The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) honored leaders of the U.S. global voluntary standards and conformity assessment community last night at ANSI's 2023 Leadership and Service Awards Banquet and Ceremony. The leadership and service awards program is a long-standing tradition that recognizes and honors creativity, dedication, and vision in the field of standards and conformity assessment.
The ceremony was held at Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C., and was one of the many ANSI-hosted events of World Standards Week 2023.
“Tonight, we shine a light on 19 remarkable leaders who have gone above and beyond to serve the standards, conformity assessment, and workforce communities,” said Phil Piqueira, chair of the ANSI Board of Directors, during his presentation of the awards. “The field was highly competitive, the selection process was challenging, and the decisions were difficult. We’re overjoyed to have so many outstanding people in our community. Thank you for leading and serving, here and around the globe.”
ANSI awarded the following 19 distinguished individuals at the ceremony:
ASTIN-POLK INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MEDAL
Megan Hayes, vice president, technical services, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), received the Astin-Polk International Standards Medal, which honors distinguished service in promoting trade and understanding among nations through the advancement, development, or administration of international standardization, measurements, or certification.
EDWARD LOHSE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MEDAL
Greg Cannon, principal, AI/ML standards, Amazon Web Services (AWS), received the Edward Lohse Information Technology Medal, which recognizes outstanding efforts to foster cooperation among bodies involved in global IT standardization.
ELIHU THOMSON ELECTROTECHNOLOGY MEDAL
Steve Margis, director, conformity assessment programs and accreditation, UL Solutions, received the Elihu Thomson Electrotechnology Medal, which honors an individual who has contributed in an exceptional, dedicated way to the field of electrotechnology standardization, conformity assessment, and related activities at the national and international levels.
FINEGAN STANDARDS MEDAL
Rachel Weintraub, executive director, Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS), received the Finegan Standards Medal, which honors individuals who have shown extraordinary leadership in the actual development and application of voluntary standards.
GEORGE S. WHAM LEADERSHIP MEDAL
Michael Glickman, president, Computer Network Architects (CNA), received the George S. Wham Leadership Medal, which honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the voluntary standardization community and provided long-term direction and visionary qualities in support of the ANSI Federation.
GERALD H. RITTERBUSCH CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT MEDAL
Cynthia Woodley, vice president and chief operations officer, Professional Testing, received the Gerald H. Ritterbusch Conformity Assessment Medal, which honors distinguished service in promoting the understanding and application of conformity assessment methods as a means of providing confidence in standards compliance for the marketplace.
HOWARD COONLEY MEDAL
Edward Mikoski, vice president of standards and technology, Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA), received the Howard Coonley Medal, which recognizes an executive who has benefitted the national economy through voluntary standardization and conformity assessment and has given outstanding support to standardization as a management tool.
MAUREEN BREITENBERG CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT RESEARCH MEDAL
Jordan Adelson, director of the Laboratory Quality and Accreditation Office (LQAO), U.S. Navy Sea Systems Command Oversight and Assessment Division, received the Maureen Breitenberg Conformity Assessment Research Medal, which honors work that advances the principles of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) through outstanding contributions toward reducing redundancy and complexity in conformity assessment.
STEPHEN CRAWFORD WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION MEDAL
CompTIA received the Stephen Crawford Workforce Development and Innovation Medal, which recognizes accredited credentialing bodies that significantly impact workforce development in the United States. The award is named for Stephen Crawford, a staunch advocate of workforce development and valued leader and contributor to ANSI, Workcred, and the greater workforce and credentialing communities, who passed away in 2022.
NEXT GENERATION AWARD
Several individuals received the Next Generation Award, presented to professionals who have been engaged in standardization or conformity assessment activities for less than eight years and who have, during this time, demonstrated vision, leadership, dedication, and significant contributions to their chosen field of activity.
Grace Callahan, international standards specialist, UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE)
Eric Franca, biomedical engineer and senior policy advisor, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Sam Muhamed, manager, standards and technology, The Aluminum Association
MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD
The following individuals received the Meritorious Service Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the U.S. voluntary standardization system. Each has demonstrated outstanding service in enabling ANSI to attain the objectives for which it was founded.
Serra Ayral, Counsellor, Trade and Environment Division, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Wael Diab, Chair, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC42, Artificial Intelligence
MaryAnn Hogan, Team Leader, U.S. Technical Barriers to Trade Enquiry Point, Standards Coordination Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Jennifer Kitchen, principal engineer—product safety standards and advocacy, GE Gas Power
Khaled Masri, senior program manager, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
Carrie Schmaus, technology manager for marine renewable energy, Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
Charles Werner, founder and director, DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Alliance
ANSI congratulates all of the outstanding individuals on their contributions to and accomplishments in standards and conformity assessment.
