TVHS Councilors Report from the Fall ACS Meeting in Chicago
Steve Perri, Councilor and Emeritus Member
Good Day fellow TVHS members and Happy Anniversary ACS at 150 yrs!
I attended the Fall ACS National meeting in Chicago August 22-26th to conduct work as a member of the Membership Affairs Committee (MAC) and as our local section Councilor. Here are some highlights I’d like to share with you.
New ACS Branding with the ACS Anniversary
The ACS 150 Yr Anniversary celebration continues this year and with it the new ACS logo was broadly shared on slides, online, and on promotional materials.
ACS invested marketing resources and conducted member surveys to provide for an evolutionary brand that fits the connected world we live in while seeking a a brand that represents the technical field we represent and that is distinguishable from other organizations that share the ACS acronym. The diamond shaped ACS eagle will continue to be used by ACS for formal documents and special occasions. But look for the new logo online and among other communications and business related purposes. Look for the new logo and note it may be animated online.
ACS Elections
Elections this year will be held September 14th – October 9th, 2026 for President-Elect, Directors-at-Large, District 3, and District 6. Look for electronic ballots to be emailed the week of September 14th.
Meeting Highlights
The meeting in Chicago was noticeably upbeat and well attended with over 15,000 registrants and with over 4,100 of those as first time attendees as new members. The exhibitor show was filled with many new business in attendance working to network with members and to share their new and existing products. The last time ACS was in Chicago was in 2022 for the Fall meeting. This year offered accommodations closer to McCormick Place convention center and the weather was cooler and less humid considering there is a lot of walking to cover the space ACS utilized for the meeting.
ACS has made significant progress in reaching a broader audience to share the importance and contributions of chemistry in everyday living. A common motto – Chemistry is Everywhere. The board continues to expand its advocacy and impact and shared their influence in Washington DC through the program: Chemistry Advocacy on the Hill promoting the importance of science policy and funding. Additionally, ACS continues to support tools for members through a suite of software programs and its publications services. In 2026, ACS surpassed the 300 millionth substance which was added to CAS. CAS is now incorporating the Newton AI platform to augment searches for scientists. The suite of ACS Publications now includes 90 publications which have been moved to the Silver Chair Platform.
Chris Bodurow, the 2027 president elect, shared the 2027 Presidential Programing platform strategy. These include a focus on energy, industry, and chemistry in the arts.
Rigoberto Hernandez, the current ACS President has been a staunch advocate for expanding ACS influence and impact. One of his major commitments is to advance the community of inclusion and belonging. As part of the 150 yr anniversary, he hosted 7 JACS 150 Symposium Series as part of the 150 yr celebration. In Chicago, the symposium consisted of a panel discussion and presentations by Priestly Medalists and Nobel Laureates. This was an exciting opportunity for members to hear their ground breaking contributions and to ask questions about their leading edge work and how it may shape the future.
Membership Affairs Committee
My role in the MAC is to help the society develop a new strategy for the next 5 years. We have a working group called Membership Experience. We have 3 primary goals:
- Promote communication and partnerships to enhance member experience and engagement.
- Improve member engagement and retention.
- Increase the value of ACS involvement to increase society members.
New programs the MAC rolled out this year include:
• A pilot of Lifetime Membership Option. During the meeting and moving ahead this year there will be a pilot to offer a waiting list for Lifetime Membership as an option. The last count I was aware of on Tuesday was there more than 100 requests at the meeting. The cost for Lifetime Membership will be $2,000 which has a breakeven cost of 12.5 years of premium membership equivalent. President Hernandez is a strong advocate with an inspirational motto of “Once a Member, Always a Member”!
- An additional program being rolled out includes a new Mentor Program. It formally was rolled out August 17th. Looked for more information from ACS to signup as a mentor or mentee.
- Check out the new upgraded member opportunities in ACS Institute called My Benefits. It is a tailored system with training opportunities along your professional path as an ACS member. It has a several categories of opportunities to augment your career training.
Councilor Summary
The last day I attended was for the ACS Council meeting. This venue is for all the councilors of the society to develop new initiatives and policies along with voting for approval by the group on proposed changes.
ACS CEO Albert Horvath provided an organizational update. He highlighted 150th anniversary proclamations received from AISES, American Physical Society, Materials Research Society, NOBCChE, the Royal Society of Chemistry, EuChems, the Chinese Chemical Society, and SACNAS. The ACS financial position remains strong, with the five financial guidelines set by the Board all met for Q2 2026. The information services and publications remain strong with CAS celebrating the addition of the 300 millionth substance to the CAS registry. CAS Newton, an agentic AI platform, has received widespread adoption and acclaim; and ACS Publications has improved the user experience with its migration to a new delivery platform for article downloads. ACS also welcomed a new Senior Vice President of Inclusion, Pamela Fisher.
There were other council committee reports, but look for those in an upcoming C&EN report or send me an email request for the ACS Talking Points which I will be happy to email.
ACS Spring 2027 Meeting – New Orleans, March 21st – 25th.
Tennessee-Virginia Highlands Section of the American Chemical Society 