As I write my last installment of comments for Leading Together from the Chair’s position of the Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC), it is with some sadness as I reflect on the past but also excitement as I think to the future for local sections and ACS.

I have served you, the local section leader, as Chair for the past three years, and I have been fortunate enough to serve on LSAC for the past eight—and trust me, every year has been great. Over these years, I have traveled a great bit from my home section in Savannah to Huntsville, Memphis, San Francisco, and most points in between. I have talked with countless local section leaders and reviewed numerous annual reports and grant proposals. I always come away in awe of our local sections and you, the volunteer. The amount of activity, technical programming, professional development, and outreach is truly staggering. I don’t think all of you in the local section trenches always see the cumulative effect of your individual efforts on the Society, the membership, and the public. However, sitting on LSAC, you get a sense of the magnitude of our combined efforts. And it is amazing. THANK YOU ALL!

Sadness. A comment about leaving: Working on LSAC has been one of the highlights of my professional career as well as for me personally. The people I have met and worked with, from my initial mentor and subcommittee chair Larry Krannich, to the previous LSAC Chairs Kathleen Schultz and Yorke Rhodes, and everyone in between, have become friends and colleagues. I owe a great debt to all my councilor friends on LSAC as well as the wonderful ACS staff members who have worked with our committee over the years. Every one of them has taught me much about the value of local sections and their contributions to our great Society. I also have grown professionally in my leadership skills and my ability to communicate and work with others. I am very grateful that ACS has allowed me to build professional skills that support my career and personal growth. As for any new local section leaders, I would encourage you to become involved in ACS as much as your schedule allows. The rewards and the friendships you will make are invaluable.

Excitement. However, my leaving is punctuated with a tremendous anticipation for the future of local sections. I am excited about some of the work that has been accomplished over the past eight years and much that is poised to come. I believe that many of the projects I have worked very closely on have truly benefited the local sections: online annual reports, the Leading Together newsletter, e-rosters, the Petition for Local Section and Division Funding, the Innovative Projects Grant Program, and the expansion of the Local Section Visitation Program, just to name a few. In the past two years, we have set the stage for the future by sponsoring the Local Section Summit initiative. These summits allowed LSAC to sit back and learn from you, the members, where to help steer local sections in the future. You have heard much about this in past columns, so I won’t repeat that information here; however, this activity has set the stage for many initiatives that I believe will greatly assist local sections over the next few years. Together, we have already implemented e-rosters, Science Cafés, and the National Chemistry Week Toolkit from outcomes of the summit. And much is still out there on the horizon. Potential activities include Social Networking Software, local section management software, and virtual meetings, to name a few.

It has truly been an honor and privilege to work with each of you through the years. I will cherish and carry with me all the memories and friendships. I believe in the local sections, and I will continue to work within the Society to help in any way I can to support our activities.

Working together, we truly are “Connecting Chemistry and the Community.” I thank you for all you do for ACS and all the inspiration and camaraderie you have given me!

In closing, I would like to welcome Dr. Wayne Jones from the Binghamton Local Section to the Chair position in 2008. Wayne has a great history of innovation and leadership in the local section, LSAC, and ACS levels. He has many great ideas to help all local sections “be all they can be.” I leave you in his very capable hands, and I look forward to continuing to support each of you in achieving an even brighter future for our sections and our Society. Thank you, it has been great!

Will Lynch, Chair
ACS Committee on Local Section Activities

Back to Top Return to Newsletter