New local section boundaries and strategic planning retreats

It’s been my pleasure to serve as chair of the American Chemical Society Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC). Over the last 3 years, the committee has made significant progress, and I am extremely gratified for the opportunity to have served alongside my fellow committee members in support of our 185 ACS local sections. In 2022, LSAC implemented a new strategic plan with a mission to provide opportunities, resources, and networks to partner with and serve our diverse member communities. As I reflect on our strategic plan, I am proud to report that the committee has achieved significant progress toward our three main goals of providing accessible operational resources, improving communications to and among our local section leadership, and enriching and supporting our volunteer community.Notable accomplishments that contributed to the main goals were the launch of the ACS Speaker Directory and Local Section Showcase events at ACS Spring and Fall meetings, enhancements to our local section grants program, the development of a new monthly webinar series for local section leaders, and a peer mentoring pilot program launched this spring.A core goal for LSAC that drives many of our actions is for all members to have an opportunity to be part of a local community. However, as I reported in my May 23, 2024, C&EN Comment, there were nearly 1,000 members residing within the US that did not belong to an ACS local section. These members reside in US counties that fall outside existing local section territory boundaries and therefore do not receive the