Emily has a bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering and started her career as a corrosion engineer in the petrochemical industry at ExxonMobil. Throughout her career, she has obtained experience in additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry and polymers research and manufacturing in the automotive and adhesives industries. Emily transitioned to ICIS to pursue her love of sustainability with a career in recycled plastics reporting, primarily focusing on the circular economy of plastics. Emily chose engineering as her major because of her parents - her father is electrical engineer and her mother was a working mom who also has a successful career. Growing up, she always exceled with math and that led her to a career in the STEM field. She stated that there was a large learning curve when she jumped into a journalistic-focused career even though she had the technical background to assist with her responsibilities.

Angie Schewe is the Vice President of the Industrial Division at Valudor Products, a mid-sized chemical distributor headquartered in Encinitas, California. She is an energetic and trusted leader responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and financial performance of the division. With 25 years of experience in the domestic and global chemical industry, Angie has garnered a wide range of experience in operations, finance, marketing, procurement, and sales. During her formative years, Angie worked in her father’s businesses where she developed the tenacity to be fearless with her career trajectory. With his mentorship, she confidently changed disciplines, pursued challenging assignments, and accepted lateral moves in a deliberate effort to expand her expertise and strengthen her leadership skills.

Not only does Christine have a flourishing career with Brenntag, but she is also Women in Chemical's Mentorship Chair, and she is incredibly passionate about building the Mentorship program for the industry. Christine believes she "fell" into the industry and admits that she did not know much about chemicals when she started in the industry in a sales role. Part of her mission is to bring women into the industry in an intentional way by providing an appropriate support system. Christine has been with Brenntag for most of her career, and two years ago, she made the transition from sales to product management.

Shana has 20+ years of experience in commercial roles, ranging across a variety of industries including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, software, and chemicals. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in management from Washington University in St. Louis. Shana never planned on having a career in the chemical industry, but after speaking at a non-profit event, she was approached by a chemical company, and shortly after she became a part of the chemical industry.

Blair is a Louisiana native, high school valedictorian, and graduate of LSU Baton Rogue, where she studied biological engineering. Early in her career, Blair worked on the BP oil spill plankton samples and focused on microscope lab analysis and understanding the impacts to aquatic life. She always believed she would go to medical school, but after working in a research lab, she progressed into the chemical plant atmosphere with a role in a lab at Honeywell. She started at Honeywell in 2015 where she was on a rotating shift in the lab for 4 years. She then progressed to a role as a quality specialist and ultimately morphed into a role as a quality engineer. After working in the quality field, Blair decided she wanted to do chemical engineering work, so she spent her last 6 months at Honeywell as a chemical engineer. She joined Linde in 2022 as a plant engineer.

Dr. Ooka has a Ph.D. in Chemistry and shared her work experiences in both small and large organizations with us during her interview. She started her career as a chemist at Clorox where she focused on product development and innovation. She enjoyed working at Clorox because it set a good foundation for her in CPG, providing excellent professional development and training, demonstrating best practices in the industry, and introducing her to great leadership. After Clorox, Dr. Ooka spent time at smaller companies such as method and J.R. Watkins and is now at the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), a non-profit trade association.

Mai Mai's journey started with the influence of her father, who was an engineer. She exceled in math and science, so Mai Mai knew that this would be a great foundation for her desire to study Engineering. Upon graduating with her B.S. in Materials Engineering, Mai Mai landed her first job in the electronic materials division of a large, $2B chemical company which housed divisions including chemicals, metal, and ammunition. Mai Mai's role in the organization was in the engineering group, supporting electronic materials within the semiconductor industry, but upon sale of that business unit, she had the opportunity to enter into the chemical division of the company. She spent time in roles such as technical services, market development, and account management, but once again, her business unit was sold. At the same time, Mai Mai's husband had an opportunity out of Boston, so instead of moving on to the new owner, she decided to take a break from her career to focus on family and relocate to the Boston area. After the break, Mai Mai began looking for a job that would allow her to use her transferable skills. After years of searching for the right opportunity, she found a job at Jungbunzlauer; Mai Mai has been with Jungbunzlauer for 15 years.

Dr. White holds her Masters in Biology and her Doctorate in Environmental Toxicology, and as a part of her role at ACC, she has the opportunity to work with some of the leading scientists and key regulators engaged with the chemical industry. Throughout her education, Dr. White thought she would work in a research lab for her entire career, but during graduate school she accepted an internship working on science policy with the state department, which ultimately led to her career in environmental compliance and regulation. Dr. White sought out a career where she could make a larger impact in the industry and working at ACC allows her to engage with leaders in the business of chemistry focused on research, sustainability and innovation. She thoroughly enjoys the combination of R&D and policy, and in particular, sharing this information with the public. Dr. White does not come from a family of scientists, but her love for science started when she was eight years old when her parents gifted her a red microscope. From that day forward, Dr. White spent hours on end utilizing her microscope and exploring all things science related.

Kathleen joined the industry directly out of undergraduate studies, where she studied Criminal Justic & Political Science. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Kathleen planned to go to law school, but after starting a job with J. Tech Sales, she quickly changed her mind and decided to stay in the chemical industry while pursuing her Masters of Business Administration. Kathleen was one of the first employees at J. Tech Sales, a small family-owned business, and she quickly gained exposure to different areas of the business with her roles in areas such as Operations, Customer Service, Sale and Finance. J. Tech Sales was eventually acquired by Maroon Group, and upon this acquisition, Kathleen's responsibilities shifted to overall responsibility for the Commercial side of the business.

Shea started in mortgage after she graduated, but after about a year determined that she wanted something different. After using her university resources, she joined Brenntag in 2006 as a marketing assistant. From there, she has held many positions including pricing and account management, product management, sales, business development, and her current position as manager of the integration and project management office. We learned from Shea that her decisions to take on new roles within Brenntag have been a combination of her great support network working with her as well as natural progressions from her prior positions. When asked about advice for those listening in that are earlier in their careers, Shea shared with us the importance of finding our passion and sharing those with our networks. Shea appreciates that there is always something new at Brenntag bringing new challenges, opening the door for new chances to grow. Shea discovered her current position by communicating interest to her networks.

Christine is a second generation Asian American who grew up in Western Canada. She is a chemical engineer by trade with her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Christine has an extensive background in technical roles including new product and process introductions and process scale-ups, which paved the way for her to make the jump to Supply Chain & Transportation. Christine is currently based in New Jersey with her family. Upon obtaining her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and eventually an MBA, Christine started in a R&D role at a pilot plant and then moved into production. She originally started her career in the food industry, transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, then accepted a role at Univar where she spent 3 years utilizing her lean six sigma background to work on transportation improvements and 2 years handing vendor performance management. Her most recent role, which she has held for the past 5 years, has been in a tactical and strategic transportation execution role for Univar.

Chantal was born and raised in Lebanon. She speaks three languages (English, French, and Arabic) and represents many nationalities. Chantal has a Master's and PhD in Physical and Analytical Chemistry, an MBA, and is now preparing for the CFA degree. She has international experience, moving between countries like Lebanon, France, the United States, London, Dubai, and Belgium to pursue new educational and career experiences. Chantal moved to the United States and joined Rhodia (later acquired by Solvay), a specialty chemical company. She started her career as a scientist in the research and innovation department and later transitioned into the commercial side as a business manager in the oil & gas sector. Among other roles, her most recent one was Vice President of Strategy and Business Development leading global functions and the P&L of the distribution sales channel.