Standardization News

I am thrilled to serve as president of ASTM International starting Feb. 1.

As I prepared for this new role over the past two years, I had the opportunity to work with our board of directors to refresh ASTM International’s mission statement. Every word was chosen thoughtfully and deliberately. As a result, I believe that the statement reflects our very reason for being and our value proposition.

Since I came to this great organization in 1984, I have always been proud of who we are, what we do, and how we meet the needs of our members, customers, and the public.

Of course, our members are at the core of “Helping our world work better.” The world’s leading technical experts — along with many others — come together through ASTM to create high-quality, market-relevant standards. My first commitment as president is to ensure that crucial foundation remains strong. Our mission depends on it.

At the same time, I recognize that ASTM must continue to evolve and adapt. Over my career at ASTM, we have proven that we can do just that.

For example, in 2001, we changed our name to ASTM International. This expanded our reach and impact, helping us build relationships across industries, disciplines, and cultures — reflected in our recent milestone of 100 memorandums of understanding with standards bodies around the world. Today, our standards are increasingly used around the globe, and technical experts everywhere find a welcome and responsive home in ASTM International.

Also, ASTM has successfully adapted its operations to major societal advancements, including the digital revolution. We have maintained a strong focus on equipping each new generation of members and customers with the tools they need to be effective — from online collaboration resources to training videos and everything in between.

Moving forward, I will share a number of thoughts through columns, articles, emails, social media, and more. And I want to share one important concept right now.

I am energized by the word “integrate” in our new mission statement. Our members and customers — many of you reading this right now — are demanding that ASTM International be more innovative than ever before in how we actually apply standards.

You want training tools based on the latest standards. You want more Proficiency Testing Programs. You
want better lab and certification services. We will deliver on all that and more, leveraging the integrative power of world-class assets like our Compass platform.

I am more proud of this organization than ever for what we’ve accomplished by listening to what our stakeholders need and want — and I’ll continue to listen. Feel free to email me.

Finally, I want to express my deep respect and heartfelt appreciation to Jim Thomas, who, upon his retirement on Jan. 31, served our great organization for 45 years, the last 25 as president. He has been a visionary, a leader, a mentor, and a dear friend.

Jim believes — as I do — that ASTM International’s continued success is not predicated on any one person, both of us included. Instead, it is our collective commitment to our principles, our ideals, and our mission.
Thank you for joining me in renewing that commitment as we take this journey together. I look forward to the relationships and opportunities we will build as ASTM International continues to lead in the 21st century.

Katharine E. Morgan
President, ASTM International

Follow Kathie on Twitter.

Read an interview with Kathie from the March/April 2017 issue of SN.