ACS Spring Council
Meeting Report
The Fall 2025 National Meeting of the ACS was held in-person in Washington D.C. and virtually from August 17 – 21, 2025. The theme of this meeting was “Innovations in Chemistry”. Dr. Dorothy Phillips, ACS President, presided over the Hybrid ACS Council Meeting on August 20, 2025. A total of 11,640 registrations (10,602 in‐person and 1,038 online) were observed.
The Chicago Section was represented at Council by the following ten councilors: Paul Brandt (Public Relations & Communications), Mark Cesa (Ethics), Kenneth Fivizzani (Economics and Professional Affairs), Russell Johnson (International Activities), Fran Kravitz (Women Chemists Committee), Josh Kurutz (Chemists With Disabilities), Tim Marin, Margy Levenberg (Meetings & Expositions), Milt Levenberg (Senior Chemists), and Margaret Schott.
Election Results:
By electronic ballot, the Council selected Penny Beuning, Raychelle Burks, Jason Ritchie, and Frankie Wood-Black to the Council Policy Committee (CPC). Likewise, William Carroll, Jr., Carmen Gauthier, Thomas Lane, Louise Lawter, and Lori Stepan were selected to the Committee on Committees (ConC); and Kelly Elkins, Jennifer Hollingsworth, Alison Hyslop, Jingbo Louise Liu, Gregory Tew, Ellene Tratras Contis, Kathryn Uhrich, Don Warner, and Peter Zarras were selected to the Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E).
Highlights from Reports and Key Actions:
- On the recommendation of ConC, and with the concurrence of CPC, Council voted:
- [Yes 343 (86.40%) / No 54 (13.60%)] to approve the Petition to Establish the Committee on the Advancement of LGBTQ+ Chemists (CALC), subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. Members will be appointed to this committee with terms beginning in 2026.
- [Yes 336 (83.58%) / No 66 (16.42%)] to approve the Petition to Realign the Committee on Publications, subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. This petition dissolves the committee; the work formerly performed by this committee will be handled by a new Journals Advisory Board reporting to the Governing Board of Publishing.
- [Yes 393 (97.52%) / No 10 (2.48%)] to approve the Petition to Amend the Name and Duties of the Committee on Public Relations and Communications, subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. This petition changes the name from the Committee on Public Relations and Communications (CPRC) to the Committee on Communications (COMM).
- With the concurrence of CPC [Yes 392 (97.76%) / No 9 (2.24%)] to approve the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Committee on International Activities, subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. This petition aligns the duties of the Committee on International Activities (IAC) with those of other committees responsible for Unit functions (such as the Committee on Local Section Activities).
- On the recommendation of the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (CEPA), Council voted to approve the Professional Employment Guidelines, as amended [Yes 373 (93.02%) / No 28 (6.98%)], subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. CEPA presented an amendment clarifying the language associated with intellectual property ownership.
- On the recommendation of the Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC), Council voted [Yes 389 (97.49%) / No 10 (2.51%)] to approve the Petition for Changes in Local Section Territory. This petition adds territory not currently within the boundaries of a Local Section to adjacent Local Sections
- On the recommendation of the Committee on International Activities (IAC), Council voted to approve the creation of a new International Chemical Sciences Chapter in Guatemala [Yes 383(97.21%) / No 11 (2.79%)], subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors.
- The Committee on Constitution and Bylaws (C&B) reported the certification of nine unit bylaws since the spring 2025 meeting. They include four Local Sections: Green Mountain, New York, Sacramento, and Southern Indiana; one Division: Rubber (RUBB); and four International Chemical Sciences Chapters: Ecuador, Ghana, Northeast China, and Shanghai.
- Upon recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Board voted to approve that the advance member registration fee for 2026 ACS Spring and Fall meetings remain at $549 for in-person and $149 for virtual and approved associated pricing for all other registration fees.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Horvath shared in the Fall 2025 meeting announcement that one hundred $25,000 grants will be disbursed by year's end under the one-time Graduate Student Success grant initiative as approved by the Board in June. Applications are due October 1, 2025. Go to:
https://www.acs.org/campaigns/graduate-student-success-grant.html
