Dealing with the Shortage of Skilled Labor

 
1:00-2:00 pm      VIRTUAL Panel Discussion

There is a severe shortage of labor within the United States across many industries, especially for skilled jobs. Although unemployment is not at a historic low level from a percentage point of view, this does not mask the underlying factors that are creating shortages in many sectors.

In the chemical industry today, the United States is an attractive place to make and sell chemicals, particularly compared to certain other countries. In addition, the shift of younger people seeking employment and the desire by companies to onshore many products being made in countries where the risk factors have gone up has shifted the supply and demand for skilled labor.

Our panelists are heavily involved in the hiring and management of people in their organizations and will share their insights about the extent and nature of the problem and how they have been dealing with the shortage. They will also discuss how changing work processes and the use of AI have helped reduce the labor problem.

The moderator for this panel will be Robert Cuscino, Senior Vice President of Regional Development in North America at Evonik Corporation.

The organizers of the event are Peter Young and Robert Cuscino, both members of the Société Program Committee. 

Moderator:

Robert Cuscino Senior Vice President Regional Development North America Evonik Corporation

Robert Cuscino is based at the regional headquarters in Piscataway, N.J. He serves on the North America Leadership Team and has held the position since March 2021. He is responsible for the operational and strategic development of the North American region. In this role, he also oversees various regional excellence departments, Evonik’s Energy Team, Venture Capital, Regional Digitalization, as well as traditional business development. Cuscino started his career as a process engineer for Air Products and Chemicals, in Allentown, PA. He spent 12 years at Air Products followed by 13 years at Wacker Chemical Corporation.

Panelists:

Keith Holtermann Vice President, Engineering Air Liquide Advanced Materials		Susan McGoff Miller Head of Human Resources Regenity Biosciences		Geoffrey Varga Senior Vice President, Specialty Additives & Smart Materials Evonik Corporation, America’s

Keith Holtermann, a Cornell and Lehigh alumnus in Chemical Engineering and Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Keith manage Engineering for two specialty chemical divisions at Air Products before retiring as Supply Chain Director of Hydrogen/CO. After Air Products Keith spent four years in Green Energy before joining Air Liquide Advanced Materials in the semiconductor industry as Vice President of Engineering three years ago.

Keith has a passion for recruiting and has hired hundreds of engineers of all disciplines and experience levels over his 40 year career.


Susan McGoff Miller is an accomplished HR executive with over 20 years of experience driving transformative HR strategies in purpose-driven organizations. As the Head of Human Resources at Regenity Biosciences, the global leader in developing and manufacturing bioresorbable implants that make a material difference in patients’ lives, Susan focuses on fostering inclusive, high-performing workplaces, aligning people strategies with Regenity’s groundbreaking mission, and enhancing talent acquisition and employee engagement.

Known for developing innovative HR solutions, Susan has a proven track record in improving retention, scaling programs, and providing strategic guidance to leaders. With previous leadership roles at PIM Brands, Evonik, and BASF, she brings a wealth of expertise in talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, and driving positive change in diverse environments.


Geoffrey Varga is currently responsible for the Specialty Additives & Smart Materials business of Evonik. He first joined Degussa, a predecessor company of Evonik, in 1996 as a manager of Process / Product Development in the Electronic Materials Division. Since then, he has risen through the organization to successively more senior positions in Nanomaterials, Inorganic materials and Silica. He has a degree in Ceramic Engineering and Materials from the Science State University of New York.

NO LONGER IN PERSON. VIRTUAL participation only
Unlimited slots available for virtual participation. The meeting link will be emailed to you the day prior to the event.