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Silicon chemistry produces air bags, hand lotions, spacesuit boots, fiber optics, and fabric softeners. It also captured the imagination of Stephanie Burns, who in 2003 became the first woman president of Dow Corning, a leader in silicon chemistry. Burns uses scientific and business insights to guide the development of her company. Before conquering corporate headquarters, she started her career as a researcher in France and went on to manage Dow Corning's European business.
About Her Life
Stephanie Burns was born in Wyoming in 1955, the daughter of a real estate agent (her mother) and a professor (her father, who taught English and history). She earned a bachelor's degree from Florida International University in Miami and went on to receive a doctorate from Iowa State University in organic chemistry. After that she did postdoctoral work in France. |
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Photo courtesy Dow Corning Corporation.
"I'm driven by the science and technology of the company. It's in my blood."
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Burns's specialty was organosilicon chemistry, the chemistry of compounds containing the elements carbon and silicon. So it's no surprise that she went to work for Dow Corning in 1983, a leader in organosilicon science. Her husband, Gary, also an organosilicon chemist, joined Dow Corning at the same time. Burns's research focused on materials called silicones, which are a type of polymer. Silicones are used in products from hand lotions to spacesuit boots, and they are very resistant to heat. They are so heat-resistant that the tiles on the underside of the space shuttle are made from silicones. Burns developed new ways to make heat-resistant rubber from silicones and earned two patents in this field. She holds a third patent for a completely new silicon-containing polymer that she invented.
Burns moved from research into corporate management at Dow Corning and was sent to Brussels, Belgium, in 1997 to oversee important operations in Europe. Then in 2000 she returned to the United States to take up the role of Dow Corning’s executive vice president and to serve on the company’s board. In 2003 she was promoted to president and chief operating officer. As president she steered the company toward researching new uses for organosilicon materials in cutting edge areas like biotechnology and solar energy. In January of 2004 she was named chief executive officer.
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