Dow Corning CEO to Deliver Commencement Address
Stephanie A. Burns, president and chief executive officer of Dow Corning Corporation of Midland, delivers the Alma College Commencement address and receives an honorary Doctor of Letters degree during ceremonies for 279 graduation candidates.
Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, April 22, at 2 p.m. in Cappaert Gymnasium in the Hogan Physical Education Center. Baccalaureate Service precedes graduation at 10:30 a.m. in Dunning Memorial Chapel.
Burns is responsible for leading Dow Corning's major businesses and for driving innovation and growth across the enterprise. She joined Dow Corning in 1983 as a researcher, working on water-based and high-temperature elastomers. Four years later, she became product development manager for the Electronics Industry, where she led advances in UV curable coatings and materials for device protection and electronics adhesives. She became Director of Women's Health in 1994.
Her first assignment outside the U.S. began in 1997 in Brussels as Science and Technology director for Europe. In 1999, she became industry director for Life Sciences in Europe, and later became European Electronics Industry director. In December 2000, Burns was named executive vice president and elected to Dow Corning's Board of Directors. In that position, she was responsible for several business units, Science and Technology, Marketing and Sales excellence, and served on the Board's Audit and Corporate Responsibility committees.
In February 2003 she was named president and chief operating officer. In January 2004 she was named chief executive officer.
Burns holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, with an organosilicon specialty, from Iowa State University. She has completed post-doctoral studies at the Universite Montpellier, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc.
She is a member of the American Chemical Society and a member of the Chemical and Engineering News (C&EN) Advisory Board. She is on the Board of Directors for Manpower, Inc., and of the Michigan Molecular Institute (MMI). Burns also is a board member of the American Chemistry Council, is on the Board of Trustees for the Midland Community Center and for The Conference Board, and serves on the Chemical Bank Midland Area board of directors.
In November 2003, Burns was named Michigan Woman Executive of the Year, an award sponsored by several Michigan companies.
-30-
#060404 GE
Posted: Wed, April 12th, 2006 at 3:38PM
