Cheryl Teich, Engineering Solutions Reaction Engineering Expertise Area Leader for The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: Dow), has been named 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) president elect, succeeding to President in 2015. AIChE is the world's leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with over 45,000 members from over 90 countries. Teich's election is a significant achievement in itself, as she will lead this large international organization for the next 3 years, but more so when considering she is only the third woman to be elected to this position and the only woman from industry in a field where women represent approximately 18 percent of the practitioners.

"Chemical engineers are vitally important to solving world challenges of today.  AIChE has a broad reach of members - across academia, industry, government, geographies, age groups , experience and gender - working together to solve them," said Carol Williams, executive vice president of Dow Manufacturing & Engineering, Supply Chain, and Environmental, Health & Safety Operations . "Cheryl brings leadership, commitment and experience to the post, and she will be an excellent role model as she leads this organization forward. While I hope we soon get to a day when gender doesn't warrant a mention, I can honestly say that I am proud that our president elect is not only a Dow colleague, but also a woman."

Teich has spent her 30-year career with Dow bridging the interfaces between R&D, manufacturing and business commercialization, after beginning her career with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. She has long been a contributor within AIChE, serving on its Board of Directors, chairing the Executive Board of the Program Committee, and pioneering the use of video technology that has enabled the ChemE on Demand series that is still employed today.  Teich is a founding member of the Process Development Division, a key organizer of the Division's Process Development Symposia, and has co-chaired and chaired AIChE national meetings. She was elected an AIChE fellow, and a trustee of the AIChE Foundation.

"Cheryl's contributions to Dow are exemplary, and I look forward to her continued contributions to AIChE as she promotes excellence in chemical engineering through this valuable network," said A.N. Sreeram, vice president Research & Development for Dow. "We have come to expect great things from Cheryl because of her focus on collaboration and application of core skills. I am confident that her positive influence will grow as she serves as president of AIChE." 

Teich received a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering Practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and, after working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology. She joined Rohm & Haas in 1982 in Spring House, PA, and joined Dow during its 2009 Rohm and Haas acquisition, recently marking her 30th anniversary with the company.  Teich has extensive experience leading project teams and her contributions have spanned many disciplines in chemical engineering. Additionally, she has been an adjunct professor of Chemical Engineering, teaching master's level courses in mass transfer and reaction engineering.

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