Board of Trustees Officers

Calvin Emanuel, Ph.D., President
Vice President and General Manager, Sustainable Growth Solutions, Nalco Water/An Ecolab Company, Houston, TX
Dr. Emanuel leads a global business focused on helping customers achieve their sustainability and business growth goals by reducing their water footprint. Dr. Emanuel has 20+ years of experience in the chemical and petrochemical industry. He supports STEM education with CEF by volunteering with You Be The Chemist local, state, and national Challenges and by expanding the Essential Elements program in Texas. Dr. Emanuel earned his Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry in 1999.

Kristin L. Mays-Corbitt, Vice President
President and CEO, Mays – A Ravago Company
Mrs. Mays-Corbitt, daughter of founder William G. (Bill) Mays, has worked at MCC for over 25 years. Prior to her appointment to the President and CEO in 2012, Kristin served in a variety of roles such as Customer Service, Purchasing, Sales, Director of Supply Chain, Vice President of Operations and the Assistant to the Chairman. Mrs. Mays-Corbitt received both her BS Business Management (1998) and MBA Management (2002) from Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Dwayne Sattler, Secretary
Chief Executive Officer, CEF, Arlington, VA
Mr. Sattler joined CEF as Executive Director in April 2017. Prior to that, he served as the Associate Vice President for Policy at The Ohio State University, where he secured funding for research and STEM education programming.

Mr. Sattler previously led industry economic competitiveness, workforce talent, and community social responsibility efforts through his own consulting firm and developed national workforce policy as the Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Training. Mr. Sattler earned his Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from The Ohio State University and Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bowling Green State University.

Tim Heidenry, Treasurer
Vice President – Key Accounts, Brenntag North America, Inc.
Mr. Heidenry is currently responsible for Brenntag’s North American Key Accounts Team.  He joined Brenntag in 2011 via their acquisition of a St. Louis based Chemical Distributor, G.S. Robins and Company in 2005.  He has spent his entire 32-year career in Chemicals Distribution in Commercially related Sales and Leadership positions.

 

Board of Trustees Members

Rob Benedict
Vice President, Petrochemicals and Midstream, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Washington, DC
Mr. Benedict is Senior Director of Petrochemicals, Transportation, and Infrastructure at American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM). He develops policy on Congressional legislation and regulatory matters, advocates for members, and co-leads AFPM’s sustainability program. Mr. Benedict received a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from George Washington University and received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wake Forest University, where he was a Sullivan’s Scholar.

Misha Bhatt
Global Business Director, Third Coast Chemicals, Houston, TX
Ms. Bhatt began her career as a laboratory technician, focusing on research and development as well as small-scale production. She joined Third Coast in 2014, taking on various roles across the supply chain and steadily advancing within the company. After transitioning into sales, Misha was promoted to Global Business Director in 2022, where she now leads global expansion efforts and manages the business operations of all manufactured products within Third Coast’s distribution sector. Misha has been an active member of ACD’s GPAC committee since 2020, advocating for responsible chemical management and regulatory engagement within the industry. Her diverse experience has enabled her to drive global growth while advocating for the chemical industry’s interests here at home.

Amy Frakes
Global Director Indirect Procurement, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, IN
Ms. Frakes joined Corteva in 2020 as MRO Procurement Manager and assumed global leadership in 2022. Amy began her career at Caterpillar Inc., earning a Six Sigma Black Belt and leading impactful global procurement initiatives before joining Allegion Plc as Director of Indirect Procurement, where she implemented Concur to streamline procurement card reconciliation and reduce costs. She also gained experience in IT and emerging technologies during her time with Roche AG. Amy holds a BA from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, an MBA from St. Ambrose University, and a global coaching certification from Envision Evolution.

Terry Hill
Supervisory Board Member, North America, Barentz, Avon, OH
Mr. Hill began his career with Univar in 1985 and held a variety of sales and management positions during his tenure with the company, including President of Univar USA and Executive Vice President – Industry Relations. He founded Apex Distribution Consulting and served as its President before becoming CEO of Maroon Group, and subsequently Barentz North America. Mr. Hill is a member of the American Chemical Society.

Jennifer Jewson
Chief Procurement Officer, Lyondellbasell, Houston, TX
Ms. Jewson is responsible for Raw Material and Utilities procurement globally, expansion of Lyondellbasell’s Sustainability program including renewable energy, strategic supplier relationship management and product value optimization. She has been with Lyondellbasell and predecessor companies for 25+ years performing roles in R&D, Commercial, Supply Chain and Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Jewson holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry and an MBA in Finance.

Marla Kline
General Manager, US Gulf Coast Business Management, Shell Chemicals, Houston, TX
With over 30 years of experience, Ms. Kline’s accountabilities include Sales, Supply, HSSE & Logistics, Economics and scheduling, and Optimization for the USGC business. Marla manages and is responsible for the P/L for all of USGC Chemicals and Products, which includes assets at Geismar, Deer Park, Norco, and Convent. In addition to her General Manager role, Marla holds the title and authority of President of Shell Chemical, LP. Ms. Kline earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA.

Raj Sengupta
CEO and President Allied Reliability, Houston, TX
Mr. Sengupta is currently CEO and President of Allied Reliability, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Shell.  He has spent his career primarily in Chemicals for Shell across commercial, strategy, mergers & acquisitions, manufacturing, business development, and leadership roles. Mr. Sengupta earned his Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Caroline Thomas
Business Development, Mission Chemical, Conroe, TX
Ms. Caroline Thomas is in Business Development at Mission Chemical, responsible for commercial sales throughout North America. As the first employee at Mission Chemical, she managed functions including customer service, inside sales, procurement, logistics, and accounting. Caroline is a graduate of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution’s (ACD) Emerging Leader Program and currently serves on the Board of Directors for ACD. Additionally, Caroline volunteers as the Education Chair for Women in Chemicals (WIC), where she is focused on creating resources and raising awareness of Careers in Chemicals. She is passionate about fostering community, empowering those around her to grow both personally and professionally and excited to join CEF’s Board to empower the younger STEM generation. Caroline earned her BBA from The University of Texas in Austin McCombs School of Business.

Catherine Wieckowska
President, Responsible Distribution Canada (RDC), Burlington, Ontario
Ms. Wieckowska has been with RDC for over 16 years and has been in the chemical and ingredient industry for more than 20 years. She has managed the You Be The Chemist efforts in Canada since 2006 and was instrumental in developing the Canadian committee, website, bilingual resources, Provincial regional challenges, and fundraising efforts. Ms. Wieckowska is thrilled to be part of the CEF’s Board of Trustees and looks forward to continuing our work on enriching chemistry education across North America.

April Yeager
Senior Vice President & General Manager, Essential Ingredients, Lawrenceville, GA
Ms. Yeager is an accomplished specialty chemicals professional with 30 years of experience in senior commercial and procurement roles and an in-depth understanding of consumer care and industrial markets. She holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina and is a Queens College Management Program graduate in Finance, Accounting, Ethics and Logistics. Ms. Yeager is also the co-inventor and patent holder for “Process for preparation of N-acyl-aminodiacids” US Patent – 5837872A.