Ashley Buchanan

I attribute my success to a combination of mentorship, education, and hands-on experience. I was fortunate to have an organic chemistry professor who became a lasting mentor, guiding me through challenges and encouraging growth. My biochemistry degree provided a strong foundation and opened doors to diverse opportunities, while on-the-job training allowed me to apply that knowledge in real-world settings. I’ve also learned the value of listening to experienced colleagues and approaching problems with creativity and thoughtful problem-solving.

The best career advice I've received is less profound principle and more practical, day to day support. It has primarily come from my college organic chemistry professor, who is now my coworker in addition to an amazing mentor and friend. Through vulnerability and honesty on my part and support on his part, he helped me navigate the transition from an entry-level to mid-level role, where you must grow in how you approach work. You stop simply following instruction and start directing and solving things yourself. He has guided me through everything from the little things, like 'how should I type up this email', to bigger questions like 'how should I present this data', 'how should I structure this experiment', 'is my thought process for how to go about this correct', 'am I missing something', 'am I prioritizing correctly'. He's done the job for about 30 years, so he knows how things work at the company, and his advice and guidance have been invaluable for both my performance and confidence. Now that I feel established, I work to pay it forward. For those in support functions with an indirect leadership aspect, learning how to navigate when to facilitate between departments versus when to put your foot down versus when to solve the problem on your own, this guidance is especially valuable for establishing your brand in the role - and making sure it's positive to keep you on a successful path.

My advice would be to stay open to a variety of opportunities - even those that feel like a stretch. While it may feel overwhelming when starting something new or when things go wrong, solving problems and getting through the challenges is so powerful and rewarding. Rely on the people who have been in the industry or at the company for a long time, regardless of level. Listen to the people who are there 24-7, hands on with the day to day details. You will learn so much from them that is a perfect complement to other training and education.

I hear about layoffs and plant closures and that's really tough. Nobody wants to lose their job, no one wants to see anyone else lose their job, and the added fear of knowing if you were to lose your job it might be difficult to find another one is just another layer on top. It's mentally challenging to manage that uncertainty.

I believe there is an opportunity to improve sustainabilty and head towards a zero waste environment by embracing creativity and openness to find feasible, cost effective solutions. In my experience thus far, a creative mindset can help tackle many challenges.

In my work life, expanding my professional network is a big focus right now. When I went to the Women in Chemicals conference last year, I realized how much of a growth area that is for me. I've been working on putting myself out there more, forming contacts, learning from those in different roles and helping them out in any way I can. I also value having this third-party credibility and getting visibility that will help me expand my network. If someone sees my feature and resonates with it and wants to reach out, I would love to connect. I'm invested in giving positive feedback to my coworkers, which I've found so helpful but not widespread enough in many production environments. In my personal life, I really enjoy doing home projects. Being able to both make improvements and troubleshoot issues then fix them myself is super satisfying. I love organizing and decorating, so my home projects tend go along with that theme, with a few exemptions. I also like puzzles, and I have cats, so I enjoy relaxing with them, trying to live the dream with a cat nap alongside them every now and then :)