing a membership table at an event, organizing symposia for regional and national meetings, working toward membership retention, participating in the production and maintenance of your division’s or local section’s newsletter of website, fundraising for a symposia or awards, coordinating publicity, working on an award committee, to serve leader for your division of Local Section. Contact your division secretary or members your Local Section for more information.

1. ACS members can enrich their basic membership by joining a Technical Division (organized around a specific field of the chemical endeavor), Division profiles, visit the Division websites, and join a Technical Division.
2. ACS members can enrich their basic membership by joining a Local Section (organized geographically within the US and its territories). More information can be found about Local Sections by contacting your Local Section officers.