2024 Candidates for Board of Directors - Scott Eastman, Ph.D.
2024 Election for SPE Board of Directors
Scott Eastman, Ph.D.
President-Elect Nominee
Experience
Rogers Corporation, Rogers, CT 2023–Present
- Role: Senior Manager R&D - DeWal
- Key Responsibilities & Accomplishments:
- Team Leadership — Drive direct and indirect reporting teams toward unified top-priority objectives and targets.
- Innovation Strategy — Develop and execute development roadmaps and synergize with marketing, sales, and operations objectives for an aligned corporate-wide innovation strategy.
- Change Management — Champion the change management process to execute high-impact CM initiatives such as continuous improvement programs and ECHA/REACh regulation responses.
Henkel, Rocky Hill, CT 2019–2023
- Role: Global Key Account Manager – Aerospace
- Key Responsibilities & Accomplishments:
- Global Account Management — Managed >$35M in sales globally with 20% growth YOY.
- Technology Strategy — Drove strategy and launch of key products valued over $3M with >$500M total potential.
- Business Excellence — Championed programs focused on business performance and growth projections through the integration and alignment of key business segments including marketing, sales, operations, quality, and product development.
United Technologies Research Center, East Hartford, CT 2010–2019
- Role: Technology/Program Manager and Polymeric Materials Engineer
- Key Responsibilities & Accomplishments:
- Innovation Strategy — Developed roadmaps for disruptive technologies that align with long-term business needs and targets.
- Program Management — Secured internal, and external (DoE, DoD, America Makes, etc.) funding to execute feasibility studies of disruptive technologies aligned to business needs.
- Subject Matter Expertise (Polymers) — Provided guidance at all levels of the organization from continuous improvement on the production floor to SME guidance to executives on critical programs or public responses.
SPE Positions Held
- SPE Director of Chapters (2020–Present)
- Co-Chair—Plastics in Aerospace Conference (2021)
- Co-Chair—Plastics in Aerospace Conference (2020)
- SPE Vice President—Sections (2018–2020)
- SPE Sections Committee Member (2017–2018)
- Connecticut Section Councilor (2017–2018)
- Connecticut Section Board Member (2016–Present)
- Connecticut Section Annual Student Scholarship Golf Outing Chair (2016–Present)
- SPE Member (2006–Present)
Education
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D., Polymer/Plastics Engineering
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University of Massachusetts Amherst
M.S. Polymer Science and Engineering
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University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Bachelor of Science - B.S. Chemistry
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Summary
We have all faced tremendous change and challenge over the past four years, and our Society and the industry it serves are no exception, however, we have faced this challenge head-on together with collaboration, resilience, and agility. As a result, we have done a number of things together that we had never done before, such as launching virtual ANTEC and a whole portfolio of new virtual content, expanding our global presence with content now in several languages and at least three new international Chapters including one in Africa, and made a bold investment in 3DNatives to further SPE’s knowledge base, network, and reputation. I believe it is important to continue to boldly pursue strategic new investments and programs that will prepare SPE for the future, however, we must place equal weight and focus on nurturing the investments we’ve made and executing on the strategic vision that we’ve established. My ability to excel at both strategic pathfinding AND program execution is what makes me uniquely qualified for the role of President-Elect and ultimately SPE President. Three character strengths that I possess and will bring to bear during my tenure are outlined below with some highlighted achievements related to each.
Strategic Mindset:
- Led the development and execution of technology roadmaps, global go-to-market sales strategies, and operational excellence campaigns.
- Launched >10 strategic initiatives with external entities across industry, academia, and government sectors totaling >$5.5M.
- Championed the Chapter Leadership Roundtable format to allow Chapter leaders an opportunity to share concepts and concerns toward the formulation of new ideas and actions for future improvement.
Results and Accountability Focus:
- Managed a >$35M global customer account achieving >20% growth YOY over three years
- Helped establish SPE’s Regional Interest Group and revamped the Technical Interest Group models to provide solutions for Chapters to carry out their mission with minimal administrative burden
- Spearheaded three new SPE conferences in the areas of Aerospace and Plastics Regulation
Leadership:
- 15 years of experience leading teams of technical, sales, and manufacturing professionals
- 6 years on the Board of Directors of SPE
- Held leadership roles in various other professional societies such as the PMSE Fellows Selection Committee of ACS and the Industrial Board Chair of SHA3D
These outlined character strengths are foundational to how I operate in my professional career. Develop a sound strategy, drive results through accountable action, and lead by example. I am ecstatic at the prospect of serving SPE as the next President-Elect of the Society, and I relish the opportunity to engage with the industry in this crucial capacity.
Additional Information
As most of you know, the mission of SPE is to support the development of plastics professionals through knowledge sharing, professional networking, and enhancing the reputation of our Society, and SPE has been doing this for an impressive 81 years. However, as the old idiom goes: “Past success is no guarantee of future success”, especially when much of the industry looks and operates vastly differently today than 81 years ago.
The foundational needs of our industry have not changed, but given everything that has, there is an undeniable evolution in the way plastics professionals, seek and consume knowledge, network with their peers, and further the reputation of their profession and our industry. With this awareness, I believe it is imperative to focus on a few key areas that will help SPE keep pace with the changes we observe in our industry and the ways plastics practitioners interact with our Society. Specifically, I believe that the below topics are critically important to the near and long-term success of SPE, and I am committed to providing my strategic leadership and program execution ability to drive an actionable roadmap for each.
- Integration of our 3DNatives investment and mechanism for levering this platform to further SPE’s mission as well as the missions of our Chapters
- SPE’s journals and the trend toward open access publishing
- Content generation mechanisms beyond a volunteer-centric content creation model
It would be a distinct honor and privilege for me to serve you and SPE as the next President-elect and ultimately President of SPE. Let’s work together to advance our Society at the pace of change to ensure we remain intimately connected with and effectively supportive of our industry and its practitioners.
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