Highlights from Council

Candidates for President-Elect, 2027  

The Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E) presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2027: John Adams, Lisa McElwee-White, Mary Virginia Orna, and Laura Sremaniak. By electronic ballot, the Council selected Laura Sremaniak and Lisa McElwee-White as candidates for 2027 President-Elect. These two candidates will join any petition candidates to stand for election in the fall 2026 national election. 

Other Actions

* On the recommendation of the Committee on Committees (ConC), and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee (CPC), Council voted [Yes 401 (99.50%) / No 2 (0.50%)] to continue the Committees on Analytical Reagents, Constitution and Bylaws, Divisional Activities, and Local Section Activities and, subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors, the Committees on Chemists with Disabilities, and Environment and Sustainability. 

* On the recommendation of ConC, and with the concurrence of CPC, Council voted [Yes 377 (95.93%) / No 16 (4.07%)] to amend the name and duties of the Committee on Budget and Finance (B&F) and change its name to the Committee Fiscal Affairs (CFA), subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. This change reflects the growth and increased complexity of Society operations. CFA will continue to focus on financial stewardship of governance and component groups; a planned Board Finance Committee will have fiduciary responsibility and enterprise-level focus. 

* ConC announced that the committee preference form is open to all ACS members through July 6. Councilors interested in serving on an ACS Committee in 2026 should go to CMTE.acs.org to complete their preferences.

* On the recommendation of the Committee on International Activities (IAC), Council voted to approve the creation of a new International Chemical Sciences Chapter in Sri Lanka [Yes 378 (98.18%) / No 7 (1.82%)], subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. 

* On the recommendation of the Committee on Membership Affairs (MAC), Council voted [Yes 388 (98.48%) / No 6 (1.52%)] to approve the 2027 Schedule of Dues and Benefits, subject to the concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors. MAC proposed no changes from the 2026 Schedule of Dues and Benefits. 

* The Council Policy Committee (CPC) reported on its new strategic plan. The three overarching goals focus on Councilor Engagement, Council Structure, and Leadership Development. CPC has restructured its subcommittees to implement this plan. (NOTE - CHAS Councilor Frankie Wood-Black is on CPC and chairs the subcommittee on Engagement.)

* The Committee on Constitution and Bylaws (C&B) reported the certification of 15 unit bylaws since the fall 2025 meeting. They include nine Local Sections: Central New York, Chicago, East Texas, Florida, Huron Valley, Pittsburgh, Rock River, Tampa Bay, and Trenton; four Divisions: Agrochemicals (AGRO), Energy and Fuels (ENFL), Inorganic Chemistry (INOR), and Small Chemical Businesses (SCHB); and two International Chemical Sciences Chapters: Guatemala and Nigeria. 

* The Committee on Budget and Finance (B&F) reported that in 2025, ACS had a net revenue of $50.7 million from operations and met all five of its financial guidelines. Over the past 25 years, revenue has more than doubled, with a fourfold increase in unrestricted net assets. ACS receives 58% of revenue from outside of North America and is active 56 different jurisdictions.

* The Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC) reported on their new strategic plan, focusing on promoting Division impact, connecting Divisions to the greater ACS community, and supporting and recognizing Divisions. Collaborative programming at the spring 2026 meeting included 160 joint half-day sessions out of the 800 total sessions scheduled. More than 300 sessions were in the four community programming tracks of Pharma, Data Science/AI, Sustainability, and Startup.

* The ACS Spring 2026 meeting was held from March 22-26. As of March 24, there were 13,521 registrations (12,475 in-person and 1,046 online). The ACS Fall 2026 meeting will be held in Chicago, IL, from August 23- 27, 2026.

One last item - there is a real push for Advocacy for Science and Science Based Policy - If you want to get involved you can go to https://www.acs.org/policy/memberadvocacy.html  for a toolkit and more information.

Board Actions of Potential Interest

* The Board approved the ACS Advocacy Strategy, which includes the development of a robust annual position agenda supporting long-term ACS priorities that maintain strong non-partisan relationships with legislators and support science and scientists. Key areas of focus for 2026 are available at https://www.acs.org/policy/memberadvocacy/issues.html.  

* CEO Albert Horvath and his staff provided organizational updates on current affairs and planning for 2026. He highlighted: 

o ACS pilot corporate membership agreements and organizational partnerships, 

o the global strategy for Society Programs, 

o a proposed ACS advocacy strategy, 

o ACS 150th anniversary activities, and 

o ACS financial performance for year-end 2025.