Jane Schweiker—a colleague, mentor, and treasured friend to many in the standards community—passed away on April 1, 2022, at the age of 80. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is deeply saddened by Jane’s passing and extends heartfelt condolences to her friends and family as she is remembered for her leadership, compassion, and the humor and positive energy she brought to all who knew her.
Jane’s impactful career in standards included many years working with ANSI as director of government relations and public policy, and as a consultant advising ANSI’s president and CEO. She led ANSI’s connections with Congressional offices and federal agencies, forging positive and ongoing relationships with diplomacy, warmth, and a levity that fostered partnerships to support understanding of the value of standards and conformity assessment for many years to come. Jane’s skillful outreach to international delegations brought forth collaboration with foreign institutions that bolstered the impact of standards and conformity assessment on safety and technology worldwide.
Jane is remembered fondly by many in the standards community for her positive outlook, sharp wit, and acute understanding of the systems and relationships within the standardization community in the U.S. and abroad.
“Jane was truly a first-class human being – a woman of great integrity and someone who believed in the importance of being a good listener. She was admired and respected by all and she never failed to come up with a win-win scenario when dealing with situations where people were on opposite sides of an issue,” said Fran Schrotter, ANSI senior vice president and COO. “Her keen sense of humor as well as her tact and diplomacy enabled her to serve and effectively respond to the needs of the diverse ANSI constituency as well as the broader U.S. standardization community. We are deeply saddened by her passing but we are confident she is now resting in peace and enjoying the view from the hill in Paradise Valley, where her ashes were spread.”
“Jane was a wonderful, giving, generous soul of a person. I enjoyed working with her on various subjects,” added Gary Kushnier, former vice president, international policy for ANSI. “Jane was instrumental in convincing me to move to the Washington, DC, area in early 2000, a decision my wife and I never regretted. We maintained our friendship following her retirement from ANSI, and my own as well. I never heard a bad word spoken about her in all the many years I knew her. And that says a lot.”
“Jane Schweiker was one of those rare people who constantly and consistently saw the glass half full,” said Helen Delaney, a close friend and former coworker of Jane’s at ASTM International. “She was fun and whimsical, and could see the bright side of pretty much everything. I saw her when her physical condition was deteriorating, and still, there was not a hint of self-pity or gloom. She lived in her present, never taking on a dark moment, never anticipating the outcome. This was Jane’s natural state of being. That positive energy lives on in her friends, spreading light into hearts that sometimes grow heavy. It is good to think of her, home at last, that light shining brighter than ever.”