Dr. Thomas M. Connelly, Jr. to Receive the 2009 Henry F. Whalen, Jr. Award for Business Development & Management

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Business Development and Management (BMGT), together with the Division of Professional Relations (PROF) will honor Dr. Thomas M. Connelly, Jr., Chief Innovation Office at EI DuPont de Nemours & Co., with the Henry F. Whalen, Jr. Award for Excellent in Business and Management within the Chemical Enterprise at the 238th National Meeting of the ACS in Washington, DC.

With this award, BMGT and PROF recognize Dr. Connelly for his technical leadership, committment to innovation and ability to inspire creativity at all levels of the organization. Like Hank Whalen, he has made outstanding contributions to the development of business within the industry.

Dr. Connelly graduated with highest homors from Princeton University in 1974 with degrees in chemical engineering and economics. He went on to post graduate studies as a Winston Churchill Scholar at the University of Cambridge, earning his doctorate in chemical engineering.

Dr. Connelly began his career with DuPont in 1977 as a research engineer. During his 30+ years with DuPont, he has served inv arious research and plant technical leadership roles around the world, including heading up R&D operations in the UK and Switzerland.  He has also led several major DuPont businesses, including a number of branded engineering resins and fluoroproducts.

Currently, in addition to serving as Chief Innovation Officer,  Dr.  Connelly is an executive vice president at DuPont and a member of the company's Office of the Chief Executive. He also has responsiblity for Electronic & Communication Technolgoies, Applied Biosciences, Nutrition & Health, Science & Technology, Marketing & Sales, and the geographic regions outside of the United States.

"Now more than ever, innovation is critical to addressing the global population's needs for food, helaht, safety and eneergy without causing a negative impact on the environment," said Connelly. "Market and technology insight and foresight are keys to delivering such transformative products and technologies."

In addition to his work at DuPont, Dr. Connelly serves on advisory committees for chemical engineering at Princeton, Tufts, UCSB, Delaware and MIT, and is on the Board of Directors of the AICHE, the Hagley Foundation, and the Delaware Public Policy Institute. He received the 2005 Award for Executive Excellence from the Commercial Development and Marketing Association.

"Tom Connelly has been a major force for innovation at DuPont and in the scientific world at large," said Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director and CEO of the American Chemical Society. "Those of us who have known and worked with Tone over the years have been impressed not only with his in-depth technical knowldege and leadership skills, but with his warm personality and concern for others. For all of these reasons, he is a most deserving recipient of this award."

The Symposium to honor Dr. Connelly will take place on Monday August 17, 2009 at the Washington Plaza in the Adams Room. Introductory remarks begin at 3:40, with Dr. Conelly's Whalen Award address ocurring at 3:50. A reception will follow the presentation of the award, which is scheduled for 5:00 pm.