People on the Move highlights the career advancements of high-level trailblazers working professionally in diverse areas of standardization, contributing every day to the strength and success of the U.S. standards and conformance community.
The W. M. Keck Observatory has appointed Rich Matsuda as its next director, effective January 1, 2024. Matsuda previously served as interim director since May 2023. He succeeds Hilton Lewis, who stepped down in April 2023 after a 37-year career at the Observatory, serving nine years as director.
A trained electrical engineer and the first Hawaiʻi-born director of the Observatory, Matsuda has served in an executive leadership role there since 2016. Before assuming the position as interim director, Matsuda served as the Observatory’s chief of operations for five years and as the associate director of external relations. Previously, he had an engineering position at Boeing in Seattle. Matsuda also serves as the Maunakea Observatories’ representative to the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.
The Keck Observatory Board’s Search Committee, co-chaired by the director of the University of California (UC) Observatories Bruce Macintosh and by the California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) professor of astronomy Lynne Hillenbrand, led the search for a director.
“We undertook a formal, international search to ensure our hiring process for this prestigious appointment would find the best candidates and be fair and equitable, and in the end, we are wholly confident that Rich Matsuda is the best-qualified executive to lead this institution forward,” said George R. Blumenthal, board chair and Chancellor Emeritus, University of California at Santa Cruz. “With his steady hand as a long-trusted leader over his 30 years at Keck, his extensive technical expertise, and the respect he earned from the global astronomical community, we know that the Observatory will thrive during his tenure.”
The Toy Association has announced that Andy Keimach is the interim president and chief executive of the association. Former president and chief executive Steve Pasierb has transitioned to the role of senior advisor to the president and chairperson.
In his role, Keimach will lead the globally-focused industry organization and its hundreds of members, which include manufacturers, retailers, licensors, and others involved in the toy and youth entertainment industry. He will oversee all activities of The Toy Association, including the organization’s global government and regulatory affairs programs, its Toy Fair in New York City, and a Toy Association-hosted marketplace in Los Angeles this fall, among other responsibilities.
Prior to his current role, Keimach served two terms on The Toy Association’s board of directors. Most recently, he was the secretary-treasurer. Previously, Keimach served as vice president of Vtech Electronics North America and president of Munchkin, Inc. He recently founded Eights Consulting Group. He was also previously a two-time board chair of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
“As a leader, change agent, and creative problem-solver, Andy has demonstrated strong communication, negotiation, and collaboration skills throughout his career to improve organizational performance and effectively manage corporate change,” said Aaron Muderick, chair of The Toy Association’s board of directors and founder and executive chairman of Crazy Aaron’s. “Under his leadership, his teams at both VTech and Munchkin were recognized with awards from Target, Walmart, Toys“R”Us, and Babies“R”Us, and he became known for transforming underperforming sales operations, creating actionable roadmaps, building strategies, and establishing cultures of excellence all while empowering teams to deliver world-class performance.”
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