Meet the nominated officers for 2027-2028!
AATCC members will receive an email to cast their vote. You will only be able to vote for the Interest Group that you are a voting member of.
Please check your AATCC member account to see what Interest Group you will be able to vote for.
Chris Hipps
About the Nominee
Chris Hipps is the Head of U.S. Sales and Service for VeriVide. He brings decades of color industry experience to his role, including previous positions with Archroma, Datacolor, Oxco, and the CaroKnit division of Dixie Yarns. He graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor of Science in Textile Science and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Hipps has been a member of AATCC since 1992. He has served as Chair of the Concept to Consumer Interest Group and has been a member of the AATCC Board of Directors since 2023. He has also been involved with RA-36, written for AATCC Review, and presented at AATCC international conferences and workshops.
Patrick Ayers
About the Nominee
Patrick A. Ayers is Vice President of Technical Operations at Noble Biomaterials, Inc. (Scranton, PA), where he leads process engineering and quality across Noble’s silver-based conductive and antimicrobial textile platforms for the medical, defense, and consumer markets. Ayers brings nearly 30 years of experience spanning the textile value chain — from fiber and polymer manufacturing at Wellman and Radici Spandex, to color science and global quality leadership at Datacolor, Maidenform, and Ariela-Alpha International, to specialty testing as Vice President of Operations & Sales at Vartest Laboratories. He joined Noble in 2021.
Ayers holds a B.S. in Textile Chemistry with a concentration in Polymers from North Carolina State University, studied at the University of Leeds, and earned an MBA from Gardner-Webb University.
A longtime AATCC member, Ayers has served as a Board Member for the Central Atlantic Region, Interim President of the NY Metro Section, a voting member of Committee RA33, and on the CS61 Harold Chapin Award Committee. He is also active in ASTM Committees D13 and F23.
Bryan Dill
About the Nominee
Bryan Dill is the Marketing Director in Textile Effects – North America for Archroma U.S. Inc. He has served in this position for three years, and has been at Clariant/Archroma since 1996. Dill received a BS in Textile Chemistry from North Carolina State University in 1993, and later received an MBA from Queens University of Charlotte in 2003.
Dill has been an active member of AATCC since 1991. He has been a member of several research and administrative committees. He served as chair of RA87 Dyeing Applications Committee, as a member of the Executive Committee of Research, the Technical Committee of Research, and the Education Advisory Board. Dill is an active member of the Piedmont Section.
Apurba Banerjee
About the Nominee
Apurba Banerjee is an Advanced Specialist, Materials Characterization at Celanese, where she applies her expertise in polymers, fibers, textiles, and analytical characterization to support innovation, product development, and technical problemsolving across the organization. As a vital member of the Service Request Team, she collaborates closely with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver timely materials analysis, generate actionable insights, and help solve complex customer and business challenges. Her work enables faster decision-making and supports the successful advancement of strategic projects throughout Celanese.
Prior to joining Celanese, Banerjee was a Textile Research Scientist at Standard Textile Corporation (STC), where she played a key role in developing sustainable, value-added products for the hospitality, healthcare, and interiors markets. Her professional experience spans sourcing, product development, and polymer research, with contributions at companies including Glowforge, Milwaukee Tool, and brrr° Inc. She earned her Ph.D. in Polymer, Fiber, and Textile Science from the University of Georgia in 2017 and her master’s degree in Apparel and Merchandising from Colorado State University in 2013.
Beyond her professional responsibilities, Banerjee is actively involved in advancing industry standards through leadership and volunteer roles with organizations such as AATCC and ASTM International. Banerjee has been an active member of AATCC since 2012. She served as the Materials Interest Group Chair for the 2025-2026 term, is an active member of the Study of Employee Benefits committee, is the chair of the Executive Committee of Research, and serves as the Vice Chair of the AATCC Foundation. She is passionate about fostering innovation and collaboration within the materials and textile industries.
Yongxin Wang
About the Nominee
Yongxin Wang is a Materials Scientist at W. L. Gore & Associates, where she works on advanced textile and material technologies for high-performance applications. She holds a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science from North Carolina State University and has extensive experience in textile materials, polymer science, performance testing, and product development.
Wang has been actively involved with AATCC and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Materials Interest Group for the 2025-2026 term. She values the opportunities AATCC provides to connect professionals across industry, academia, and research and to promote collaboration and technical exchange within the textile and materials community. As a candidate for another term as Materials Interest Group Vice Chair, Wang hopes to continue supporting engaging technical programming, strengthening connections among members, and expanding opportunities to share emerging materials technologies and industry perspectives.
Seshadri Ramkumar
About the Nominee
Seshadri Ramkumar
Monét Freeman
About the Nominee
Monét Freeman serves as a Physical Testing Specialist at the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College, with eight years of professional experience steering all facets of manufacturing, quality and testing, operations management, and coordinating industry training. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Freeman completed her studies in Textile Technology at North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles. Freeman is a strong believer that, no matter what, there is always room for improvement and perfecting your craft. In her free time, Freeman enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as traveling and exploring different cultures. Her interest in the rising professionals interest group stems from her own personal experience of not feeling fully equipped with the tools for career development or networking right out of school. Finding a way into the world of textiles can be a little intimidating in the beginning, but being a part of a group like this takes away some of the intimidation of doing it alone while furthering your connections and career.”
Freeman joined AATCC in 2024 and served as Rising Professionals Vice Chair for the 2025-2026 term. finishes her term as Rising Professionals Vice Chair at the end of 2026. She is an active member of the Piedmont Section.