Dorothy Phillips Becomes First Black Woman President Of The American Chemical Society

Dorothy Phillips is continuing her legacy of first by becoming the first Black woman President of the American Chemical Society.

Dorothy Phillips is continuing her legacy of firsts by becoming the first Black woman to lead the American Chemical Society.

Nearly 60 years after becoming the first Black woman to earn an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, Phillips has been named the first Black woman president of the American Chemical Society. Her promotion comes after serving nine years on the Society’s board of directors and as president-elect in 2024.

“I had a vision of what I would want to bring into the spotlight (as president),” Phillips told the Midland Daily News.

With “inclusion and belonging” as one of the American Chemical Society’s core values, Phillips champions this principle while emphasizing lifelong learning as a key focus during her presidency.

“My theme is building chemistry careers inclusively. So, I want to help ACS to continue to embrace and engage its industry members. But the big thing is to be a catalyst for young people and aspiring scientists,” Phillips said.

“If you can move the needle a little bit, I think that’s important. More and more young people can go into a two-year program and work in STEM. Young people who can’t afford college, there is an avenue for them in the sciences,” she added.

Inclusion has been a central theme throughout Phillips’ life and career. Her family was among the first Black families to settle in Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. Her brother, a student at Fisk University, took part in the historic Nashville sit-ins, which played a pivotal role in desegregating lunch counters and other public facilities in the city.

During her college years, Phillips made history at Vanderbilt University as the first Black woman to earn an undergraduate degree. She broke barriers again by becoming the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Cincinnati. In 1974, after she and her husband accepted positions at Dow headquarters, they moved to Midland, Michigan, where they played a key role in founding the Midland Black Coalition to support Black families in the community.

“Midland was just starting to diversify its community,” Phillips said. “So the Midland Black Coalition offered an opportunity for those families to get together and support each other. The number was so small that my children were just not seeing any other Black people unless we were intentional about it.”

“It was a way to bring the culture that we embraced to Midland,” she added.

Phillips became a charter member of Midland’s Mu Alpha Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority when it was established in 1978. In 1983, her family relocated to Boston after her husband joined Corning Medical. She then began working at Waters, where she built a 29-year career before retiring in 2013.

Phillips’ background aligns seamlessly with the American Chemical Society’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which expanded in 2020 to include Respect (DEIR). Reflecting on her life and career journey, Phillips expresses gratitude for her accomplishments and the opportunity to witness her efforts come to life within an organization that remains dedicated to supporting inclusion, even as such values come under attack.

“What comes to mind now is I am blessed. This is not a life I could have dreamed,” she said.

“The fact (is) I have walked a path with God that has led me to this point, (so) I have to be there for other young people to let them know they can achieve against all odds. So I feel blessed.”