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.
In this issue, UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), a member and audited designator of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), recently announced several changes and an expanded executive leadership.
Sonya Bird has been appointed vice president of international standards, leading the international team as it deepens its focus on global impact and engagement in key regions. Bird previously served as ULSE’s director of international standards. She is the recipient of the 2022 ANSI Howard Coonley Medal, which recognizes an executive who has benefitted the national economy through voluntary standardization and conformity assessment and has given outstanding support to standardization as a management tool. She was also the recipient of the 2022 USNC Distinguished Service Award, issued by the U.S. National Committee (USNC) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Dr. George Borlase has been appointed vice president of standards development, managing the standards development team as it grows in both size and scope. Borlase was formerly ULSE’s director of standards programs, helping to ensure that standards development activities actively included other stakeholders and leading the drive to initiate, develop, and publish new and updated safety standards. Previously, Borlase has held positions at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, and served 10 years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Phil Piqueira, ULSE’s vice president of global standards, will serve in a senior advisory role and continue his role as Chair of the ANSI Board.
ULSE has also created four new roles based at a new office in Washington, D.C.:
Katie Denis is head of communications, for which she leads outreach and publicity for ULSE advocacy and standards development work. Previously, Denis served as vice president of communications and research at the Consumer Brands Association.
David McKnight is head of partnerships, developing partnerships to share safety science knowledge and advance advocacy with corporate leaders, trade association leaders, policymakers, and consumers. Prior to this role, McKnight served as vice president of business relationships and partnerships for The Manufacturing Institute, the nonprofit workforce and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers.
Lesley Rohrbaugh is the head of insights and policy analysis. Rohrbaugh monitors the latest research, regulation, and legislation affecting the safety science arena and ULSE priority areas. Before joining ULSE, Rohrbaugh served as director of research for the Consumer Technology Association, where she was responsible for leading, coordinating, and executing aspects of consumer, B2B, and strategic research programs across all technology categories.
John Wolfe is the director of strategic initiatives guides for ULSE’s strategic direction and planning. Wolfe joins the organization from LINE Corp. in Tokyo, where he managed global strategic investments and corporate development. Previously in his career, Wolfe served as both a senior manager and a global strategist for Samsung Electronics, headquartered in South Korea.
“As a global safety science leader, we aim to close the gap between pressing safety risks and the creation of safety standards,” said Terrence R. Brady, ULSE board chair and president and CEO of UL Research Institutes. “We are excited about the opportunity to accelerate our work with an expanded leadership team.”
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