ACS Black History Month Celebration

Dorothy J. Phillips retired from Waters Corporation in 2013 as Director, Strategic Marketing. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1967 and her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1974. She has been a member of the American Chemical Society since 1973.

Dr. Willie E. May currently serves as Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Morgan State University. Previously, he served as the Senate-Confirmed Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, charged with overseeing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Dr. May began his career as a research chemist at NIST/NBS and went on to work at every management level within the organization. His research in trace organic analytical chemistry and the physico-chemical properties of organic compounds is documented in over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He has delivered more than 250 invited lectures globally. In addition to his responsibilities at Morgan, Dr. May is President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a President-appointed member of the National Science Board, and serves on the advisory board of the University of Maryland College Park’s College of Computer, Math, and Natural Sciences. In the recent past, he served as a member of the Consumer Reports Board of Directors; on advisory boards for Google Public Sector Research Technology, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, (NASEM), the National Network for Critical Technology Assessment (NNCTA); and as Vice President of the International Committee on Weights and Measures (CIPM) and President of the CIPM’s Consultative Committee for Chemistry and Biology. Dr. May earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Knoxville College and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park. His accolades include honorary doctorates from Wake Forest University and the University of Alabama Huntsville, multiple awards from the American Chemical Society, and recognition as the Federal Government’s “Top Chemist” by Chemical and Engineering News (in 2015). He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Terri Chambers is the Vice President of Education and Career Development at the American Chemical Society. In this role, Dr. Chambers strategically defines and directs educational and professional development programs for STEM students and teachers, and for chemists. Under her leadership are nation-wide programs that advance chemistry education with a special focus on diversity and inclusion at the high-school, college, and postgraduate levels, as well as STEM outreach efforts with national and international scope. A former high-school and college educator, Dr. Chambers has led and contributed to numerous ACS efforts focused on increasing diversity in the chemical sciences, promoting workforce development, and supporting K-12 teacher recruitment and retention. Dr. Chambers received her BS degree in chemistry from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, her master’s degree in cellular and molecular medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and her Ed.D. in educational leadership and management from Drexel University.

Prior to joining ACS he served as Chief Operating Officer and Under Secretary for Finance and Administration at the Smithsonian Institution. In that role, he was responsible for financial, business and administrative activities of the largest museum, research and educational complex in the world. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Mr. Horvath spent more than two decades working in administration for some of the leading research universities in the country including Penn State, Columbia University, California Institute of Technology, New York University, and Carnegie Mellon University. He began his career at Mellon Bank in his hometown of Pittsburgh before moving into higher education. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Horvath earned his master’s degree in business administration at Duquesne University and his bachelor’s degree in accounting at Penn State.