Caroline did not initially seek out a role in the chemical industry but followed a leader into it and never looked back. Caroline began her career after college in a management program at Macy's, which helped her decide what kind of employer she wanted to work for. She later moved to a non-profit where she worked in marketing. She was eager to work for someone she could rely on, who would value her work and support her development. After meeting the owner, who has since become a great mentor to her, she ended up at Mission Chemical. She has been working for the company for six and a half years; initially, there was just the founder and her; today, there are more than 65 employees. Caroline has been in her current position of Business Development at Mission Chemical for 6 months.

Please meet this week’s WOTW, Carol and Michele Piccaro- mom and daughter duo. Carol is President and CEO of US Chemicals- a Woman Owned Business and her daughter Michele is an Account Executive. After graduating college, Carol joined a temporary employment agency and spent over two years working for two bond traders. Carol had no prior knowledge of the chemical industry. She got her start in the chemical distribution business at her Dad's company (now her company) as a Junior Account Executive. Michele graduated with a degree in information systems and operations management

Saskia joined us for our interview all the way from Belgium. With a background in Language Sciences (English and Russian), Saskia's entry into the industry was not planned. She started working for an American explosion protection company, and instantly clicked with the hands on and direct way of American business. After 7 years with the company and a 3 year stint with a European company, she entered ISP (now Ashland) as an Operations Manager, thanks to a call that came from a peer in her network. Saskia now has 22 years with Ashland under her belt, with roles in operations and product management. Saskia is now the General Manager for the Intermediates Business Line at Ashland.

Lindsey fell into the industry by chance, going to University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire to become a nurse just as her mom was. After graduating, Lindsey worked for EMCO Chemical and worked as a quality manager and a lab lead before she joined Johnson Controls as a quality engineer. While at Johnson Controls, Lindsey pursued roles in operations and process improvement, travelling all over the country. Ultimately, a counselor at UW-Eau Claire was the one to introduce her to Hydrite. Lindsey joined Hydrite's strategic sourcing function and has since had approximately 8 different roles with the organization. Today, Lindsey is the Executive Director of Sulfur for Hydrite.

Jenna has 26 years in the chemical industry, and how she entered is very unique. On a 6 hour flight home from Beijing, she met a man sitting next to her that worked for DuPont and left with his business card. Eventually, that man would become her boss! Jenna started her career as a mechanical engineer working for Otis on their elevator buttons, then went on to wear many hats in marketing, operations, six sigma, supply chain, sales, and more. Today, Jenna is the Key Account Manager for the CASE Industry at Wego Chemical.

Kerolen joined our community all the way from India in the late hours of her evening just to tell us her story. Having grown up and studied in Brazil, Kerolen, her husband and their 2 young boys moved to India just a few months ago for her husband's new job. Prior to the move, Kerolen had over a decade of work experience in the chemical industry working with companies such as Henkel, Dow, and now Soyventis as their Market Development Manager for SE Asia

Alyssa joined the chemicals industry with no science or chemistry background. She pursued an English degree, intending to work in publishing after graduating. While interning for a publishing company, she realized the space was not for her. Alyssa joined the Brenntag team after a Saturday morning interview just before the Holidays, and she quickly landed a Sales Support Specialist role with Brenntag Northeast, her first day being just after the New Year. Today Alyssa represents Brenntag as their Senior Market Analyst, providing market reports and insights to her commercial teams and also supporting service excellence as the Customer Experience Leader for North America.

Deanna joins us today as sales manager for Wacker Chemical Corporation. Deanna shared with us her full circle career with Wacker, starting with them in a technical capacity right after college, working as a chemist with specialties in silica for 7 years. Deanna left Wacker to care full time for her 1st baby, with 2 more children shortly following. Deanna remained home full time for 12 years before she re-entered the workforce. When Deanna started to look to re-enter the workforce, it just so happened the very job she left 12 years ago was hiring. She re-entered into Wacker once more, and has since 2018 been working in sales.

Candice is currently Harcros Chemicals' Northeast District Manager. Candice, while her entire career thus far has been within the Harcros community, has worn many hats. Starting as a temporary employee during her undergrad in order to pay for schooling, she then went on to have roles in customer service, purchasing, office management, operations, and more. Candice is a great example of being able to diversify her career within one organization.

Jean joined our community with 38 years in the industry. Her background spans a plethora of roles discussed throughout this interview, ultimately landing her her final role as Global Vice President of Performance Additives for Ashland. Jean retired from Ashland in 2020, and now spends her time staying very active in the industry either volunteering as she does for our community, consulting, mentoring and advising, and so much more.

Rachel joined us from the UK for our interview, as she is currently a student pursuing her master’s degree in Cyber Physical Systems at the University of Nottingham. After completing her early education much before her peers in Qatar, she started University at age 16, pursuing a chemical engineering undergrad degree. Rachel talked to us about her experiences often being not only the youngest in her courses, but also the only female. She also shared with us how the many people that told her not to leave Qatar and to not pursue her degrees were used as motivation to keep her pushing forward. 

Sneha grew up in India, where she studied chemistry in her undergrad at an all women college. What fascinated her about chemistry is the wide application that it boasts. Sneha wanted to combine her chemistry background with her interests in business development, pursuing a post grad degree in business through Kellogg's Executive MBA Program. Sneha has a multi-continental background of diverse working experiences today. She has worked in India, The Netherlands, and now currently is located in the Chicago area.