Chemical Bond special election issue, October 2015

Vol. 66, No. 7x, October 2015

Meet the nominees

Want your voice to be heard in this year’s election? Keep an eye out for the electronic ballot heading your way via email this week. Don’t forget to check your spam folder!

Every voter-eligible member with an email address on file will receive a personalized message. The link in your email gives you access to the voting platform and assures that we receive ballots only from eligible voters, and only one from each.

If you have blacklisted surveymonkey.com and you wish to participate in this year’s balloting, please remove the block for a couple of weeks. Then, if you have not received your voter email by October 18, please let us know. Email election@stlacs.org, providing your full name, email address, and (if not too much trouble), your member number from a recent issue of C&E News.

You will have until October 31 to cast your ballot. Please vote! This year, the Nominating Committee was faced with winnowing the field to keep the number of candidates within the bounds specified in the Bylaws: a very unusual situation indeed, but terrific for the Section. Besides helping to select the person you believe best able to fill the position, casting a vote is a great way to tell the members who work so hard on Section business that you care about what they do. You will be able to access these candidate biographies during the voting process as well, so no need to memorize who’s who.

Candidates for elective office:

Chair-elect

Natalie LaFranzo

Natalie LaFranzo, Product Manager, Next Generation Sequencing Products, Horizon Discovery Ltd.

Service to the Section: Secretary (2014-2015); Chair, Younger Chemists Committee (2012-2015); committee member, Leadership Development Forum (2012-present)

Service to National ACS: Associate, Younger Chemists Committee (2013-2015), Member, Younger Chemists Committee (2015)

Secretary

Benjamin Barth, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Saint Louis College of Pharmacy

Service to the Section: Treasurer, St. Louis Section, Younger Chemists Committee (2012–2013); Steering Committee (April 2015–present)

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Treasurer

Vic Lewchenko

Vic Lewchenko, Senior Software Engineer, MasterCard

Service to the Section: chemistry merit badge clinic presenter (2007-2009, 2011-2015); Treasurer (2011-present)

Other ACS service: president, student chapter, Drexel University

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Councilor (vote for not more than two)

Lisa Balbes, Principal, Balbes Consultants LLC

Service to the Section: Saint Louis Section Councilor (2010–present); Treasurer (2005–2006); Alternate Councilor (2004–2006); Chair succession (2001–2003); Career Resource Coordinator (2003–present); Scout Clinic Chair (2004–present); Exhibits Co-Chair, Joint Midwest/Great Lakes Regional Meeting (2011) — Columbus, OH, Section Public Relations Chair(1993–1994); Nominating Committee Chair (1994); National Chemistry Week Committee (1992–1995)

Service to national ACS: Committee on Nominations and Elections (2014–2016); Council Policy Committee, Member, nonvoting (2011–2013); Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (2008–2013), Chair-elect (2010), Chair (2011–2013), associate (2007)

ACS honors: E Ann Nalley Midwest Regional Award for Volunteer Service (2012); Best Local Section Career Program ChemLuminary Award (2004, 2011, 2014); Saint Louis Section Salute to Excellence (2004)

Ted Gast, professionally affiliated with the Carl F. Gast Company, Arch Paper LLC, and Soulard Fine Arts Guild

Service to the Section: Treasurer of the St Louis Section (2007-2010); Investment Committee (2007-2010); Alternate Councilor (2011-present); Exhibits Co-Chair, Joint Midwest/Great Lakes Regional Meeting (2011); Chemistry Ambassador(2010-present); Small Chemical Business Division (SCHB) member; Chair succession (2004–06); Best Local Section ChemLuminary, large category (2005); hosted ACS president Bill Carroll on Whirlwind Tour and Chemical Round Table; the development and promotion of Kids & Chemistry since its inception in 1996; Science Fair judge in the past; liaison for TIE, Teachers Industry and Environment (1996-2007; Audit Committee (2005–2007); organized and ran the first section picnic (2006); National Chemistry Week; Chemical Progress Week. More recently involved in fundraising activities for the section; providing leadership for industrial, sustainability and green chemistry for the section.

Suman Surimulla, Assistant Professor, Saint Louis College of Pharmacy

Service to the Section: Central Arizona Section Chair succession (2014–); Coordinator, ACS Project Seed and Chemistry Olympiad programs.

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Alternate Councilor (vote for one)

Ben Outlaw, organic synthesis chemist in oilfield corrosion control technology at Petrolite Corporation and at Baker Petrolite, retired

Service to the Section: Saint Louis Section Associate Photography Editor, Chemical Bond (1974); Photography Editor, Chemical Bond (1975-1976); Associate Editor, Chemical Bond (1977); Editor, Chemical Bond (1978); Business Manager, Chemical Bond (1979-82); Saint Louis Award Committee chair (1982); Treasurer (1983-1985); Professional Activities Committee chair (1986); Chair succession (1987–1989); Director (1989-1991, 1994-1997); Investment Committee (1990-1992); Publicity & Public Relations Committee chair (1992-1994; 2011-2014); Alternate Councilor (1993-1995, 2010-2015)’ Nominating Committee chair (1995); Fundraising subcommittee (2008-2012) — Greater Houston Section Director (1999); Chair succession (2000–2002); Alternate Councilor (2003); Councilor (2004, 2006-2008)

Service to national ACS: Local Section Activities Committee associate member (2007-2008)

Brent Znosko, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University

Service to the St Louis Section: ACS Student Chapter advisor (2005-present); ACS Midwest Regional Meeting Symposium organizer (2006); Professional Activities Committee chair (2006-present); Midwest Regional Meeting Symposium co-organizer (2008, 2012); Undergraduate Programming chair, Midwest/Great Lakes Regional Meeting (2011); Director (2012-present); ACS Webinar presenter (2013)

Service to national ACS: ACS National Meeting Symposium organizer (2014)

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Director (vote for not more than three)

Tony Mannino, Senior Principal Scientist, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Service to the Section: career night presenter for the Younger Chemists Committee (2013)

Jim O’Brien, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri–St Louis

Service to the Section: Jim O’Brien’s ACS St. Louis Section experience includes a stint as Program Chair in the early 1990’s, for many years serving as co-coordinator of half-day–long Career Day for high school students, and being Midwest Award Coordinator. His most recent contributions have been in the Chair succession (2013–2015).

Leah O’Brien, Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry, Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville

Service to the Section: Chair succession (2002–2004); Women Chemists Committee chair (1997-2008); hosted “Battle of the Burets” Laboratory Contest for High School Student Teams (2007, 2015).

Service to the Midwest Region: Joint Midwest–Great Lakes Regional Meeting general chair (2011); Midwest Award Symposium coordinator (2003-present); Board of Directors executive officer [Secretary (2010), Chair-Elect (2011), Chair(2012)]; Board of Directors member representing St Louis Section (2007-present).

ACS honors: Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2012); Distinguished Service Award (2013)

Derek Redmore, Senior Patent Specialist, Moltech Corporation/Sion Power, Tucson, retired

Service to the Section: Saint Louis Section Midwest Awards chair (1971); Awards Committee chair (1972); Organic Topical Group Chair (1973) — Southern Arizona Section Chair succession (2000–2002); Treasurer (2004-2013)

ACS honors: Saint Louis Section Saint Louis Award (1982) Southern Arizona Section Service Award (2007, 2014)

Eric Ressner, Technical Information specialist, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (retired); Principal, SOS Chemical Information Services LLC

Service to the Section: Editor, Chemical Bond (1995-2003, 2009-2014); Director (2003-04, 2006-present); Webmaster (2004-present); Midwest Regional Meeting webmaster (2011); occasional science fair judge

ACS honors: Salute to Excellence (2003); Distinguished Service Award (2009)

Keith Stine, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri–Saint Louis

Service to the Section: Director (2010-2015); Advertising Manager Chemical Bond (2014-present); Chair succession (2007–2009); Secretary (2002-2006); Director (2001); Alternate Councilor (1997-1999); Career Day co-organizer (2001-2011); Program Chair, ACS Midwest Regional Meeting (2000, 2011); Project SEED Coordinator at University of Missouri–Saint Louis (2009-2015); Younger Chemists Committee advisor (2008-2013); Fundraising subcommittee chair (2008-2013); Surface Science Discussion Group chair (1993-1999); Materials Chemistry Discussion Group chair (2000); Saint Louis Award chair (1998-2000); Midwest Award chair (1993)

ACS honors: Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2014)

The Chemical Bond is published at www.stlacs.org January through May and September through December by the St Louis Section–American Chemical Society. If you would like to receive email notification when each issue is posted, you can subscribe to our email list and join the “Chemical Bond reminders” group.