A3 Boards and Committees

A3 Board of Directors, Technology Strategy Boards, Advisory Board, and Committees

In serving the automation industry, Boards and Committees play a vital role in helping our member companies grow and succeed.

Meet the A3 Boards

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) is led and governed by the A3 Board of Directors. We also have Technology Strategy Boards in Robotics, Vision & Imaging, and Motion Control & Motors that provide strategic direction and help us stay on top of industry trends and needs. These boards are key to the success of the industry association. Our directors demonstrate expertise in their field, hold a position of industry leadership and a strong desire and commitment to selflessly help the industry. They are elected by the membership to serve two year terms.

If you are interested in serving on one of the Technology Strategy Boards, please contact A3. Calls for nominations are sent yearly to all members.

A3 Board of Directors

Chairperson

Darcy Bachert

CEO

Prolucid

Past Chairperson

Milton Guerry

President US

SCHUNK Inc.

President

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

Member

Gunnar Block

Dipl. Ing. - Senior Product Manager

Schunk Carbon Technology, LLC

Member

Lou Finazzo

Vice President Sales

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Steve Kinney

Director of Training + Technical Solutions

Smart Vision Lights

Member

Erik Nieves

CEO

Plus One Robotics

Member

Bernd Raithel

Director Product Management & Mktg. Siemens Factory Automation

Siemens Industry, Inc.

Member

Eric Rice

Product Market Manager - Electric Automation

Festo Corporation

Member

Nick Sischka

Director, Imaging Product Development

Edmund Optics

Member

Peter Zafiro

General Manager

LinMot USA, Inc.

A3 Robotics Technology Strategy Board

A3 Robotics

Chairperson

Lou Finazzo

Vice President Sales

FANUC America Corporation

1st Vice Chairperson

Erik Nieves

CEO

Plus One Robotics

Past Chairperson

Milton Guerry

President US

SCHUNK Inc.

President

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

Member

Satyandra Kumar Gupta

Chief Scientist and Co-Founder

GrayMatter Robotics

Member

Jane Heffner

Vice President Partner Communications

MiR - Mobile Industrial Robots

Member

Mark Lewandowski

Robotics Network Innovation Leader

Procter & Gamble

Member

Scot Lindemann

CEO

Mission Design & Automation

Member

Robert Little

Chief of Robotics Strategy

ATI Industrial Automation

Member

Seshu Motamarri

Manufacturing Technology Director

Member

Ben Perlson

Segment Manager, Consumer Industries, US

ABB Inc.

Member

Matt Rendall

Co-Founder and CEO

OTTO By Rockwell Automation

Member

Craig Salvalaggio

President

Applied Manufacturing Technologies

Member

Stuart C. Shepherd

President

Shepherd Solutions, Inc.

Member

Paul Stephens

Global Strategy Manager

Ford Motor Company

Member

Tom Stocker

Director of North American Sales

Yaskawa America, Inc.

Member

Suzanne M. Teele

Chief Strategy Officer

ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute

A3 Staff Liaison

Alex Shikany

Executive Vice President

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Vision & Imaging Technology Strategy Board

A3 Vision

Chairperson

Darcy Bachert

CEO

Prolucid

1st Vice Chairperson

Steve Kinney

Director of Training + Technical Solutions

Smart Vision Lights

2nd Vice Chairperson

Nick Sischka

Director, Imaging Product Development

Edmund Optics

President

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

Member

Jeffrey Adolf

Vision Technology Lead

Member

Sina Afrooze

CEO

Apera AI

Member

John Agapakis

Director, Traceability Product Management

OMRON Automation - Americas

Member

David Bruce

Engineering Manager

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Jason Covar

General Manager

The Imaging Source LLC

Member

Georgy Das

Director of Systems & Training

Midwest Optical Systems, Inc.

Member

David Dechow

Industrial Factory Solutions Architect

Motion Ai

Member

Dale Deering

Director - Scanning Products

Teledyne DALSA

Member

Ed Goffin

Vice President, Product Marketing

Pleora Technologies

Member

Daniel Lau

IEEE Fellow & Director of Graduate Studies

University of Kentucky

Member

Brian Musser

Machine Vision Architect

General Motors

Member

Rusty Ponce De Leon

President

STEMMER IMAGING USA

Member

Wim Wuyts

CCO

Gpixel NV

A3 Staff Liaison

Dana Whalls

Vice President

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Motion Control & Motors Technology Strategy Board

A3 Motion

Chairperson

Eric Rice

Product Market Manager - Electric Automation

Festo Corporation

1st Vice Chairperson

Peter Zafiro

General Manager

LinMot USA, Inc.

Past Chairperson

Gunnar Block

Dipl. Ing. - Senior Product Manager

Schunk Carbon Technology, LLC

President

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

Member

Maxwell Alexander

Sales Development Manager, US

B&R Industrial Automation

Member

Kevin Barker

President

BECKHOFF

Member

Christine Bush

Director, Robotic Center

Schneider Electric

PMD Chairperson

Mike Devine

Director of Technology

Adams Magnetic Products Co.

Member

Scott Evans

Vice President Strategy

Regal Rexnord Corporation

Member

David Gelfuso

Chief Executive Officer

ADVANCED Motion Controls

Member

Ted Hiserodt

National Sales Manager

Parker Hannifin - Motion Systems Group

Member

William J. Kegley

Director, Business Management

Rockwell Automation

Member

John Krasnokutsky

Marketing Director

Siemens Industry, Inc.

Member

Paul McGrath

Managing Director

Maxon

Member

Kevin McNicholas

Managing Partner, Founder

Integr-i-motion, LLC

Member

Silas Robertson

SVP Sales and Marketing

Applied Automation

Member

Andy Sklierenko

Executive Vice President

Moons' Industries, Inc.

Member

Craig Thompson

National Sales Manager (East) Automation & Electrification

Bosch Rexroth Corporation

A3 Staff Liaison

Dana Whalls

Vice President

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategy Board

A3 AI

Chairperson

Bernd Raithel

Director Product Management & Mktg. Siemens Factory Automation

Siemens Industry, Inc.

President

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

Member

Juan Luis Aparicio

Founder & CEO

Reshape Automation

Member

Jon Battles

VP Technology Strategy

Collaborative Robotics

Member

Mahesh Chandramouli

Managing Director

Deloitte Consulting, LLP

Member

Henrik I. Christensen

Co-Founder

Robust AI

Member

Claude A. Dinsmoor

Vice President Robotics R&D

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Gregory Hollows

Vice President, Product Strategy

Edmund Optics

Member

Michael P. Jacobs

CEO

Applied Manufacturing Technologies

Member

Torsten Kroeger

Chief Technology Officer

Intrinsic

Member

Sophie Shulman

Director, Advanced Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, and Digital Twins

NVIDIA

Member

Ben Tan

Product Management Director - Industrial and Supply Chain AI

Intel Corporation

Member

Mikell Taylor

Director, Robotics Strategy, Autonomous Robotics Center

General Motors

A3 Staff Liaison

Robert Huschka

Vice President of Education Strategies

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Mexico Advisory Board

President

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

Member

Antonio Balbin

CEO

INNOVATIVE AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS, S.A. DE C.V.

Member

Jorge Cosio

General Manager

Yaskawa America, Inc.

Member

Filiberto Cruz Morales

Managing Director

BECKHOFF

Member

Carlos De Herrera

CEO

Avant Assembly Systems

Member

Xavier Diez Millan

Business Development

Edmund Optics

Member

Uriel Fraire

Director Mexico

Universal Robots México SA De CV

Member

Marcial Gahwiler

Managing Director - Mexico

Maxon Mexico

Member

Roger Mauricio Guerrero Ramos

Country Business Unit Lead RC-MX & CAM

Siemens S.A. de C.V

Member

Christopher Hernández, Sr.

MX Managing Director

KUKA Robotics Corporation

Member

Daniel Hernández

General Manager - Mexico

WAGO Corporation

Member

Juan Carlos López

Sales Director

Zimmer Group US, Inc.

Member

Pablo Minjares

Robotic Sales Manager Mexico

Stäubli Robotics

Member

Erik Nieves

CEO

Plus One Robotics

Member

Fernando Zaldivar

Account Executive

Intel Corporation

A3 Staff Liaison

Deb Kling

Vice President of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

Meet the A3 Committees

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) is privileged to have a large group of dedicated members that serve on our committees throughout the year. Members help direct and execute the activities of the association. The committees do research, develop standards, help launch new initiatives, drive more awareness of automation, help shape our events, and much more. A3 committees lead programs that help improve our industry.

If you are interested in serving on one of A3 Committees, please contact A3.

A3 Advocacy Committee

A3 Education

Chairperson

Brendan Schulman

VP of Policy & Government Relations

Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Member

Matthew Bush

Vice President of Technology, Innovation, and Research

KPI Solutions

Member

Gina Chung

Vice President Corporate Development

Locus Robotics

Member

Jim Devaprasad

Professor, College of Eng., Tech. and Economic Dev

Lake Superior State University

Member

Heather Fulara

VP Industrial Automation

DigiKey

Member

Joe Gemma

Advisory Board

Integrion Automation

Member

Jane Heffner

Vice President Partner Communications

MiR - Mobile Industrial Robots

Member

Dan Junker

CEO

Automation Rangers, Inc.

Member

David C. Matthews

Founder & CEO

Barn Owl Robotics, LLC

Member

Gary McMurray

Principal Research Engineer

Georgia Institute of Technology

Member

Scott Murr

Sr. Director of Business Development

Electron Energy Corporation

Member

Erik Nieves

CEO

Plus One Robotics

Member

Joe Pasetti

VP, Global Government Relations

Teradyne Robotics

Member

Jorgen Pedersen

CEO

ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute

Member

Sophie Shulman

Director, Advanced Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, and Digital Twins

NVIDIA

Member

Craig Van Den Avont

CEO

GAM Enterprises, Inc.

Member

Boyd Vor Broker

President

Axis Automation

Member

Jennifer Wall

General Counsel

Intrinsic

Member

Eric Wendt

Vice President

Mouser Electronics, Inc.

Member

Peter Zafiro

General Manager

LinMot USA, Inc.

A3 Staff Liaison

Jeffrey Burnstein

A3 President

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Liaison

Robert Huschka

Vice President of Education Strategies

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Liaison

Ritch Ramey

Director of Education

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Education Committee

A3 Education

The A3 Education Committee unites industry leaders, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations to foster collaboration between the automation industry and education.

Co-Chairperson

Jim Devaprasad

Professor, College of Eng., Tech. and Economic Dev

Lake Superior State University

Co-Chairperson

Tad Douce

Director

National Robotics Challenge / EduEverything, Inc.

Member

Corey Adams

Senior Academy and Education Program Manager-AMER

Universal Robots

Member

Paul Aiello

Regional Sales Manager

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Amanda Beaton

Program Manager

Siemens Industry, Inc.

Member

Clint Chapman

Sr. Mgr. Strategic Partner Relations

Yaskawa America, Inc.

Member

Ian Foslien

Global Portfolio Leader - Robotics & Automation, Abrasive Systems Division

Member

Joe Gemma

Advisory Board

Integrion Automation

Member

Jerry Gintz

Professor

Arizona State University

Member

Brandon Hudson

Director of Championships

SkillsUSA

Member

Sarah Jones

Research Manager

Robotics Education and Competition Foundation

Member

Daniel Lau

IEEE Fellow & Director of Graduate Studies

University of Kentucky

Member

Scott A. Lucas

VP Aviation and Manufacturing

WSU Tech

Member

Lisa Masciantonio

Chief Workforce Officer

ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute

Member

Gary McMurray

Principal Research Engineer

Georgia Institute of Technology

Member

Ted Rozier

Director of Digital, Advanced Technology and Robotics

FESTO Didactic

Member

Craig Salvalaggio

President

Applied Manufacturing Technologies

Member

J. Bryan Sellars

Segment Marketing Manager

SICK, Inc.

Member

Stuart C. Shepherd

President

Shepherd Solutions, Inc.

Member

Nick Sischka

Director, Imaging Product Development

Edmund Optics

Member

Chelle Travis

Executive Director

SkillsUSA

A3 Staff Liaison

Robert Huschka

Vice President of Education Strategies

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Joshua Ebert

Curriculum Development Manager

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Mackenzie Johnson

Director of Conferences

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Christelle Keefer

Director of Training and Certification

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Deb Kling

Vice President of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Ritch Ramey

Director of Education

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Inclusive Leadership Committee

A3 DEI

The Inclusive Leadership Committee is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment within the automation industry. Our mission is to actively promote diversity in all its forms and cultivate an inclusive community where every voice is valued.

Chairperson

Dawn Gonzalez

Global Marketing Manager

Magswitch Automation Company

Member

Susanne Bieller

General Secretary

IFR International Federation of Robotics

Member

Sami Birch

Director of Marketing & Communications

Mission Design & Automation

Member

Brenda Courim

Director of Sales and Marketing

Güdel, Inc.

Member

Karolyn Ellingson

Head of Industrial Workforce Development

FESTO Didactic

Member

Michelle Frumkin

Senior Global Marketing Manager

Member

Jane Heffner

Vice President Partner Communications

MiR - Mobile Industrial Robots

Member

Pamela Kan

CEO/Owner

Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation

Member

Johanna Lidgren

Senior Marketing Manager

Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc.

Member

Kim Losey

Founder & CEO

NextLine Group

Member

Jennifer Palumbo

Vice President of Marketing

E Tech Group

Member

Julia A. Riemenschneider

CEO

mhXa - mental health x automation

Member

Suzanne M. Teele

Chief Strategy Officer

ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute

Member

Jennifer Wall

General Counsel

Intrinsic

A3 Staff Member

Christelle Keefer

Director of Training and Certification

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Deb Kling

Vice President of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Jana Martin

Media Production Manager

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Azul Ogazon

Manager, A3 Mexico

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Clarissa Schwendeman

Director of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Marketing Committee

A3 Marketing

The A3 Marketing Committee is dedicated to expanding the influence of A3 while enhancing member experience and marketing offerings.

Chairperson

Scott Marsic

Group Product Manager

EPSON America, Inc.

Member

Jim Beretta

President

Customer Attraction Marketing Consulting

Member

Brigitte Davis

Director of Marketing

MiR - Mobile Industrial Robots

Member

Nick Scott Doornbos

Director of Sales and Marketing

Smart Vision Lights

Member

Cynthia Jamison-Brashier

Events & Media Relations, Robotics Division NA

Stäubli Robotics

Member

Megan Macneil

Director of Marketing

Basler, Inc. - The Americas

Member

Ron Massa, Jr.

President & CEO

RMA Electronics, Inc.

Member

David Mayers

Sales Director - North America

IDS Imaging Development Systems, Inc.

Member

Mario Mitchell

Product Manager

Parker Hannifin

Member

Marc Mustard

Head of Communications

ABB Inc.

Member

Eric Petz

Head of Marketing

Emergent Vision Technologies

Member

Jennifer Ramsey

Event Marketing Manager

Formic

Member

Cissi Schaffer

CEO

Effecto, formerly Applied Robotics

Member

Sherri Swabb

Director of Marketing

Yaskawa America, Inc.

Member

Evan VanDerwerker

Sr. Director of Marketing

ATI Industrial Automation

Member

Clare Welham

Marketing Manager

SCHUNK Inc.

Member

Rene Ymzon

Marketing Manager

ADVANCED Motion Controls

A3 Staff Liaison

Deb Kling

Vice President of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Liaison

Clarissa Schwendeman

Director of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Market Intelligence Committee

The Market Intelligence Committee of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) plays a pivotal role in guiding the association’s strategic activities...

Chairperson

Michael Troiano

President/CEO

1stVision Inc.

Member

Gerard Andrews

Product Marketing Mgr., Robotics

NVIDIA

Member

Bill Faber

Director of strategy & business development

Delta Electronics (Americas) Ltd.

Member

Lou Finazzo

Vice President Sales

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Jane Heffner

Vice President Partner Communications

MiR - Mobile Industrial Robots

Member

Gregory Hollows

Vice President, Product Strategy

Edmund Optics

Member

Nate Mahoney

CFO

Pasco

Member

Matt Rendall

Co-Founder and CEO

OTTO By Rockwell Automation

Member

Eric Rice

Product Market Manager - Electric Automation

Festo Corporation

A3 Staff Liaison

Alex Shikany

Executive Vice President

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Membership Committee

A3 Membership

The A3 Membership Committee supports the growth and engagement of our member community by enhancing the value of membership, fostering strong relationships, and ensuring member needs are represented and addressed.

Co-Chairperson

Stephen D. McLaren

Business Development/Strategic Account Manager

Creative Automation Inc.

Co-Chairperson

Jean Rabatin

MSP Business Development Mgr

Yaskawa Motoman

Member

Geoff Dawson

Director of Sales

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Jim Devaprasad

Professor, College of Eng., Tech. and Economic Dev

Lake Superior State University

Member

Carl Doeksen

Global Robotics/Automation Leader

Member

Lou Finazzo

Vice President Sales

FANUC America Corporation

Member

Tim Finerty

Partner

WIPFLI LLP

Member

Mike Fisher

President

Eclipse Automation Inc.

Member

Evan Haley

Global Director - Systems Integrators

Universal Robots

Member

Kevin McNicholas

Managing Partner, Founder

Integr-i-motion, LLC

Member

Seshu Motamarri

Manufacturing Technology Director

Member

Wayne Reinwald

Sales/Partner

PTS, LLC

Member

Matt Rendall

Co-Founder and CEO

OTTO By Rockwell Automation

Member

Cathy Rinne

President

FLEX-LINE AUTOMATION, INC.

A3 Staff Liaison

Amy Zmikly

Director of Membership

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Sarah LeCouffe

Member Services Manager

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Alex Shikany

Executive Vice President

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Member

Julia Stevenson

Sr. Membership Sales Manager

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 NextGen Committee

A3 NextGen logo

The A3 NextGen Committee is dedicated to fostering the involvement of students emerging professionals in the automation industry.

Chairperson

Nick Sischka

Director, Imaging Product Development

Edmund Optics

Vice Chairperson

Ryan Guthrie

Executive VP

Shibaura Machine

Member

Sami Birch

Director of Marketing & Communications

Mission Design & Automation

Member

Travis Miller

President

Miller Resource Group

Member

Cory Raizor

Business Dev. Manager

SCHUNK Inc.

Member

Gemma Ross

VP of Operations

Osaro Inc.

Member

Jacob Sanchez

Industry Solutions and Community Development

igus Inc.

Member

Zarren Zafiro

Regional Sales Engineer

LinMot USA Inc.

A3 Staff Liaison

Joshua Ebert

Curriculum Development Manager

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Staff Liaison

Clarissa Schwendeman

Director of Marketing

Association for Advancing Automation

A3 Vision Standards Committee

The A3 Vision Standards Committee is a committee of vision experts who provide guidance to the Vision Technology Strategy Board on all things vision standards related.

Member

Jeffrey Adolf

Vision Technology Lead

Member