Board of Trustees Officers

Robert Moser, Jr., President           

Vice President of Corporate Relations and Government Affairs, Brenntag North America, Inc., Reading, PA

Mr. Moser joined Brenntag in 1978 in Pittsburgh, PA. He served in various positions, including commercial management, supplier development and procurement, and regional management, before taking on his current role as Brenntag’s Senior Vice President of Global Accounts. Mr. Moser also acts as Brenntag’s Director of Government Affairs for North America. Mr. Moser received a BS in Biology from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He also graduated with advanced training in International Leadership from Ashridge College in the U.K.

Calvin Emanuel, Ph.D., Vice President

Vice President of Strategy Primary Resources Sector, Nalco Water/An Ecolab Company, Houston, TX

Dr. Emanuel is the Vice President of Strategy for Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company. He leads the strategic direction setting for the primary resources sector. Dr. Emanuel has had a varied career in the chemical industry and has worked for BASF and Shell Chemical in numerous areas including R&D, manufacturing, commercial, and business development. He supports STEM education with CEF, by volunteering with You Be The Chemist local, state, and national Challenges, and by expanding the Essential Elements program in Texas. Dr. Emanuel earned his Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry in 1999.

Kristin L. Mays-Corbitt, Treasurer

President and CEO, Mays Chemical Company, Inc.,

Mrs. Mays-Corbitt, daughter of founder William G. (Bill) Mays, has worked at MCC for over 25 years. Prior to her appointment to the President and CEO in 2012, Kristin served in a variety of roles such as Customer Service, Purchasing, Sales, Director of Supply Chain, Vice President of Operations and the Assistant to the Chairman.

Mrs. Mays-Corbitt received both her BS Business Management (1998) and MBA Management (2002) from Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Dwayne Sattler, Secretary

Chief Executive Officer, CEF, Arlington, VA

Mr. Sattler joined CEF as Executive Director in April 2017. He leads the industry-focused nonprofit’s efforts to inspire today’s students to become tomorrow’s STEM workforce.

Prior to joining CEF, Mr. Sattler served as the Associate Vice President for Policy at The Ohio State University, Office of Research. In that role, he directed corporate and public-sector partnerships for the Ohio Technology Consortium securing funding for research and STEM education programming.

Mr. Sattler previously led industry economic competitiveness, workforce talent, and community social responsibility efforts through his own consulting firm, Network Government Relations, LLC, and the development of national workforce policy as the Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Training.

Mr. Sattler earned his Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from The Ohio State University and Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bowling Green State University.

 

Board of Trustees Members

Rob Benedict

Vice President, Petrochemicals and Midstream, Regulatory Affairs, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Washington, DC

Mr. Benedict is Senior Director of Petrochemicals, Transportation, and Infrastructure at American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the trade association that represents the makers of the fuels that keep our country and the world moving and the petrochemicals that are the building blocks for modern life. In this role, he develops association policy on Congressional legislation and regulatory matters and advocates for AFPM member companies by communicating their key role in the supply chain and their efforts to improve the safe and efficient transportation of essential products. Mr. Benedict co-leads AFPM’s sustainability program which promotes the Fuel and Petrochemical Industries’ commitment to being part of a sustainable future.

Prior to joining AFPM, Mr. Benedict served as the Chief of the Risk, Data, and Program Management and Senior Regulations Officer at the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Here he provided integrated planning and evaluation of programmatic activities and was responsible for the development of national standards and policies to promote a safe and secure transportation system.

Mr. Benedict received a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from George Washington University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology, from Wake Forest University where he was a Sullivan’s Scholar.

Lynne Bukovic

Vice President of Market Strategy & Principal Relations, Lintech International, St. Louis, MO

Ms. Bukovic began her career in the chemical industry in 1987 as a process engineer with Monsanto.  During her career, she has held positions in Manufacturing, R&D, Sales, Business Management/Marketing, Materials Management and Business Development. Ms. Bukovic has served in a variety of roles with the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), including various committees, two terms as a Director at Large, and is currently the Education Committee chair.

Ms. Bukovic received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines (where she also serves as an advisor for the Women in Science & Engineering [WiSE] committee) and an MBA from Fontbonne University.

Alysia Diffendal

Director, Formulation & Packaging Operations, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, IN

Ms. Diffendal has twenty years of chemical manufacturing & supply experience with Dow Chemical and Corteva Agriscience in multiple locations in US. She has held a variety of global, regional, and cross-functional leadership roles and has direct experience in a startup business and new facility startup. Ms. Diffendal earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University.

Tim Heidenry

Vice President of Key Accounts, Brenntag North America, Wayne, PA. 

Mr. Heidenry is currently responsible for Brenntag’s North American Key Accounts Team. He joined Brenntag in 2011 via their acquisition of a St. Louis-based Chemical Distributor, G.S. Robins and Company in 2005. He has spent his entire 32-year career in Chemicals Distribution in Commercially related Sales and Leadership positions.

Terry Hill

Supervisory Board Member, North America, Barentz, Avon, OH

Mr. Hill began his career with Univar in 1985 and held a variety of sales and management positions during his tenure with the company, including President of Univar USA and Executive Vice President – Industry Relations. He founded Apex Distribution Consulting and served as its President before becoming CEO of Maroon Group, and subsequently Barentz North America. Mr. Hill is a member of the American Chemical Society.

Jennifer Jewson

Vice President, Global Procurement, Strategic Materials and Sustainable Solutions, Lyondellbasell, Houston, TX

Ms. Jewson is responsible for Raw Material and Utilities procurement globally, expansion of Lyondellbasell’s Sustainability program including renewable energy, strategic supplier relationship management and product value optimization. She has been with Lyondellbasell and predecessor companies for 25+ years performing roles in R&D, Commercial, Supply Chain and Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Jewson holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry and an MBA in Finance.

Marla Kline

General Manager, Business Management US Gulf Coast, Shell Chemicals, Houston, TX

With over 30 years experience, Ms. Kline’s accountabilities include Sales, Supply, HSSE & Logistics, Economics & Scheduling and Optimization for the for the USGC business. Marla manages and is responsible for the P/L for all of USGC Chemicals and Products, which includes assets at, Geismar, Deer Park, Norco, and Convent. In addition to her General Manager role, Marla holds the title and authorities of President, Shell Chemical, LP.

Ms. Kline holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA,  and has a broad work history across many businesses including technical, supply, and commercial roles.

Joyce Marshall Johnson

Product Director  Solvents, Univar Solutions, The Woodlands, TX

Mrs. Marshall Johnson has been with Univar Solutions for over 25 years and active in the chemicals and oil and gas industry since1989.  She is currently accountable for select solvent products and enterprise relationships. She has held a variety of global and regional leadership roles throughout her career in the areas of process engineering, planning, sales, purchasing, corporate accounts, and product management.

Additionally, she is an active volunteer in supporting youth education and outreach efforts and has participated in company initiatives advocating for workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mrs. Marshall Johnson earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the University of Houston Victoria.

Raj Sengupta

CEO and President Allied Reliability, Houston, TX

Mr. Sengupta is currently CEO and President of Allied Reliability, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Shell.  He has spent his career primarily in Chemicals for Shell across commercial, strategy, mergers & acquisitions, manufacturing, business development, and leadership roles.  Mr. Sengupta earned his Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Rene Whigham

Vice President, EH&S, Sustainability, Productivity & Product Stewardship, Olin, Cleveland, TN

Ms. Whigham joined Olin in 1989 as an R&D Engineer then moved into manufacturing where she held a variety of operations and engineering management roles at multiple North American facilities. In 2006, Ms. Whigham transitioned into the commercial organization leading the “order-to-cash” Business Process Integration of an acquired company and later moved into Business Leadership roles across multiple chloralkali products.  Ms. Whigham actively promotes STEM in the local school system through a variety of volunteer activities.

Ms. Whigham received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the West Virginia Institute of Technology and her M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia.  Ms. Whigham also completed the Executive Leadership Program at the Darden School of Business.

Catherine Wieckowska

President, Responsible Distribution Canada (RDC), Burlington, Ontario

Ms. Wieckowska has been with RDC for over 16 years and has been in the chemical and ingredient industry for more than 20 years. She has managed the You Be The Chemist efforts in Canada since 2006 and was instrumental in developing the Canadian committee, website, bilingual resources, Provincial regional challenges and fundraising efforts. Ms. Wieckowska is thrilled to be part of the CEF’s Board of Trustees and looks forward to continuing our work on enriching chemistry education across North America.

April Yeager

Senior Vice President & General Manager, Essential Ingredients, Lawrenceville, GA

Ms. Yeager is an accomplished specialty chemicals professional with 30 years of experience in senior commercial and procurement roles, with an in-depth understanding of both consumer care and industrial markets.

She spent the majority of her career working for Clariant, and her last assignment was as North American Head of Procurement. She joined Essential Ingredients in December of 2020.

April holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina and is a graduate of Queens College Management Program in Finance, Accounting, Ethics and Logistics. She is also the co-inventor and patent holder for “Process for preparation of N-acyl-aminodiacids” US Patent – 5837872A.

Content Development Team

A volunteer group of professional scientists, educators, and industry members who review CEF’s program content to ensure that it is accurate, educationally effective, and accessible for students.

 

Members of the Content Development Team at CEF's first-ever Content Development Conference in October 2016.
Members of the Content Development Team at CEF’s first-ever Content Development Conference in October 2016.

Dr. Elvin Alemán
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, California State University, Stanislaus
Dr. Lauren Amable
Staff Scientist, National Institutes of Health
Ms. Kathy Biernat
Science Teacher, St. Mary’s Visitation School
Mr. Aidan Blum
Project Engineer, PVS Chemicals, Inc.
Ms. Rosalie Bordett
Student, University of Connecticut
Dr. Christina Boville
Postdoctoral Scholar, Resnick Institute, Caltech
Dr. Angela Carraway
Chemistry Instructor, Meridian Community College
Dr. Michael Danahy
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Bowdoin College
Mr. Mike Davis
Professor of Chemistry & Education, Truman College
Dr. Dilip Dias
Senior Scientist, BD Technologies
Ms. Rachael Gardner
Teacher, Sioux City Community Schools
Dr. Marcia Gillette
Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Indiana University Kokomo
Mr. Chuck Wheeler Handlon
Adjunct Professor, Winona State University
Dr. Thomas Holme
Professor, Chemistry Department, Iowa State University
Mr. Steven L. Jacobs
Chief Scientist, Faraday Studios
Dr. Kimberly Jacoby Morris
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health
Ms. Kathleen Koziski
Retired Chemist, The Dow Chemical Company
Dr. Georgina Little
Instructor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry & Physics, Southeastern Louisiana University
Dr. Renee Love
Teacher, Atlanta Public Schools
Dr. Ajay Mallia
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College
Dr. Johanna Mazlo
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Dr. Steve Miller
High School Chemistry Teacher, Pines School
Ms. Ronni Moore
Lead Instructor, The Excel Center-Meadows
Dr. Richard Myers
Director, Kemin Industries
Mr. Douglas A. Nafis
Senior Development Specialist, UOP, LLC/A Honeywell Company
Dr. Brittany Pequegnat
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Dr. Rosalynn Quiñones-Fernández
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Marshall University
Dr. John Rakus
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Marshall University
Mr. Sean Reid
AP Chemistry Teacher, Walt Whitman High School
Dr. Paul Russo
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Thomas Sommerfeld
Associate Professor, Southeastern Louisiana University
Dr. Roxanne Spencer
Chemistry Teacher, Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science
Mr. Shawn Sutton
Science Teacher, Long Valley Middle School
Dr. Yiftah Tal-Gan
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno
Dr. Quan Yuan
Scientific Editor/Study Abroad Consultant, Bridge Bright Future Consulting LLC
Dr. Xujun Zhang
Graduate, Georgia Institute of Technology