I am honored to have been elected to the Chair-Elect position by the membership of our division and to have the opportunity to work with so many talented and dedicated individuals to our joint goal of advancing chemical education.  I truly appreciate the many messages of support that I have received.

Since my election, I have had the opportunity to meet many members through working with various committees and boards.  I appreciate the warm welcome and guidance that I have received as I learn the intricacies and workings of the division.  I am inspired by the dedication, commitment, and thoughtfulness that you bring to this work and the impact that we collectively have on chemical education.

I would like to extend my thanks to Thom Bussey, Gina Frey, and Resa Kelly for their magnificent leadership of the division and warmly welcoming me into my role in the chair succession.  I am learning so much from them.  In addition, I want to express my deep appreciation to Heather Ryan, our Executive Assistant, for her dedication and support in advancing the work of the division.

One of the highlights of my transition into this role was attending the ACS Leadership Institute in Atlanta at the end of January.  There I had the opportunity to meet and work with several individuals from other divisions who are also stepping into leadership roles in the ACS.  The weekend also gave us the opportunity to interact with the ACS staff and the ACS senior leadership.  If you are given the opportunity to participate in this institute, I would strongly encourage you to do so.  It really helped me to understand the workings of the ACS and all the many resources that are available to the division to help us in advancing our mission.

Lastly, I have to say THANK YOU to each member of the division for your dedication to our mission of advancing chemical education.  I look forward to working with you over the next three years and hope to continue to build a strong community where we support each other and continue to innovate new and exciting programs for chemical education.  Please feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts and ideas.

With appreciation,

Steve Wietstock
Chair-elect, Acs division of Chemical Education