U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day

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Event Info Sponsorship & Registration Theme & Paper Competition Ronald Brown Award Contact

THE 2025 U.S. CELEBRATION OF WORLD STANDARDS DAY

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Rd
Rockville, MD 20852

The U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day (WSD) is an annual event that recognizes and honors the many contributions of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment community. U.S. activities are organized and hosted annually by the U.S. Celebration of WSD planning committee consisting of representatives from across the standards and conformity assessment community—and co-chaired by ANSI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). IAPMO is serving as the administrating organization for the 2025 U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day. WSD is a widely attended annual event that is co-sponsored and attended by federal government agencies.

Please note that WSD is separate from ANSI’s World Standards Week events, but held during the same timeframe.

Learn about various WSD sponsorship opportunities!
For sponsorship registration and event attendance, please visit the WSD Sponsorship Registration page

Join the U.S standardization community in recognizing collective progress for the greater good at the 2024 U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day, Shared Vision for a Better World: Standards for the Changing Climate. The U.S. Celebration of WSD planning committee is pleased to offer sponsorship opportunities for the 2024 event.

The celebration will feature extensive networking opportunities and lively interactions among event sponsors and attendees. The program will also honor the Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award recipient and the winner of the WSD Paper Competition.

The schedule of events is as follows:

4:15pm–5:00pm: Opening networking reception and exhibits
5:00pm–6:00pm: WSD program
6:00pm–7:30pm: Continued networking reception and exhibits

WSD Sponsorship Registration deadline is October 14.

Shared Vision for a Better World: Standards for the Changing Climate

Collaboration is the key to achieving shared goals. The U.S. standardization system has the greatest impact when all stakeholders work together. Particularly as our climate continues to change, the standards community and the whole of the built environment must be resilient and ready to face the challenges ahead. The 2024 U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day will celebrate the theme, Shared Vision for a Better World: Standards for the Changing Climate.

World Standards Day was initially launched in 1970, and is now recognized and celebrated by nations around the globe. U.S. activities are organized annually by a planning committee consisting of representatives from the standards and conformity assessment community, and co-chaired by ANSI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Participation in the U.S. World Standards Day Planning Committee is open to all. If your organization is interested in joining the WSD Committee and being part of the annual U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day, please reach out to Stephanie Carroll ([email protected]; 212-642-4890). The WSD Committee meets monthly.

View the WSD Committee roster

2023 THEME: SHARED VISION FOR A BETTER WORLD

In today’s global, interconnected world, collaboration furthers our shared goals. The standardization system has the greatest impact when all stakeholders work together—from the public and private sector; to national and international representatives; to consumers, industry, governments, academia, and non-governmental organizations. United, we can achieve more through standardization, developing solutions to the complex global challenges of sustainability, safety, security and climate change…and leaving a better, more resilient, and more equitable world for the next generation.

Ronald Brown Standards Leadership Award

The Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award, named after the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, recognizes demonstrated leadership in promoting the important role of standardization in eliminating global barriers to trade. This special award is presented during the U.S. World Standards Day celebration.

Guidelines for Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award

Demonstrates leadership in promoting the role of international standards to eliminate global barriers to trade and in promoting U.S. standards as a tool to enhance U.S. global competitiveness.
Demonstrates a clear commitment to and authorizes resources within the organization, agency, or corporation for the development of national and international standards.
Exhibits leadership and visionary qualities in support of national and international standardization as evidenced by speeches in national fora and articles in national publications
Creates an atmosphere in the company that encourages the development of anticipatory standards in support of emerging technologies and in pursuit of a company’s business strategies.
Demonstrates support of the principle of global supplier declaration of conformance of products and services to international standards.
Individual should have a clear understanding of the standards development process preferably by having served on a standards making committee.
Encourages staff participation in external standards committees.
Organization supports U.S, standards system.
Has demonstrated through service, a commitment to the voluntary standards community of the United States.
Guidelines developed by World Standards Day Planning Committee, June 1995

Past Recipients of the Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award

2024 Dominic Sims
CEO, International Code Council

2023 Michael López-Alegría
Chief Astronaut, Axiom Space

2022 Ed Laatsch
Director, Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Planning, Safety, and Building Science Division

2020-2021* Ernest Grant, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
American Nurses Association

2019 Austin Freeman, Ph.D.
Segment Engineering Technical Authority, BP

2018 Arthur E. Cote
Former Executive Vice President and Chief Engineer (retired)
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

2017 Charles Sidebottom, P.E.
Managing Partner, PPO Standards LLC

2016 James A. Thomas
President, ASTM International

2015 James Williamson
Former Vice President of Technical Standards at Sony Electronics

2014 Jimmy W. Sealy
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA)

2013 Catherine (Kitty) H. Pilarz
Senior Director of Product Safety for Mattel/Fisher-Price

2012 Ronald L. Lynn
Director and Building Official, Clark County (Nevada) Department of Development Services

2011 James Shannon
President, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

2010 Marsha Mazz
Senior Accessibility Specialist and Technical Assistance Coordinator, United States Access Board

2009 Jim Sanford
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Market Access and Industrial Competitiveness

2008 James H. Turner, Jr.
Chief Counsel, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives

2007 Dr. James E. Hill
Former president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers, Inc.

2006 Constance A. Morella
U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives

2005 Richard E. Feigel
President, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

2004 Simon Pugh
Vice President, Infrastructure and Standards, MasterCard International

2003 Jack Dangermond
President, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)

2002 William M. Daley
President, SBC Communications Inc.

2001 Robert W. Lane
President & CEO, Deere & Company

2000 J. W. Marriott, Jr.
CEO, Marriott International, Inc.

1999 Robert L. Mallett
Deputy Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce

1998 Dana G. Mead
Chairman & CEO, Tenneco

1997 Philip M. Condit
Chairman & CEO, The Boeing Company

1996 Richard C. Notebaert
Chairman of the Board & CEO, Ameritech

1995 William J. Hudson
President & CEO, AMP, Incorporated

1994 Gary L. Tooker
Vice Chairman & CEO, Motorola Inc.