Robert Bartolo, Ph.D., director of global product stewardship at Procter & Gamble, is the 2020 recipient of the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Elva Walker Spillane Distinguished Service Award.
ACI’s Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of the late Elva Walker Spillane, the former National Purity LLC chief executive who served on the association’s board for 20 years. It honors an individual for extensive or exceptional service to ACI who promoted the growth and interests of the Institute and the industries it represents and who exercised outstanding leadership within ACI.
Bartolo is being recognized for his exceptional contributions to the cleaning products industry and to ACI. The honor was presented at the 2020 ACI Annual Meeting & Industry Convention.Having joined Procter & Gamble in 1988, Bartolo has held a wide range of leadership roles, including regulatory affairs, environmental safety, microbiology, product safety and statistics over the past 31 years.
He has been actively engaged at ACI for several decades in a range of areas including ACI strategic planning, active engagement on the Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC) and providing in-depth “sweat equity” on regulatory and technical issues.
Over the past year Bartolo has been an active member of ACI’s Strategy Work Group, helping to develop the 2020-2022 strategic plan. He has been a leader in defining ACI’s strategic initiatives as a member of the SAC over the last eight years. He was elected vice chair of SAC in January 2013 and was chair of the committee from mid-2013 to early 2017.
In addition, Bartolo was engaged in industry’s efforts during the 1990s to provide information and data-related to the benefits and safety of antiseptic hand hygiene products.
Bartolo graduated from Miami University with a B.S. in chemistry and received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles covering bacterial resistance, enzyme safety, skin mildness and has been granted 19 patents covering fabric treatments, antimicrobial products and personal cleansing products.
“If you could define selflessness, dedication and commitment in two words, it would be: Rob Bartolo,” said Melissa Hockstad, ACI president and CEO. “Rob has provided countless hours of smart, strategic advice, guidance and leadership that has helped ACI become a more focused, member-driven organization serving the cleaning product supply chain.”
