In order to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our colleagues, staff, and the greater standardization community, the WSD celebration, originally scheduled for October 22, 2020, will not be held this year. However, we look forward to coming back together and celebrating World Standards Day with the standardization community on October 28, 2021. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will serve as the WSD administrating organization in 2021.
The U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day is an annual event recognizing the critical role of various stakeholders across the standards community, including business leaders, industry, academia, and government. The event will include the presentation of the 2020 Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership award, which is named after the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce and honors an individual who has effectively promoted standardization as a key tool in the elimination of global trade barriers. The winners of the 2020 World Standards Day Paper Competition will be also announced.
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.
This year our global community faces an enormous challenge that impacts the way we work and live. The current health emergency highlights the vitally important role that standards play in keeping individuals, families and communities healthy, safe and informed. Voluntary standards and conformity assessment guard us from known dangers and are responsive to an ever-expanding list of challenges we face. These standards ensure the protection of the water we drink, the homes in which we live, and the environment that we work in. Standards protect us against hazards, strengthen our resilience, and support our well-being.
In celebration of standards, and their growing impact on the global economy, SES - The Society for Standards Professionals and the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee are co-sponsoring the annual paper competition for individuals in the U.S. standards community.
Due to current circumstances, the 2020 paper competition has been postponed until 2021. The updated deadline for submissions is now September 3, 2021.
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 will be presented during the U.S. World Standards Day reception and dinner in Washington, DC.
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.
1993 I. Mac Allister Booth
Chairman & CEO, Polaroid Corporation
