Dorothy J. Phillips, PhD, grew up during segregation in Nashville, Tennessee. She initially attended Tennessee State University, studying chemistry, but transferred to Vanderbilt University in 1966, shortly after it was integrated. She was the first African-American woman to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt. She earned her doctorate at the University of Cincinnati and was the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in biochemistry. She spent her career at Dow Chemical Company and the Waters Corporation. She joined the American Chemical Society in 1973. Phillips was elected president of the Society in 2025, after serving on the Board of Directors.
