Comment: Financial expertise requires committee evolution

With the approval of a revitalized strategic plan in 2024, the American Chemical Society Board of Directors began an exercise in self-reflection. Part of this effort, which has continued in earnest in 2025, relates to the board committee structure, which is critical to fulfilling our fiduciary responsibility effectively. The ACS Board is similar to ACS governance, which relies on a robust committee structure to achieve its goals. For some work, there is alignment between board and society committees. An example is the Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs, a society committee, and the Committee on Public Affairs and Public Relations, a board committee. The work done by both committees is in service of elevating the reputation of science, but how each accomplishes this goal is different. The board committee review has highlighted opportunities for removing redundancy in our structure, as well as identifying gaps in our proficiency or resourcing. In my Comment dated April 29, 2025, I shared reflections about the state of ACS’s financial resources and performance, and how they’ve evolved over time. I alluded to the idea that the board and the Committee on Budget and Finance (B&F) had been thinking about how we can ensure strong financial stewardship and the expertise we’ll need to do so. Since then, B&F leadership, the board of directors, the Committee on Committees (ConC), and our executive leadership team have worked together to redefine what the society needs and the right structure to accomplish this. In the coming months, we’ll share more details