The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is proud to celebrate the eight industry leaders who successfully completed the 2025 Responsible Care® and Sustainability Future Leaders Program, recognizing their commitment to leadership development, sustainability, and advancing Responsible Care® across the chemical manufacturing industry. Throughout the year, participants benefited from the depth of expertise within the American Chemistry Council, with program leadership and ACC staff helping translate industry priorities, data, and policy into meaningful leadership development
The 2025 Responsible Care® and Sustainability Future Leaders graduates include:
- Harrison Dawson, Eastman Chemical Company
- Lauren Gutierrez, Dow
- Anissa Jackson, SABIC
- Caroline Pearson, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
- Geoffrey Lyne, Braskem America, Inc.
- Vanessa Thorn, STOCKMEIER Urethanes USA Inc.
- Katrina Veit, Trinseo
- Kenny Yau, Axalta Coating Systems LLC
The program is led by Daniel Forest, Director, Data Analytics Responsible Care, whose subject-matter expertise helped shape discussions around Responsible Care® performance, industry trends, and strategy.
“We’re helping build a more resilient and innovative industry by putting people at the center. It’s our responsibility to develop the workforce, not only to attract bold thinkers and drive performance, but to keep our leading edge in the global marketplace,” says Forest.
Participants also engaged directly with ACC senior leadership during key program moments, gaining firsthand insight into how the association supports member companies, advances industry priorities, and strengthens Responsible Care® across the value chain.
Over the course of the year, participants took part in a series of virtual and in-person experiences designed to build leadership capability and industry understanding. The program launched with a Leadership Seminar focused on personal branding, personality management, and core leadership skills. In May, participants attended the Responsible Care® and Sustainability Conference, participating in technical and strategic sessions while networking with peers and industry leaders.
A cornerstone of the program was Chemical Industry Advocacy Week in Washington, D.C., where participants met directly with congressional offices, engaged one-on-one with ACC senior leadership, and gained practical insight into how ACC advances the chemical industry’s mission and priorities. Later in the year, a “Day in the Life” webinar featured Kim Knotts, Vice President of EHSQ & Sustainability for Indovinya, who shared real-world perspectives on leadership, decision-making, and sustainability in practice.
The program concluded with a capstone Showcase webinar, where participants presented key learnings from the program and how they plan to apply them within their organizations and across the broader industry. During the Showcase, program participants shared learnings in areas such as being a strong industry advocate, learning from failure, understanding ACC’s role in advancing industry priorities, being an effective leader, driving sustainable impact, and making industry connections. The Showcase received strong positive feedback from ACC membership, who found the presentations to be impressive, thoughtful, and well-executed.
As these individuals move forward as graduates and members of the ACC Future Leaders alumni group, we look forward to their continued engagement, leadership, and impact across the industry. Applications for the 2026 Responsible Care and Sustainability Future Leaders Program are now open, inviting the next cohort of emerging leaders to take part in this experience.
“This program isn’t just about developing individual leaders. It’s about shaping a culture of growth, advocacy, and shared purpose that strengthens our entire industry,” continued Forest.
For those interested in learning more about ACC’s workforce development programs, the Responsible Care® and Sustainability Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, offers an opportunity to continue the conversation, connect with industry peers, and engage with leaders across the environment, health, safety, and security community.
