From Philadelphia to Texas: The Evolution of Pittcon Under Four Presidents

Thought LeadersThe Pittcon Presidents 2023-2026Jonell Kerkhoff, Melinda Stephens, Heather Juzwa, Don Antczak

In this interview, we explore the insights and experiences of Pittcon leaders from 2023 to 2026. Pittcon, a premier conference for laboratory science, is known for innovation and collaboration. We speak with the presidents shaping this event as they reflect on their experiences, challenges, and achievements. Discover how they engage and inspire attendees, solving scientific challenges and refreshing the landscape of laboratory science.

Could you please introduce yourself and describe your current role at Pittcon?

Jonell Kerkhoff: My name is Jonell Kerkhoff. I'm Pittcon president for 2023. Our conference and exposition were held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was amazing and enthralling to be president of Pittcon 2023. We have had such wonderful dialogue, collaboration, and idea-sharing not only with the attendees but also with the exhibitors. Our conference comprises the scientific program, networking, and short courses across tracks like bioanalytical, pharma, cannabis, and forensic science, and there are many of them.

In all the sessions that I participated in, there was wonderful collaboration and discussion among all of the attendees and all of the speakers for sharing ideas and getting new ideas. Then we have our exposition. We had over 800 exhibitors and booths on the floor. We are just seeing a lot of dialogue.

The floor was well attended by many different folks, and there was a lot of positive feedback. It exceeded our expectations.

Don Antczak: My name is Don Antczak. I will be the Pittcon president in 2026.

Melinda Stephens: My name is Melinda Stephens. I am the Pittcon 2024 president, which was held in San Diego, California. I have been involved with Pittcon since 1994, when I was a grad student, and attended Pittcon as a student volunteer. Being involved with the Pittcon committee, conference week staff, and our small number of paid attendees at the conference, I find the number of hours that the volunteers have put in amazing.

I was very honored to have been selected. I've been working with the conference for a long time. It is something that I've been happy to take on. I was just thrilled to be able to be involved in San Diego. When I was first appointed, I thought that it was going to be a wonderful conference, a desired location by both exhibitors and attendees, with a wonderful and vibrant culture for people to experience while they were there. But also a lot of industry and research to pull from to collect a large number of attendees and exhibitors.

Heather Juzwa: My name is Heather Juzwa. I am the Pittcon 2025 president in Boston, Massachusetts.

What did it mean to you personally to be appointed Pittcon president?

Jonell Kerkhoff: Being Pittcon president is definitely an honor. It's almost like the culmination point of our service as a Pittcon volunteer, where we take the experiences and learnings that we have shared and work to get the committee selected and the conference put in place.

It's also a significant responsibility because you're doing this. You'll see that we have picked presidents three years out. What's nice is it allows us to collaborate and work on a strategy, as well as work with former presidents who can bring their knowledge and expertise. But it's our job to make sure that our conference is pulled together and that we have everything in place to execute it.

Don Antczak: It was a shock and awe. It is an honor to be chosen as Pittcon president, which is a huge responsibility. When you look at the vision and mission statement of our conference, you take in that vision and mission statement, and that's your goal: science, education, fostering that love for science, and really trying to get the future scientists of America out there and doing what we need to do, especially coming post-COVID.

Heather Juzwa: It is among the most special things in my career. I got my job at Pittcon over 20 years ago. These volunteers and these people mean the world to me. They're always going to be very special to me, and part of the reason that I'm so driven to help and be a part of this is the philanthropy that we do, to see the impact that we've made with K through 12, and seeing them now walk the floor. There's no greater reward to that. I'm happy to lead the charge.

What are you looking forward to about Pittcon when you are president?

Don Antczak: I look at it as a visionary in that I try to get exhibitors to understand the impact that they have on us. That is what we do here: we take money back to Pittsburgh with us. We take money that we earn here, and we disperse it to organizations back in Pittsburgh. We're all about science outreach. That's really what I want exhibitors to take away from our part by exhibiting at Pittcon.

A lot of times, they want to know what our attendance numbers are, and we are concerned about attendance numbers, too. Without science outreach and making sure that we foster a love for science within education, we're not going to have the attendees on the floor. That's what our mission is; we go back to Pittsburgh, and we encourage colleges through 12 programs to apply for our grants and scholarships. Then, use that to promote science education. That's what Pittcon is about. We want students to foster that love for science, so we have the attendees on the floor.

Heather Juzwa: I'm so excited for many reasons. Much like San Diego, we've never been to Boston. We've always had a very strong life science program.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to engage new researchers there, welcome them into the Pittcon family, and continue the traditions we've had for years.

About Pittcon

Pittcon^® is a registered trademark of The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. Co-sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Pittcon is the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science.

Proceeds from Pittcon fund science education and outreach at all levels, from kindergarten through adulthood. Pittcon donates more than a million dollars a year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities, including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries, and museums.

Visit pittcon.org for more information.