ASTM International announces leadership succession plan

Katharine E. Morgan, currently Vice President of ASTM’s Technical Committee Operations, will succeed James A. Thomas as ASTM President. The decision was made during the ASTM Board of Directors’ October meetings in Seoul, South Korea.

“Having been informed by Jim Thomas of his intention to retire, the executive committee of the board set out on a search for candidates whose passion for ASTM would again result in excellent stewardship of the society,” said Thomas A. Schwartz, 2014 Chairman of the ASTM Board of Directors. “Kathie is precisely that individual, with her instinctual knowledge of the workings of ASTM technical committees, the industry sectors they represent, as well as the global standardisation landscape.”

Morgan joined ASTM in 1984 as a Staff Manager and soon assumed roles of increasing responsibility in standards development, rising to her current post in 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and a Master of Business Administration. Morgan is also a member of the American National Standards Institute’s Organisational Member Forum, the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives, the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organisation, the Society for Standards Professionals, and the Standards Council of Canada’s Standards Development Organisation Advisory Committee.

To ensure a smooth transition for ASTM’s members and customers, Morgan will assume the position of ASTM Executive Vice President on 1 March 2015. She will work closely with Jim Thomas during a time of transition up to his retirement on 1 February 2017. “Since assuming the presidency in 1992, Jim Thomas’ leadership has had an enormous positive impact on ASTM and its stakeholders. Jim is a respected ambassador, advocate and a voice not only for ASTM, but also for strategic standardisation as a whole. We wish Jim and Kathie well, and appreciate their deep dedication to the future of ASTM,” said Schwartz.

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/07112014/astm-international-announces-leadership-succession-plan-813/