After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Geneva College, Dr. James Vaughn earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991, where he received a Safford Award recognizing his excellent teaching of undergraduate courses as a graduate student. Dr. Vaughn was the last student to receive his Ph.D. under Prof. Johannes Coetzee. Prof. Coetzee began his career at the University of Pittsburgh in 1957 in the Department of Chemistry and his research focused on electroanalytical chemistry. Since leaving Pitt, Dr. Vaughn has held leadership roles both at GE and OMNOVA Solutions. In January of 2018, Dr. Vaughn joined Philpott Solutions Group Inc., as a part of their executive team serving as Chief Operations Officer. In June 2018, Dr. Vaughn was chosen to continue his career with Philpott as their new President and Chief Executive Officer. Along with this great achievement, Dr. Vaughn was also elected to Philpott’s Board of Directors.