A graduate of the Executive Management Program at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, and holding a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Barbara J. Buck is the founder of Buck Sentinel Rock Consulting LLC, established in 2021, specializing in metals, the mining of the essential chemical element molybdenum, global sales, marketing, and engineering. Ms. Buck identifies market development opportunities for molybdenum and works closely with the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) – a nonprofit trade group representing most of the industry worldwide for the chemical element – to provide sound science and technical information on molybdenum and develop it in the marketplace.
Preparing well for her expert entrepreneurial role, Ms. Buck was president of the executive committee for IMOA from 2017 to 2021, vice president of marketing and sales at Climax Molybdenum from 2005 to 2020, a business manager at UCB Surface Specialties from 1999 to 2005, and a business manager-turned vice president at UCB Chemicals, Americas, from 1999 to 2002. An authority in her field, she has been a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) since 1974 and was the organization’s national convention chairwoman of its national executive committee in 1980. In addition, Ms. Buck is an advisor to the secretary general of the IMOA and a member of the American Water Works Association, the American Chemical Society, and the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations. Paying it forward philanthropically, she is a member of the Carnegie Mellon Dean’s Advocacy Council.
Giving credit for her success and achieving her goals to her parents, supporters during engineering school, teachers, professors, industry experts, and mentors, and to her transition into the professional world, Ms. Buck recalls being influenced as a youth by her father to participate in engineering-related activities. She helped her father with engineering projects including rebuilding engines, putting extensions on the house, and helping with the plumbing and piping, as her father believed that girls could do just as much as boys. In high school, she was in a physics class with a Pennsylvania State University visiting professor who talked to the students about flame research to improve the efficiency of boilers and heating systems. Thinking it was “the coolest thing in the world,” Ms. Buck decided then that she would become an engineer.
Ms. Buck counts her most special and noteworthy accomplishment as delivering the 50th-anniversary presentation for the SWE at Carnegie Mellon University. During her address, she highlighted the application of her chemical engineering expertise in developing a range of innovative technologies that have significantly contributed to multiple industries. Specifically, she emphasized the utilization of stainless steel awards to align with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives, thus enhancing the efficiency and durability of buildings and bridges.
In the coming years, Ms. Buck says she will continue to support the IMOA and its members. She also wants to work on new and interesting technologies that will help the group achieve its ESG goals. She wishes to develop solid scientific information so people can make good decisions when applying technology. A mother of two children, Ms. Buck enjoys time with family and friends, attending church, traveling, and hiking.