Catherine T. (Katie) Hunt ACS President

Judith L. Benham
Chair, Board of Directors

Madeleine Jacobs
Executive Director & CEO

In 2007, we spent a lot of time listening to our

members. We continue to be impressed with their

ideas, their optimism and, yes, their passion.

They want an ACS that reflects their changing interests, expectations and needs. They want a Society that delivers access to relevant news, information, career help and professional development. They want tools and services that will enhance their research capabilities as well as allow the global scientific community to connect, communicate and collaborate. In short, they want a Society that will help us all thrive in the 21st century.

We heard and acted, launching a series of bold initiatives and strategic efforts — discussed elsewhere in this message — that will ensure ACS continues to provide its members with premier benefits and value.

As we listened, we were impressed with our members’ stories about their lives and their work. Many of these stories are featured in a

special section of this year’s annual report. This section, which includes dozens of comments from ACS members, explores some of the fundamental inspirations and motivations that drive chemists and chemical engineers and why they value ACS and its services.

What is striking about these stories is a common commitment to the spirit of the ACS vision statement,

“Improving people’s lives through the
transforming power of chemistry.”

This vision, adopted in 2006 after broad consultation with our membership, clearly resonates. Whether they are producing better medicines, new sources of renewable energy or one of the thousands of other advances that will allow us to live on a clean, sustainable planet, ACS members have embraced this vision and are acting on it.

Board approves new
strategic plan

The ACS Board of Directors spent much of 2007 developing a robust strategic plan that builds and expands on this vision as well as our mission,

“To advance the broader chemistry
enterprise and its practitioners for
the benefit of Earth and its people.”

This plan, ACS Strategic Plan for 2008 and Beyond, marks both the culmination of a deliberative process — involving thousands of members, our volunteer governance and ACS staff — and the launch of an exciting path toward creating the ACS of the future. The plan will ensure that ACS remains the leading professional society for our members and our science.

The centerpiece of the plan is six specific forward-thinking goals, along with detailed strategies and