American Chemical Society

Founded more than 125 years ago, ACS has more than 167,000 members, making it one of the world's largest scientific professional associations. The organization has a complex governance structure with a board of directors elected by the membership.

Oliver Tessier & Associates facilitated multiple board development meetings the the American Chemical Society over a period of two years, educating the board on the principles of effective governance and helping them resolve long-standing issues. Board members reported significant improvements in the work process and the ability of the board to advance toward goals.

• Flint Lewis, Secretary of the Corporation, f_lewis@acs.org

Oliver Tessier designed and facilitated an operational planning session for ACS's JobSpectrum.org, then a year-old, highly successful, Web-based job matching service that operated as an independent entity within the American Chemical Society.

Design and delivery of a retreat to promote team dynamics among members of the 75-person External Affairs Division. Activities included interactive problem-solving and planning that unifies the efforts of multiple departments within the division. Participants emerged with a stronger sense of how each department functions and with shared plans for improving the division's deliverables while respecting work/life balance.

The project included

• Assisting the board in developing a transition process that would use resources effectively to meet stated goals

• Defining tasks and timelines for the transition

• Facilitating board decisions about organizational needs and leadership competencies

• Preparing the position description and qualifications for board approval

• Identifying prospective search firms for board selection

• Recommending communication strategies

• Supporting the board through the transition process

• Flint Lewis, Secretary of the Corporation, f_lewis@acs.org