ACS Spring Council Meeting Report
The Spring 2023 National Meeting of the ACS was held in-person in Indianapolis and virtually from March 26 - 30, 2023. The theme of this meeting was “Crossroads of Chemistry.” Dr. Judith Giordan, ACS President, presided over the Hybrid ACS Council Meeting on March 29, 2023.
The Chicago Section was represented at Council by the following nine councilors: Paul Brandt (Public Relations and Communications), Mark Cesa (International Activities), David Crumrine, Ken Fivizzani (Economic and Professional Affairs), Russell Johnson (International Activities), Fran Kravitz (Council Policy), Josh Kurutz (Chemists with Disabilities), Margy Levenberg (Meetings and Expositions), and Tim Marin.
Election Results: By electronic ballot, the Council selected Dorothy J. Phillips and Florian J. Schattenmann as nominees for President-Elect in 2024. These candidates will stand for election in the Fall 2023 National Election. Diane Krone and Bonnie Lawlor for District III and Janet Bryant and Jeanette Van Emon for District VI are candidates for Director. Wayne Jones Jr., Daniel Rabinovich, Carolyn Ribes, and Joseph Stoner were also announced by Nominations and Elections as candidates for Directors-at-Large for 2024 - 2026. Council elected Daniel Rabinovich to serve on the Committee on Committees.
Committee Reports and Key Actions: On the recommendation of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Council Policy Committee to authorize it to review the conduct of Councilors. On the recommendation of the Committee on Committees, and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Committee on Environmental Improvement to change its name to the Committee on Environment and Sustainability. On the recommendation of the Committee on Nominations and Elections, and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the Petition to Add Plan B to Council Meetings, which authorizes the postponement of voting at Council in case of technology failures or natural disasters. The Committee on Local Section Activities announced the launch of the ACS Speaker Directory, a new resource for local section leaders to access a wide range of speakers for their in-person, hybrid, and asynchronous events.
Council Special Discussion: President Giordan introduced and led a special discussion on the ongoing review of Society Committees. She sought Councilor input of positive ideas, key issues, and opportunities to improve the structure of committees. Four specific prompts were posed to Councilors for their input and suggestions:
- Ideally, for ACS to have a committee structure that is forward-thinking and able to address opportunities for members, ACS and the chemistry enterprise, we would…
- Current and future key issues impacting ACS, the chemistry enterprise, and our committees include…
- I wonder what the positive impact on committees, member involvement, and ACS would be if we were to…
- I wish that committees at ACS could…
Councilors provided their ideas and thoughts, and relevant Society units will receive this input within the next several weeks.
Meetings and Expositions: As of March 29, 2023, the Spring ACS National Meeting had 12,623 registrants (10,792 in-person and 1,831 virtual).
If you have any questions or comments about the above information, please contact me or one of your other councilors. You may contact me at [email protected].
