BASF executive elected as Chemistry Council chair

Michael Heltzer, head of state government affairs at BASF Corp., was elected as the new chair of the Chemical Council of New Jersey, the organization said June 23.

Heltzer joined the council’s board of directors in 2013 and was serving on the executive committee before his elevation. “I’m honored to serve as chair of the board at CCNJ,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to working with my board colleagues and the Council staff to promote the business of chemistry in New Jersey and grow the organization.”

Other newly elected officers include Mark Jasko, global director of engineering and development for Thermo Fisher Scientific as first vice-chairperson and Bill Paulin, co-president of administration and finance for Kuehne Chemical Co. as treasurer.

Newly elected chair of the Chemistry Council of New Jersey Mike Heltzer, a BASF Corp. executive. – CHEMISTRY COUNCIL OF NEW JERSEY

Heltzer succeeds outgoing chair Leslie Waller, the director of chemistry, energy and environmental industry at Messer Americas.

“I am grateful for Leslie’s leadership and for what she was able to accomplish in her term to help advance the Council and better serve our members,”  said Dennis Hart, the council’s executive director. “The Nominating Committee put forth leaders with extensive industry experience and just as important, many years of active participation on the Council’s board of directors.”

The organization said Waller led an update in its by-laws to increase transparency and expanded the board to include representatives associate member companies. The new leadership takes over as the manufacturing and chemical industries are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

Founded in 1955, the council represents about 100 member companies, including 50 manufacturers and 45 firms involved in the chemical industry. Among the industries represented are pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, petroleum, flavor and fragrances and precious metals.