Just as the ways we communicate have changed dramatically over the last 15-20 years, so has the chemical enterprise. The US does not have a lock on all the scientific expertise in the world.  As, Thomas Friedman so aptly said it, "The World is Flat".  That said, I firmly believe that Chemical R&D can continue to be an engine of US Innovation, if we act now.  I'll talk about the career path that brought me to where I am today and what I think needs to be done to build a sustainable future.