Our Story
Our History
In 2009, the American Chemical Society (ACS) set out to answer the question “What can the world’s largest scientific society uniquely do to transform science education in the United States?"
After research, review, and feedback from the chemical education
community, the answer was clear: create a national organization
dedicated solely to supporting K–12 teachers of chemistry. That very
idea came alive in September 2013 at the ACS national meeting in
Indianapolis, IN.
Over the past year, an advisory board comprising secondary chemistry
teachers, professors, industry experts, and ACS leaders have worked
together with ACS staff and resources to shape the programming and
direction of what you know as AACT.
AACT is founded on the guiding principal that we are creating a
community by and for teachers of chemistry. The AACT website is a
professional home through which the K–12 chemistry teaching community
has access to customized resources and support—from staff and most
importantly, from colleagues and peers.
Our Future
As the landscape of chemical education changes and new challenges arise, AACT will help teachers navigate their path to success by offering new curriculum to implement in the classroom, vetting chemistry teaching resources, and providing professional development opportunities that address current topics.
We are proud to be the first national chemistry association for K–12 teachers and hope you’ll join us in building a lasting community for and by passionate educators.
Our Staff
AACT has five full-time, dedicated employees and the talent of several collaborators working together to bring you the best resources and support possible. Our core team includes Adam M. Boyd, Fatema Gharzai, Jenn Parsons, Kim Duncan, Kira Washington, and Monica Wixon. Collectively we have eleven degrees, fifteen siblings, six Netflix accounts, and hundreds of books.
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Adam M. Boyd, Program Director
Adam brings more than 13 years of experience working for the American Chemical Society in the Education Division. He holds a B.A. in Chemistry and English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University. You’re most likely to find him listening to Ben Folds in his spare time.
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Fatema Gharzai, Strategic Account Manager
Fatema joins AACT with more than 10 years of experience working in the nonprofit world. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the State University of New York. Fatema enjoys testing new recipes, listening to music and relaxing with her family.
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Jenn Parsons, Education Resource Specialist
Jenn left the chemistry classroom to join AACT as our team’s content and resource expert. She brings with her 9 years of teaching experience and tons of new ideas. She holds a B.S. in Forensic Chemistry and an M.T. in Secondary Science Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. When she’s not working, find her on the soccer field coaching, playing, or cheering on her favorite team—Manchester United.
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Kim Duncan, Sr. Professional Learning Associate
Kim began her career as a chemical engineer for the federal government and joins AACT after 12 years of teaching high school chemistry and physics. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Secondary Education from Marymount University. If there’s a fun event happening in DC, you can bet she’s on her way to it!
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Kira Washington, Sr. Web Associate
Kira is a native Washingtonian with experience in web design and development, training, and user-experience. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Saint Paul's College, later earning her Web Design and Development certificate from Georgetown University. Kira admits she's seen the TV show Frasier more than 50 times, and counting.
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Monica Wixon, Science Coaches Project Manager
Monica was a high school chemistry teacher for 6 years before joining the AACT team as the Science Coaches Project Manager. She holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Music from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and an M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education from the University of Maryland. Monica spends her free time singing in choirs, reading anything she can get her hands on (especially Harry Potter), and re-watching Parks and Recreation.
Inaugural AACT Governing Board
| Barbara Sitzman | President | Rebecca Field | Elementary School Ambassador |
| Scott Hawkins | President-Elect | Diane Krone | SOCED Representative |
| Sally Mitchell | Special Consultant |
Roxie Allen | DivCHED Representative |
| Regis Goode | Committee Representative |
Emily Bones | Chemistry Solutions Editor |
| Adrian Dingle | High School Ambassador | Adam M. Boyd | AACT Staff Representative |
| Sarah Paquette | Middle School Ambassador |
Meet the current AACT Governing Board
Special Thanks
AACT would not be possible without the many dedicated individuals who have been instrumental in making this association a reality. Special thanks to:
The AACT Advisory Board | Roxie Allen, Shelly Belleau, George M. Bodner, Regis Goode, Katie Hunt, Andy Jorgensen, Tom Lane, Jessica Levine, Stephen Radice, Barbara Sitzman, Laura Slocum, and Don Wink.
Special thanks also to Sue Nurrenbern, SOCED, DivCHED, and the ACS Education Division. We'd also like to thank the entire ACS staff for their teamwork and support—especially Songul Ozdemir and the web content management team.