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, 2014: chairman of the board - one-year term; vice chairman - one-year term; vice chairman - two-year term; and six directors - three-year terms. The election is official when the ballot closes on Dec. 6.

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. 6.

2014 Chairman of the Board

Thomas A. Schwartz

Thomas A. Schwartz, P.E., is senior principal, president and chairman of the board 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., 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 past chairman of Subcommittee E06.55 on Exterior Building Wall Systems and has chaired several other E06 groups. He has served on the ASTM board of directors since 2006.

In addition to his ASTM work, Schwartz has been 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 the technical editor for Glass Digest for more than a decade.

2014 Vice Chairman of the Board

Ronald J. Ebelhar

Ronald J. Ebelhar, P.E., D.GE, is a senior principal with Terracon in Cincinnati, Ohio. Terracon is a multidisciplinary engineering firm that provides services locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., Ebelhar joined McClelland Engineers in Houston, Texas, as a staff engineer/consultant in 1977. From 1987 to 1996, he served as division manager and then as vice president for Rust Environment & Infrastructure (and its predecessors, S&ME, Westinghouse and SEC Donohue) in Cincinnati, Ohio, before taking the position of vice president with H.C. Nutting in 1996. He assumed his current role when Terracon purchased H.C. Nutting in 2007.

As a project manager for geotechnical and environmental engineering projects worldwide, Ebelhar has provided design and consulting services for commercial, industrial, transportation, waste disposal and public utility projects; geotechnical engineering design and construction, including site soil response under seismic, cyclic and dynamic loading; and marine geosciences and engineering field explorations.

Ebelhar, who joined ASTM International in 1980, is chairman of Committee D18 on Soil and Rock. An ASTM fellow and 2003 Award of Merit recipient, Ebelhar has received several awards from D18, including R.S. Ladd Standards Development Awards for ASTM D7400, Test Methods for Downhole Seismic Testing, and ASTM D4648, Test Method for Laboratory Miniature Vane Test; the Woodland G. Shockley Award; the A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award; two Special Service Awards; and the Committee D18 Technical Editor's Award for STP 1213, Dynamic Geotechnical Testing II. He also received a Service Award from the ASTM Committee on Technical Committee Operations, on which he served a two-year term. He has served on the ASTM board of directors since 2010 and is currently chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

In addition to his ASTM work, Ebelhar is a fellow and member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering, in the Academy of Geo-Professionals.

2014-2015 Vice Chairman of the Board

Ralph M. Paroli

Ralph M. Paroli, Ph.D., is director, research and development, in the Measurement Science and Standards Portfolio, at the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

In this position, which he assumed in 2013, Paroli is responsible for the program on Metrology for Industry and Society. He previously served, from 1998 to 2012, as director of Building Envelope and Structure, Institute for Research in Construction, where he had responsibility for the NRC research program addressing concrete materials durability and repair, wall and window systems performance, and thermal and moisture performance of materials and roofing systems. Possessing more than 25 years of experience in spectroscopy and thermal analysis and more than 20 years experience related to roofing, Paroli has been involved with national and international committees in developing and assessing new techniques to characterize roofing materials and systems. As a researcher at NRC, Paroli has been honored with several awards, and he has participated in and led government research projects on roof system performance.

Paroli currently serves as chairman of Committee D08 on Roofing and Waterproofing, and he is also a member of Committees D11 on Rubber and E60 on Sustainability. Paroli joined ASTM International in 1994 and was a member of the Committee on Standards from 2006 to 2008, for which he received a 2008 Service Award.

Immediate past chairman of the CIB/RILEM Joint Committee on Roofing Membrane Systems (International Council for Building/International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures), Paroli is past president of both the Canadian Thermal Analysis Society and the Canadian Society for Analytical Sciences and Spectroscopy, which honored him with a Distinguished Service Award in 2006. He is also a member of the American Chemical Society, the Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario, the Canadian Roofing Contractors' Association's National Technical Committee, the Chemical Institute of Canada (Canadian Society for Chemistry), and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.

Paroli holds a B.Sc. in analytical chemistry from the University of Concordia in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and a Ph.D. in physical and inorganic chemistry from McGill University, Montreal.

Director 2014-2016

Franceen Gonzales

Franceen Gonzales is vice president of risk management and water parks for Great Wolf Resorts, Madison, Wisc. She oversees safety and risk management as well as waterpark operations and maintenance for the company's 11 indoor/outdoor water park resorts in North America.

Gonzales, who joined ASTM International in 2001, is a member of Committees D22 on Air Quality, F15 on Consumer Products and F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices. She is currently recording secretary for the main F24 committee and secretary of the F24 executive subcommittee. She was chairman of Subcommittee F24.70 on Water Related Amusement Rides and Devices from 2006 to 2009 and served on the 2012 ASTM board of directors nominating committee.

Gonzales' career has focused on water park operations, safety and risk management. She worked at Wet 'N' Wild Waterworld, El Paso, Texas, in various roles leading to her position as director of operations from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 2004, she was general manager of Waterworld Safari, Phoenix, Ariz., and during this time, from 2001 to 2004, she was also corporate director of operations for Golfland Entertainment Centers Inc. From 2004 to 2006, Gonzalez was park director for Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Great Adventure.

In addition to her work in ASTM International, Gonzales is a member of the board of directors of Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers, which has honored her with its John Allen Safety Award. She is also a member and secretary of the board of the National Swimming Pool Foundation. Gonzales is a former chairman of the board, from 2006 to 2008, and a former board member of the World Waterpark Association, which has twice named her winner of the Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award. She currently is a member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Safety Committee and has been an IAAPA board member, chairman of the IAAPA Membership Committee, and a member of the IAAPA governance and strategic planning committees.

A regular speaker at industry events, Gonzales has also written several articles related to her work. She was named to the "Power 25" in 2011 and 2012 by Aquatics International magazine. Gonzales earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.

Director 2014-2016

Andrew G. Kireta, Jr.

Andrew G. Kireta, Jr., is vice president – market development of the Copper Development Association Inc., New York, N.Y., a not-for-profit trade association that serves as the advanced market development and engineering services arm of the copper and brass industry in the United States.

As CDA vice president, Kireta is responsible for promoting the use of copper and copper alloy systems and related products in both building construction and sustainable energy applications. He coordinates codes and standards activities for the copper industry and research projects for the development and application of copper and copper alloy tube, pipe, fittings and architectural sheet and strip. His professional work also includes representing the North American copper industry on the International Copper Association's building construction team, and he leads the ICA's global strategy team. In related work, Kireta has written numerous trade press articles on the use of copper and copper alloys in building construction.

An ASTM International member since 1998, Kireta works on Committee B05 on Copper and Copper Alloys and several B05 subcommittees; he is currently chairman of Subcommittee B05.92 on Awards. He was previously membership secretary of the full B05 committee.

Following his graduation from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1989, Kireta became a principal engineer, mechanical systems and operations, for ABB Impell Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill., in 1990. In this position he was involved in commercial nuclear power plant design. Kireta then joined CDA in 1992 as Midwest regional manager and held management positions for tube, pipe and fittings, and architectural applications before becoming vice president – building construction, in 2008. He assumed his current role in 2010.

Outside ASTM International, Kireta is a member of the NSF International Joint Committee on Drinking Water Additives, and he is also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Plumbing Engineers, the American Society of Sanitary Engineering, the American Welding Society, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the International Code Council and other industry organizations. For his service, Kireta has been recognized with the 2010 President's Award from the International Copper Association, a 2009 B16 Committee Award of Appreciation by ASME, and an ASTM B05 Distinguished Service Award in 2007.

Director 2014-2016

Claudia V. Kropas-Hughes

Claudia V. Kropas-Hughes, Ph.D., is technical adviser in the Program Development and Integration Directorate, part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is responsible for total life cycle management of Air Force weapon systems.

As technical adviser, Kropas-Hughes focuses on future capability requirements and ensuring that advancements in technology are included in systems. She was named to this position in April of this year. Most recently, Kropas-Hughes had been deputy division chief for the Technology Transition Division at the base Air Force Materiel Command, a position she assumed in 2005. She joined the staff at Wright-Patterson in 1989 as an electronic engineer, and then held other engineering and research positions in the Air Force Research Laboratory before her current role. She previously worked at Aerojet Solid Propulsion Co., McClellan Air Force Base, and Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Co. Throughout her career she has focused on nondestructive testing and pattern recognition.

A 2011 ASTM International Award of Merit winner and an ASTM fellow, Kropas-Hughes also received the 2004 Charles W. Briggs Award from ASTM Committee E07 on Nondestructive Testing for continuous and outstanding contributions to the work of E07. Kropas-Hughes has been an ASTM member since 1991 and currently serves as vice chairman of Committee E07; she is also chairman of Subcommittees E07.95 on Long Range Planning and E07.96 on Awards.

Outside ASTM International, Kropas-Hughes is a fellow of the American Society of Nondestructive Testing, which has honored her with the Charles Sherlock Meritorious Service Award; a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and of the Society of Women Engineers; and a member of the Defense Planning and Analysis Society.

Kropas-Hughes has been the professional program chair for the ASNT Annual Conference from 2003 to the present, organizing more than 100 paper presentations for an international audience, and she has written several papers related to her field. She holds a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Fla., a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton, Ohio, a master's in electrical engineering from California State University in Sacramento, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, Ohio.

Director 2014-2016

Nabil bin Ameen Molla

Nabil bin Ameen Molla is secretary general of GSO, the Standardization Organization of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which works to coordinate and integrate work on standards and conformity assessment by the member nations, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Molla's career in standards began after his holding a position as a lecturer in the College of Science at King Saud University, where he earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry. Molla served at the Saudi Organization for Standards, Metrology and Quality (SASO) as secretary general of the Award of King Abdul Aziz for Quality, director of chemical industries, director of standards, director general for standards, deputy director general, director general and governor, before he was appointed GSO secretary general in 2012 by the GSO board of directors. He had joined the SASO staff as a chemical analyst.

Through partnerships under the ASTM Memorandum of Understanding Program, Molla has been involved with ASTM International since 2002. He has supervised memorandums of understanding between SASO and other groups, and he participates in economic bilateral committees with other countries such as Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. His experience also includes leading committees entrusted with responsibility for training, scholarships, organization, national law of measurements, strategic planning and quality mark schemes. He has participated in preparing regulations and laws relating to standards, conformity assessment, accreditation, consumer protection, and food and drug administration guidelines.

Chairman of the Saudi Accreditation Committee and of the Commission on Developing Future Strategy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2020, Molla is vice chairman of the SASO board of directors and a member of the GSO Technical Council. He is also a member of the Saudi Chemical Society, the board of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the Saudi building code group, the Consumer Protection Association, the AOAC International (formerly the Association of Official Analytical Chemists) and the American Society for Quality. Molla was a member of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Council from 2011 to 2012.

Molla earned his M.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Denver, Colorado. He has been honored with several merit awards, and he has represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an Eisenhower fellow, a program designed to provide professional enrichment, leadership development and networking for leaders internationally.

Director 2014-2016

Bertrand Morel

Bertrand Morel, Ph.D., is research and development manager for the front end chemistry business unit of AREVA, a multinational industrial conglomerate that focuses on nuclear power and renewable energy. He is located in Pierrelatte, France.

Morel has, in the field of UF6 conversion, implemented programs on electrolysis, fluorination reactors, and uranium purification and effluent treatment, all of which are now being used in a new plant design. He has initiated work on promising conversion routes and has created a joint R&D facility with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) to study uranium fluoride chemistry.

An ASTM International member since 1995, Morel is second vice chairman of Committee C26 on Nuclear Fuel Cycle, where he is also chairman of Subcommittee C26.02 on Fuel and Fertile Material Specifications. Honored by C26 with an Award of Appreciation in 2000, Morel also received the Harlan J. Anderson Award in 2011 for outstanding contributions to the successful operation of Committee C26 over a number of years.

Before assuming his current position, Morel was head of the analytical laboratory at the Comurhex Pierrelatte plant from 1995 to 2001. He previously had been an R&D scientist for the Comissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France, from 1993 to 1995, and an R&D scientist for Pechiney, Voreppe, France, from 1991 to 1993.

Morel earned his Ph.D. in material science in 1991 from the University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, and his master's in analytical chemistry and bachelor's degree from the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (the City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution), Paris, France. He holds seven patents and has written several publications.

Director 2014-2016

Steve D. Sandstrum

Steve D. Sandstrum is director of technical services for ISCO Industries in Louisville, Ky., a global custom piping solutions provider.

A member of ASTM International and Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems since 1986, Sandstrum currently serves as F17's Division 2 chairman and as chairman of Subcommittee F17.26 on Olefin Based Pipe. He received the ASTM Award of Merit and accompanying title of fellow from F17 in 2009 for his service and leadership that has resulted in standards that enhance the use of plastics in piping systems. Sandstrum has also been honored with the 2007 Frank W. Reinhart and Henry Kuhlmann Award for contributions on behalf of plastics piping standardization and for meritorious technical achievement, an F17 Special Service Award in 2002 and a Certification of Appreciation in 2011.

Sandstrum has held other technical and managerial positions at Innovene (now INEOS), BP-Solvay Polyethylene NA, Solvay Polymers and Phillips Driscopipe before joining the staff at ISCO as national accounts manager in 2005. He took on his current role in January of this year.

An active member of all Plastics Pipe Institute divisions, Sandstrum, a PPI past president, works on the technical and marketing committees. In addition, Sandstrum is a past president of the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association. He is a member of the American Gas Association, which has honored him with a Silver Award of Merit; the American Water Works Association; the National Society of Professional Engineers; the Society of Plastics Engineers and the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.

Sandstrum holds an M.S. in industrial engineering and a B.S. in zoology from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla. He is a co-holder of three U.S. patents, and he has written numerous papers about the design, installation and use of polyethylene pipe resins and piping systems.