J. Brian Ferguson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eastman Chemical Company. He became Chairman and CEO on January 1, 2002.

Prior to becoming Chairman and CEO, Ferguson was President of Eastman’s Chemicals Group, where he had direct responsibility for all chemicals-based business organizations, as well as the manufacturing, sales, pricing and product management, technology and geographical aspects of the business group.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, on June 16, 1954, Ferguson joined Eastman in 1977 after graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.

He joined Eastman’s research and development organization at its Longview, Texas, plant. After a variety of manufacturing and staff assignments, he transferred to Eastman's corporate offices in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1989 where he served in business and strategic planning assignments.

He relocated to Eastman Kodak Company's Washington, D.C., office in 1992 and was named vice president of industry and federal affairs in January 1994, when Eastman was spun off from Kodak to become an independent, publicly held company. While in Washington, Ferguson was involved in a wide range of industry and government initiatives.

Prior to being named President of the company’s Chemicals Group in February 2001, Ferguson was President of Eastman's Polymers Group, a position he assumed in September 1999. Prior to that assignment, he was managing director of Singapore-based Eastman Chemical Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., with responsibility for all Eastman Chemical Company operations in the Asia Pacific region. He also served two years in Hong Kong as Eastman's managing director for Greater China.

Ferguson currently serves as a member of the American Chemistry Council Board of Directors and Executive Committee and East Tennessee State University Foundation and Board of Directors.  He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Society of the Chemical Industry, US Section, and the Business Roundtable.  In February of 2003 he was appointed to the President’s Export Council.  In July of 2003 he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the United States Council for International Business.  In 2004 he became a member of the First Tennessee Bank Advisory Board.  In July of 2005 he was elected to the Board of Directors of Florida Power and Light.