TECH 21 |
| 1991 was a big year for me; after high school I got married and started a full time job. I first started working in production at Bristol Jeans. After 5 ½ years I was faced with the challenge to reevaluate my career path because the company was moving their operations out of the States. This allowed me to go back to school at the US Government's (NAFTA) expense. In June of 1997, I enrolled at Northeast State Technical Community College graduating in 1999 with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Chemical Technology. Upon graduation, I accepted a temporary position with Willamette Industries, stepping in for a Chemical Engineer in the Utilities (water and power) Department. Working for Bristol Technical Laboratories was a short stay, after 2 months I received a phone call with an interesting job offer from Hercules Inc. Pulp and Paper Sales Division. I was offered the chance to be the only female Process Technician employed by Hercules in the Southeast. As a Hercules Process Technician at Willamette Industries, my responsibilities were to do whatever it took to keep the chemicals pumping and the customer happy. After starting up a new Recovery Boiler and a 1500 ton/day paper machine, I decided it was time for a change. In January 2003 I accepted a position with Eastman Chemical in the Coatings Application Development. Five years later, I am Senior Research Technician in the Specialty Coating Applications Development Division. Each of these positions allowed me develop skills to accommodate each new role or responsibility. In this presentation I will discuss the skills I have developed in the past, the skills that I am utilizing in the present and the skills that I see myself developing in the future. |
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Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce
1:15 PM-3:40 PM, Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Marriott Convention Center -- Blaine Kern B, Oral
Division of Chemical Technicians |