Brittany Butler, ETSU chemistry lecturer and program coordinator of the CHEMLeaders, was the latest speaker in the “Dessert with Experts” series hosted by ETSU’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Jennifer Stewart, the main benefactor of CHEMLeaders, originally approached the department chair about looking for ways to support the chemistry department.
“She, for many years in the industry, had observed that the students coming out of college were technically A-Okay and ready to go, but socially and culturally incompetent,” said Robert Standaert, chair of the chemistry department.
Standaert and Butler brainstormed ideas on how to implement teamwork and leadership training for chemistry students. Butler created the idea for CHEMLeaders, and they released an application for undergraduate and graduate chemistry students to apply.
They introduced topics such as time management skills, developing new ideas, team building and more.
“I really wanted to students to know that they would get a wide range of information, and I believe that everyone was really starting from a basic level,” said Butler.
The program has brought in many guest speakers to touch on the topics of networking, building LinkedIn profiles, and the various styles of leadership.
Near the end, Butler had two of her CHEMLeaders members, John Hayford Teye-Kau and Thomas Ntim, provide testimonials for the program.
“I said ‘Wow, this program will be very good for me,'” said Ntim. “Because I see myself to be a leader, but I am trying to get someone who will mentor me to become the kind of leader I want to be.”
The event ended with a discussion about how the participants hoped this program would be a model for similar programs within in different departments.
The next “Dessert with Experts” will be April 27 at 7 p.m., and it will be a virtual tour of the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts.
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