Jerry Ehrman loves Texas. "I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could," he says. A mechanical engineer by training, he has worked for DuPont for 41 years at various sites, including New York, West Virginia, Delaware, and Tennessee.

• Former plant manager — DuPont Sabine River Works in Orange, Texas
• Past chairman of the Texas Chemical Council (TCC) (2004-2005)
• Past chairman of the TCC Occupational Safety Committee (1998-2007)
• He was the first recipient of the TCC award for management, which is named in his honor. The "Gerald R. Ehrman Award for Management" is given annually to a plant manager who embodies the same leadership and dedication in safety management that Mr. Ehrman exhibited throughout his many years of service to TCC.