Katharine Morgan becomes President of ASTM International

February 1 saw Katharine Morgan take up her new role as President of ASTM International, one of the world’s largest standards development organisations. Morgan leads a team that supports thousands of members, customers, partners and other stakeholders worldwide. She succeeds James A Thomas, who served in the role for 25 years.

"I am thrilled and humbled to serve as President of an organisation that has played such a foundational role in meeting societal needs for more than a century,” Morgan said at the organisation’s first major meeting of 2017 in Norfolk, Va. "We will build on the legacy of Jim Thomas, attracting even more of the world’s top technical experts to our committees, while also serving people and organisations that rely on our standards and services.”

A brief video featuring Morgan and her first presidential message were also released.

Thomas Marsh, CEO of Centrotrade and ASTM International¹s 2017 Chairman of the board joined Morgan at the event. "Kathie brings proven leadership skills, a deep understanding of the global standards community, a passion for ASTM International’s mission and much more,”Marsh said. "ASTM International will continue to grow and thrive under her leadership.”

Morgan is a 33-year veteran of ASTM International. She served as Executive Vice President for the past two years. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Technical Committee Operations, leading a 50-member team that supports the volunteer work of ASTM International¹s 30,000 members worldwide.

Morgan is one of the world¹s most prominent voices on standardisation-related issues. She is a board member of the American National Standards Institute’s Board of Directors, the Council of Engineering and Scientific Executives, the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization, the Society for Standards Professionals (SES), the American Society of Association Executives and a former member of the Standards Council of Canada¹s Standards Development Organization Advisory Committee.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., and a master’s degree in business administration from Widener University in Chester, Pa. Follow her on Twitter at @ASTMpres.