President Barack Obama appointed ISU alumnus Stephanie A. Burns to the President’s Export Council.

Burns is currently the chairman, president and CEO of Dow Corning, a corporation that specializes in silicon and silicon-based technology.

When she first began working at the company in 1983, Burns was a researcher. Burns became the company’s first director of Women’s Health in 1994.

Burns relocated to Brussels, Belgium three years later as the director of Science and Technology for Europe. Later, she became the director for electronics and life sciences.

After spending three years in Belgium, Burns moved back to the United States to become the executive vice president, who would be responsible for global operations.

Burns became a member of Dow Corning’s Board of Directors in 2001. Two years later, she was elected president.

Burns serves on the boards for the Society for Women’s Health Research, American Chemistry Council and GlaxoSmithKline plc. She also serves as the honorary president of the Society of Chemical Industry.

For her job as a new member of the PEC, Burns will help the council advise the president about policies and initiatives to address trade-related challenges among communities, improve U.S. trade and promote expanded exports.

Burns and the other members of the PEC will assist the president in his plan to double U.S. exports in the next five years.