In 1997, the Priestley Medal was awarded to Mary L. Good by the American Chemical Society “to recognize distinguished services to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award. She was also the first woman to receive the Priestley Medal.

Good was the first woman to be elected to the ACS Board of Directors, serving as chair of the Board in 1978 and 1980. She was also the first woman to chair the board of National Science Foundation, and founding chair of the Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America.