Standardization News

In accordance with the ASTM International bylaws, we are pleased to announce the slate of candidates selected by the society's Nominating Committee for election to ASTM offices for terms commencing Jan. 1, 2012: chairman of the board - one-year term; vice chairman - two-year term; and six directors - three-year terms. The election is official when the ballot closes on Dec. 2.

This election is administered via the ASTM website. Emails will be sent to ASTM members containing links for accessing the online ballot. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may request a hard copy of the ballot from Maureen Houck at 610-832-9594. Whether using the website or hard copy, remember that the deadline for receipt of all ballots is Dec. 2.

2012 Chairman of the Board

Kenneth F. Yarosh

Kenneth F. Yarosh is a global service line manager for the specialty chemicals business of Dow Corning Corp., a global silicones and silicone-based technology firm headquartered in Midland, Mich.

Yarosh joined Dow Corning in 1985 after earning a B.S. in chemistry from Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Ill. In 1987, he opened Dow Corning's regional sealants testing laboratory in Atlanta, Ga. From 1988 to 2002, Yarosh was a technical service specialist working closely with construction specifiers and sealant contractors on new and restoration building projects in North America.

In 2003, Yarosh became the European technical manager based in Brussels, Belgium, for Dow Corning's global construction industry. In this role, he managed technical professionals who provide support for silicone sealant, coating and water-repellent products used in building construction applications. In 2006, Yarosh relocated to Michigan to manage Dow Corning's sealants and adhesives product development group for the Americas.

Yarosh is currently chairman of ASTM International Committee C24 on Building Seals and Sealants. Prior to this role, Yarosh was both vice chairman and secretary, and he has served on a number of C24 subcommittees. Yarosh is also a member of Committees D14 on Adhesives, E06 on Performance of Buildings and E60 on Sustainability. He participates in many interlaboratory studies and has worked on several key standards for the glazing and weatherproofing industry. In addition, he serves as a global liaison between the sealants industry and Committee C24, and he is principal author of technical papers for C24 and E06 symposia.

In 2005, Yarosh received the ASTM Award of Merit and title of fellow for his contributions to Committee C24. He has also been honored with Certificates of Appreciation in 1998 and 2000, and with the C24 Sealants Hall of Fame Award in 2001.

Yarosh has been a member of the Construction Specifications Institute, the EIFS Industry Members Association, the Glass Association of North America, the Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute, and the Adhesive and Sealant Council. He has also been a director for the Exterior Design Institute and the Protective Glazing Council.Yarosh has served on the ASTM board of directors since 2006 and he was chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee in 2009.

2012-2013 Vice Chairman

Thomas A. Schwartz

Thomas A. Schwartz, P.E., is senior principal, president and head of the building technology group at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., a design and consulting engineering firm with five offices in the United States that focuses on design, performance evaluation and repair of buildings, special structures and infrastructure. Following his graduation from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., in 1973, with a B.S. in civil engineering, Schwartz started work as an engineer at SGH. While in his early years with the firm, he earned his M.S. in material engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Schwartz held a number of positions at SGH, from engineer to senior staff engineer, and associate to principal, before assuming his current role. A registered professional engineer in 20 states and the District of Columbia, he focuses on building envelope systems, including curtain walls, glazing, roofing, waterproofing and masonry. He investigates and evaluates all types of glass and window systems, wall systems and roofing, and lectures and writes extensively about building enclosure technology.

In recognition of his professional capability and work, Schwartz received membership in the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and was elected to membership in the scientific research society, Sigma Xi. Schwartz received the 2006 ASTM International Walter C. Voss Award in honor of his leadership and more than 30 years of service to the building technology industry. He also earned the 1987 Engineering-News Record Award for Contribution to Engineering. Other accolades include the 1994 ASTM International Award of Merit and title of fellow for his involvement in ASTM standards activities and a Service Award from the ASTM board of directors in 2008.

Schwartz joined ASTM International in 1982, and currently serves on Committees E06 on Performance of Buildings as well as C14 on Glass and Glass Products, and E58 on Forensic Engineering. He is chairman of Subcommittee E06.55 on Exterior Building Wall Systems and has chaired several other E06 groups. He served on the ASTM board of directors from 2006 to 2008 and in 2010.

In addition to his ASTM work, Schwartz is a construction industry arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers. He was also a technical editor for Glass Digest for more than a decade.

2012-2014 Director

Dale F. Bohn

ale F. Bohn is based in Minnesota and is northern region quality manager for Flint Hills Resources, a leading refining and chemicals company. As quality manager, Bohn is responsible for developing, formulating and testing petroleum and asphalt products; processing support; custody transfer measurement; and training, regulatory compliance and quality assurance.

Bohn joined ASTM International in 1996. He is currently chairman of the Committee on Technical Committee Operations and has been a member of that group since 2006. In 2008, he received a COTCO Service Award. Bohn has been involved with the work of Committee D04 on Road and Paving Materials since 1996 and serves on several technical subcommittees. Bohn has been chairman of Subcommittee D04.41 on Emulsified Asphalt Specifications, and most recently, Subcommittee D04.42 on Emulsified Asphalt Tests. For his contributions to the committee, D04 honored Bohn with a Distinguished Service Award in 2003 and an Award of Appreciation in 2009. Bohn also serves on Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants.

After graduating in 1989 from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, Bohn became an asphalt chemist/technical leader for Koch Materials Co. focusing on asphaltic products, including product development, formulation and testing; process design and support; job site assistance; and internal and external training. Flint Hills Resources acquired selected assets of Koch Materials and Bohn joined the company. He became asphalt chemist/technical leader in 2005 and northern region quality manager in 2008.

2012-2014 Director

Kaphong Choi

Kaphong Choi is the recently retired chairman and CEO of the Korean Standards Association (KSA) in Seoul, Korea, which serves as the official distributor of Korean standards and also offers training and certification services. In this role he was responsible for the overall performance of its business and management, and for furthering its role in international standardization communities. Choi's career in both government and the public sector spans more than 33 years.

Choi currently serves as an adviser for the Society for Standards and Standardization in Korea and as chairman of the council comprised of 48 COSD (Cooperation Organization for Standards Development in Korea) bodies. He is also a member of the Policy Development Committee for the Korean Air Forces as well as an honorary adviser for the China Association for Quality.Before becoming KSA chairman and CEO in 2008, Choi had been an administrator at the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS), a part of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE). In his roles at both KSA and KATS, Choi gained expertise in international standardization and standardization policies. He also has experience from his positions as an assistant secretary in the Office of the President of Korea, which he held from 2004 to 2006, as director/deputy director at MOCIE from 1986 to 2004 and as a senior researcher at the National Industrial Research Institute.

Choi holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in electrical engineering from YonSei University in Seoul, a master's degree in administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., and he completed work for his doctoral degree at SungKyunKwan University in Seoul last year.

2012-2014 Director

Amy A. Costello

Amy A. Costello, P.E., is a senior environmental scientist at Armstrong World Industries Inc., a global floor, ceiling and cabinet design and manufacturing corporation based in Lancaster, Pa. In this position, which she has held since 2007, she has responsibility for the technical aspects of the Building Product Division's sustainability program, which includes managing global codes and standards efforts, recommending strategies to improve product environmental sustainability and conducting life cycle assessments to reduce the environmental impact of products, materials and packaging.

An ASTM International member since 2007 who currently serves on Committee E60 on Sustainability, Costello is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional and a life cycle assessment certified professional. She is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Material and Resources Technical Advisory Group. Additional professional memberships include the Acoustical Society of America, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and the U.S. Green Building Council.

After graduating with a B.S. in biology from Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Va., in 1992, Costello began her career as a senior environmental engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation. She became an air quality program manager and then an air, noise and energy manager at the agency; in the latter position she oversaw an engineering team that administered programs related to air quality, noise abatement and energy. During her time at the Virginia Department of Transportation she received three Commissioner's Awards for Excellence. Costello earned her master's degree in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va., and a certificate in project management from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

2012-2014 Director

Steven M. Cramer

Steven M. Cramer is Ph.D., P.E., is associate dean for academic affairs and professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., with responsibility for undergraduate and graduate academic programs, and related activities in the College of Engineering. He also holds the post of director of the Wisconsin Structures and Materials Testing Laboratory at the university.

Cramer, who served as chairman of ASTM Committee D07 on Wood from 2006 to 2010, has been an ASTM International member since 1986. He was honored with the 2011 L.J. Markwardt Award for his contributions to D07 standards activities and for his service as D07 chairman.

Author of more than 100 technical publications, Cramer conducts research related to structural materials testing and behavior, lumber strength and grading, metal-plate connected wood truss design, performance of structures subject to fire and concrete durability. He also holds three patents.

In 2008, Cramer was awarded the Tau Beta Pi McDonald Mentor Award, and in 2002 was awarded the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Wisconsin, in addition to a number of local teaching awards. He has supervised more than 60 graduate students in their thesis work in addition to his 26 years of undergraduate teaching. He also has been active in the work of numerous professional organizations, including the American Concrete Institute, the American Lumber Standard Committee, the American National Standards Institute, the American Society of Civil Engineers and Structural Engineering Institute, the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Wood Council's Wood Design Standards Committee, the Forest Products Society, the Society of Wood Science and Technology, the Truss Plate Institute and the Structural Building Components Association.

Cramer has a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

2012-2014 Director

Donald L. Mays

Donald L. Mays is senior director of product safety and technical policy for Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, in Yonkers, N.Y. In this position, Mays leads the organization's product safety mission designed to reduce unsafe products in the marketplace and help inform consumers about emerging safety hazards.

Mays graduated from Manhattan College, New York City, N.Y., with bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering in 1977 and 1980, respectively. He began his career in 1977 with Texaco Inc. and was named senior engineer. He then held positions as director of testing for Consumers Union from 1984 to 1998, as technical director for the Good Housekeeping Institute from 1998 to 2002, and as vice president of retail and consumer product services for Intertek from 2002 to 2005. He returned to Consumers Union in 2005 as senior director, product safety and consumer sciences. In his career Mays has worked on product safety, consumer product testing, laboratory management, consumer advocacy, public outreach and education. He serves as regular public spokesperson on product safety issues and testifies before Congress, presidential committees and government agencies.

An ASTM International member since 1998, Mays is vice chairman/consumer participation for Committee F15 on Consumer Products, where he participates in developing safety standards for toys, juvenile products and furniture. In 2004 he received a Certificate of Appreciation from Committee F15 recognizing his professional planning and moderation of a joint ASTM/International Consumer Products Health and Safety Organization symposium on swimming pool and spa safety.

In addition to ASTM International, Mays is currently on the board of directors of the American National Standards Institute and has served on the board of the International Consumer Products Health and Safety Organization.

2012-2014 Director

Charles B. Sidebottom

Charles B. Sidebottom, P.E., is director of corporate standards for Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a global leader in medical technology. He represents the firm in various national and international standards development organizations related to the medical device industry, and he has written articles and made numerous presentations related to his field.

Currently recording secretary for ASTM International Committee F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices, Sidebottom has been an ASTM member since 2001. He currently serves on several F04 groups and has been honored with the Patrick G. Laing Award, in 2009, for his contribution to the standards development work of the committee. In 2005 he received F04's Robert E. Fairer Award (formerly called the M.O.S.E.S. Award).

After graduating in 1968 with a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, Sidebottom began his career as an industrial engineer with Kansas City Power and Light Co., Kansas City Mo. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1973 and then returned to his career at Kansas City Power and Light as a system planning engineer. From 1974 to 1980 he was manager of technical support for the company. In 1979, he earned his M.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. In 1980, Sidebottom joined the Medtronic staff as technical services manager in its Corporate Information Systems Division. He held management positions in information technology and software development before becoming part of Medtronic's regulatory affairs organization. He assumed his current position in 2000.

Sidebottom serves as secretary to the International Electrotechnical Commission Subcommittee 62A, Common Aspects of Electrical Equipment Used in Medical Practice, and secretary of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 150/SC 5 on Osteosynthesis and Spinal Devices. He is chairman of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO Technical Committee 210, Quality Management and Corresponding General Aspects for Medical Devices, and is the immediate past-chairman of the board of directors of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. In 2007, Sidebottom received AAMI's inaugural Standards Developer Award, and in May 2011, he was named a technical fellow at Medtronic. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Society, the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society and SES – The Society for Standards Professionals.