In this episode Jerome addresses the impact of the capitol riot on the podcast and then talks with Dr. Ron Hunter about mentorship. And, lucky us, Dr. Hunter proves to be a measured, calming, rational, insightful guest. Regarding mentorship in particular, it’s clear from the conversation that he has a deep appreciation and understanding and respect for what mentorship MEANS in its most nuanced definition, and for the responsibilities that accompany that mentor-mentee relationship.
Here is an abbreviated list of Dr. Hunter’s accomplishments:
- Dr. Ronald E. Hunter, Jr. is the Technical Director of Chemistry for North America at Mérieux NutriSciences since November 2018 (2 years).
- In this role he directs quality control and technical functions of chemistry labs throughout North America to ensure performance meets corporate standards, among several other tasks.
- Previously, Dr. Hunter was a scientist at The Coca-Cola Company where he served as a subject-matter expert in beverage analyses, method development, and mass spectrometry. Here, he supported quality improvement decisions by acting as a scientific and regulatory consultant supporting the field, business units, bottlers, and customers.
- At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Hunter led the end-to-end development and implementation of high-throughput methods to quantify tobacco exposure biomarkers as a research chemist. As a result, his data directly influenced large epidemiological studies, including the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.
- Dr. Hunter has over 10 years of experience as an analytical chemist in the public, private, and academic sectors.
- Dr. Hunter is a member of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists International, the Emory University Alumni Board, and the Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), to name a few.
- He served as the 2017 Chair of the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and currently serves as a Consultant to the national Committee on Membership Affairs for the ACS.
- In 2014 he was awarded the Director’s Award for Excellence in Innovation by CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
- Dr. Hunter is a graduate of the SACNAS-Howard Hughes Medical Institute Advanced Leadership Institute, a program preparing the next generation for future executive team leadership.
- Dr. Hunter holds BAs in chemistry and Spanish from Mercer University and a PhD in analytical chemistry from Emory University.
