In recent years, Dr. Catherine Woytowicz, has taken the road less traveled; from chemistry to politics. As an ACS Science Policy Fellow from 1999 through 2001, she worked in the Office of Legislative and Government Affairs (OLGA) at ACS headquarters in Washington, DC. Since OLGA is comprised of many political scientists and ex-staffers from Capital Hill, Catherine said that part of her job was "interpreting science for others so that they could make informed decisions." In this capacity, one of her innovations was creating "take home" packets for policy makers; covering such fascinating topics as:
Catherine has recently accepted an American Association for the Advancement of Science, (AAAS), Science, Engineering, and Diplomacy Fellowship at the State Department that is scheduled to begin in September. She also currently teaches organic chemistry and does chemistry education research at the George Washington University, along with consulting and reviewing and writing textbooks.
Before her penchant for politics took precedence, Catherine also followed the paths of forensic science, pharmaceutics, technical writing, and teaching. She earned a B.S. in chemistry with a physics minor from the Honors Program at Loyola University of Chicago and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of California at Riverside. Asked about her chemistry experience, she says, "I started work in chemistry as soon as I could - in my sophomore year - which I think made a big difference." Catherine is also a renaissance woman - she teaches swing dancing and public speaking, writes fiction and non-fiction, and occasionally performs as a stand-up comic. According to her, "I've been a member of a bad rock band and a good string quartet. I don't have a favorite pastime but I try to avoid boredom. Okay, I never make enough time to write, play the piano, do comedy, or work out. Seriously, I just ran my first marathon with NO training; I never had the time. I did it from the desire to challenge myself. That's how I do everything."
Catherine's interest in chemistry began with her curiosity about how functional groups on a molecule affect biological activity, which led to an undergraduate research project and eventually graduate work in organic synthesis. Her interest in scientific policy developed when graduate school friends of hers became involved in the Gulf War. At that time, the Chemical Weapons Convention was being written and Catherine became interested in the treaty process.
Flexibility and tenacity on her part and a lot of support from friends, family, and teachers are the key factors that Catherine cites in helping her get to where she is today. However she also says to never overlook the luck factor because while she was a post-doctoral fellow, she read about an independent intelligence group that interested her. Before she could call them, they called her and coincidentally, she belonged to the same social club as the group leader. This led to Catherine working with them to review chemical weapons issues. She also relates that she gained valuable experience by becoming active in the Chicago ACS local section, on the public affairs and pubic relations committee, writing to elected officials. "Involvement in local sections is so important; the people are the network," says Catherine. Working with Jim Shoffner (who is now an ACS board member) at the local level gave Catherine the opportunity for the ACS Science Policy Fellowship.
When asked about sacrifices she's made, Catherine quoted, "I probably sacrificed everything - relationships, jobs, free time, money, location - at one time or another." Catherine advises people to be realistic about the career choices they make. Any time you make a decision based on one or two factors, you will likely be sacrificing in other areas at that same time.
Perhaps it is not a sacrifice but Catherine says she has definitely changed throughout her career. Whether it was her Jesuit education or working almost exclusively with men that has influenced her style the most, she isn't sure, but Catherine freely admits that "she has adopted a male style of communicating: Here's my idea. What's yours? What's best?" Catherine says, "some find it aggressive or perhaps even offensive but I do not apologize for sharing ideas, exploring boundaries, or asking why?"
Catherine also was very insightful when asked whether or not the workplace has changed for women in chemistry, "We owe a lot to the women who went before us. I'd love to say my career has been free of harassment but that's not true. I don't see enough women/diversity in the workforce, especially supervisory positions, but I better understand how we self-select. I have also learned to separate my self-esteem from my work product (especially when effort does not correlate with output). Right now, I'm learning not to be so parental with my student. The weirdest thing I've learned: women's fashion. Adapting to corporate dress after labwear is transformative."
Being able to choose the problem you want to work on, in a timeframe that suits you, and being taken seriously for your intellectual contribution to its solution, is Catherine's definition of success.
She believes that success requires planning and flexibility, but be aware that the Universe may not cooperate with the plan. She says of her own success, "I have a very checkered portfolio of skills. If the FBI had called two days earlier, I'd be a Special Agent and have never done my post-doc. Now, I am successful in a different way than I had planned. I am generating ideas in areas I never thought I'd be investigating: policy and education theory and drug discovery. Maybe success requires appreciating your own interests."
Catherine discussed the benefits of mentoring in this way, "I always wanted the classic hand-crafting and connection of a career mentor who would actively shape my career development, push me, and understand me well enough to guide me through a choice of opportunities. I had great, understanding, helpful research advisors and coworkers. My research advisors - both graduate and undergraduate - taught me a lot about professionalism, grace, and lab management. (If you want to mention names: Steve Angle at UC Riverside and Chuck Thompson at UMT.) In starting my career, I blazed my own trail. Policy work and other non-traditional careers are often not valued by the benchworking community so I had to find my own way there. Dr. Shoffner was encouraging. Once I started in policy work, I looked for role models. Networking led to additional opportunities here in Washington. I am now in a place where I can help network and offer advice to others. I owe that to those who took an interest in me when I was merely a woman 'with an interest' in doing what they did."
"Work and life are like waves," says Catherine, when asked about life's balancing act. "Work flows and life ebbs. Life flows and work ebbs. (I don't have kids so it's not as much about balance as choice). For me, it's all about realistic scheduling and flexibility... but I love chaos/crises because I like to solve the problem. I am both a task and process person; I like to throw myself in and fight. My problem is that I often want others to work as hard as I do - personally or professionally. Why give up?"
As far as general advice for other women, Catherine recommends reading everything you can, in and out of your areas of expertise. For public policy work, she advises getting involved in local public affairs. In technical writing, she warns to prepare for dry spells and have discipline about working. Her advice in teaching is not to settle for grade inflation. She also passed on these words of wisdom, "Wherever you are, start a network. Be the nucleus: if you need it, find out who does it and offer what you do in return. Thank people for their efforts. Grow: if someone points you to another person for the answer, keep both of them in the loop. Pass on the opportunities that you don't use. Finally, spin those plates! If you haven't heard from someone in a while, make it your business to get in touch."
Catherine's parting words were, "Don't let people say 'no' because they can't do it. Try! Maybe you can. If you don't know it's impossible, you may just do it. Allow yourself to fail. All geniuses are allowed a few mistakes on the way to greatness. Also, I cannot thank my parents enough. Though they are gifted people, they never had the benefits of a college education but they saw that it was the right thing for me to do and supported my choice to attend college and graduate school. They were instrumental in my finishing a doctorate because they valued education."
The WCC would like to sincerely thank Dr. Catherine Woytowicz for providing us with this interview.
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