The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), has awarded an honorary lifetime membership to Donna Davis, former ExxonMobil executive and member of the Plastics Hall of Fame. Davis expressed her great pleasure in receiving the honor, saying, “I am delighted to stay engaged in this organization which provides overarching insight to the industry and a voice for that industry to the public.” 

Although she spent more than 40 years at ExxonMobil, a PLASTICS member company, Davis didn’t become personally engaged with PLASTICS until 2015. Her contributions over the years since have been significant. She has served on the Recycling Committee Executive Board, Public Policy Committee, Material Suppliers Council (Vice Chair) and even the Board of Directors, as one of few women to ever hold a role at that level.

In 2019 and 2020, Davis chaired the Recycling Committee’s Events and Education subcommittee, where she worked with a team to revamp the Refocus Sustainability and Recycling Summit. The Summit had a rocky start in 2016 and 2017, and made a  scaled-back appearance at NPE 2018 (North America’s largest plastics trade show, hosted by PLASTICS and held every three years).

Davis led an effort that turned the struggling Refocus Summit concept into a big success, with 200 attendees, 19 exhibitors, and multiple sponsors, including two brands. In 2020, with the nation beset by the COVID-19 pandemic, Donna once again stepped up to play an instrumental role in pivoting Refocus from in-person to virtual. Her efforts once again contributed to a great success, with an event that featured six webinars and drew 1,300 online registrants.

Davis retired from ExxonMobil in October of 2020, but remains active in the industry and was involved with setting the program for the SPE International Polyolefins Conference which, at her request, featured a keynote address by PLASTICS President and CEO, Tony Radoszewski, who calls himself “a big Donna Davis fan.”

“Donna’s knowledge of the plastics business, her extensive network of friends in the industry, and her limitless energy have made her an invaluable contributor to every project she has worked on,” said Radoszewski. “The Refocus Summit was a great success, but only one example of Donna’s contributions to our association.”

After expressing gratitude for being honored by PLASTICS, Davis quickly turned the spotlight away from  herself and towards the industry she loves, “Plastics have enabled incredible innovation over the past 100 years, and we believe they will deliver the performance we need for the future,” she said. “They will be critical materials for new applications to meet our sustainability objectives for health, transportation, food, and convenience. New technologies are expanding plastics circularity via mechanical or advanced recycling, keeping more and more plastic in the loop.”