Details about the Governing Board and nominating and election process are listed below. Key documents including the Society by-laws, important policies related to membership, and Society annual reports also appear below.
2026-2027 AOCS Governing Board
President, Fabiola Dionisi
Societe' Des Produits Nestlé - Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Vice President, Roger Nahas
Kalsec, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Treasurer, Bryan Yeh
Canary Bio, Inc., Walnut Creek, California, USA
Secretary, Rick Theiner
Evonik Corporation, Richmond, Virginia, USA
Immediate Past President, Gerard Baillely
Procter & Gamble, Mason, Ohio, USA
Member-at-Large, Lingyun Chen
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Member-at-Large, M. Lidia Herrera
National University of San Martin, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Member-at-Large, Rajan Panandiker
Panandiker Consulting, West Chester, Ohio, USA
Member-at-Large, Bruce Patsey
Oil-Dri Corporation of America, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Member-at-Large, David Pinkston
SuperSep Consulting, Decatur, Illinois, USA
Member-at-Large, John Satumba
Cargill, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
Member-at-Large, Naina Shah
PepsiCo, Plano, Texas, USA
Member-at-Large, Rishi Shukla
ADM, Decatur, Illinois, USA
Member-at-Large, Tong (Toni) Wang
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Member-at-Large, Yomi Watanabe
Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (ORIST), Osaka, Japan
Member-at-Large, Matt Williamson
ADF Engineering, Inc., Miamisberg, Ohio, USA
Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Donnelly, ex officio, AOCS, Illinois, USA
AOCS Governing Board Nominating Process
The AOCS Nominating & Election Committee is responsible for developing a slate of candidates for election to the Governing Board in accordance with the Society’s policies. The Committee evaluates information submitted by applicants and interviews top candidates believed to be the best fit based on current needs of the Society. The Committee recommends a slate of candidates to the Governing Board for approval at their fall meeting.
In December, the final slate of candidates is presented to the AOCS membership for ratification by February. Candidates receiving more than 50% support from ballots cast will be installed as new members of the Governing Board during its meeting that takes place during the next AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.
Join the Governing Board
An AOCS Governing Board Application should be completed by any AOCS member who wishes to serve on the AOCS Governing Board. Interested members should review the position summary and requirements and submit an online application.
Applications will be provided to members of the AOCS Nominating and Election Committee for consideration. Completion of this form does not, in any way, guarantee service on the AOCS Governing Board.
Applicants should also read and understand the AOCS By-Laws and Code of Ethics listed under the Key Documents section.
Key Documents
By-Laws
AOCS By-Laws.pdf
AOCS Procedures Related to Suspension or Termination of Membership
Code of Ethics
The AOCS does not discriminate against anyone seeking membership, so long as he/she is willing to adhere to the AOCS Code of Ethics. This Code has been adopted by the AOCS to define the rules of professional conduct for its members; it is signed by each applicant as a condition of membership.
AOCS Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
AOCS Code of Conduct for Conferences and Events
Antitrust Policy
The American Oil Chemists' Society (the "Society") intends to strictly comply with antitrust laws of the United States, all state governments and any other relevant governing authority (the "Antitrust Laws"), and in furtherance of this intention, proclaims the following Antitrust Policy:
Transparency in Coverage Rule
For AOCS employees: to access the machine-readable files created and published by UnitedHealthcare, please click here.
AOCS Strategic Plan
The strategic plan is currently under development.