The Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois

May 2008 Commencement Speaker

Mary Kay Kaufmann
Nalco Company
Division President,
Industrial & Institutional Services

Mary Kay Kaufmann received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1980. She has been Division President, Industrial and Institutional Services, since May, 2007. The I&IS Division is a $1.8 Billion Division of Nalco Company, a $3.9 Billion water treatment services company. Mary Kay joined Nalco in 1980 as a Sales Representative in Texas, advancing to Area Manager and progressing to various Marketing positions in Naperville, Illinois. She was promoted to General Manager of various North American businesses from 1997 – 2002. In 2003, Mary Kay was promoted to Vice President of Sales for Nalco’s Industrial and Institutional Services Division of North America. In 2004, she assumed the role of Global Strategic Business Unit Leader for Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical industries in North America, Europe and Latin America. In May of 2006, Mary Kay became a Vice President and Business Lead for the global Nalco Business Transformation Team, spearheading a global information technology/SAP system integration and business process redesign effort.

Mary Kay was a 7-year board member of the Naperville United Way, and the Campaign Committee Coordinator for two of those years. She served on the start-up of the Naperville Spirit campaign, and the Chicagoland United Way Crusade of Mercy Leadership Giving Women’s Initiative.