2020 RIA Board of Directors Election Results Announced

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) is pleased to announce the results of the recent Board of Directors election. The new Chairperson of the Board is Matt Wicks, Chief Robotics Solution Architect, Honeywell Intelligrated. Newly elected board members include:

• Integrator Category – Ken McLaughlin, JMP Solutions

• Supplier Category – Melonee Wise, Fetch Robotics; and Erik Nieves, Plus One RoboticsCurrent

RIA board members who retained their seats in the recent election include:

• Supplier Category - Steve Green, KUKA; Jane Heffner, ABB; and Matt Rendall, Clearpath Robotics

The RIA Board Executive Committee in 2020 includes the following industry leaders:

• Chair - Matt Wicks, Honeywell Intelligrated;
• Past Chair – Joe Gemma, Calvary Robotics;
• First Vice Chair – Milton Guerry, SCHUNK;
• Second Vice Chair – Lou Finazzo, FANUC America Corporation;
• Secretary - Jon Battles, Amazon.com; and

• RIA President - Jeff Burnstein

“I’m honored to accept this role with a talented team of industry professionals as we continue to guide and support the robotics industry in this time of rapid growth,” said Matt Wicks. “Robotics are playing an ever-increasing role in our global economy and adoption rates are climbing steadily. The RIA is a leader in driving robotic innovation, growth and safety throughout our industry.”

The remaining board members for 2020 include Carl Doeksen, 3M; Steve Kruzel, Yaskawa America, Inc.; Mark Lewandowski, Procter & Gamble; Bob Little, ATI Industrial Automation; John Lizzi, General Electric; Tyler McCoy, JR Automation Technologies LLC; Gary McMurray, Georgia Institute of Technology; Craig Salvalaggio, Applied Manufacturing Technologies; Walter Vahey, Teradyne; and Carol Woten, Genesis Systems - IPG Photonics Company.

After many years of dedicated service, Catherine Morris, ATI Industrial Automation; Stu Shepherd, Universal Robots; and Mike Jacobs, Applied Manufacturing Technologies are departing the RIA Board. These three board members were recognized at the recent A3 Business Forum for their service to the industry and to the RIA and A3 associations.

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)
The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision + Imaging, Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA) and A3 México. RIA, AIA, MCMA and A3 México combined represent over 1,275 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward. For more information, visit: A3, RIA, AIA, MCMA, A3 México.

The association hosts a number of industry-leading events, including the Robotic Grinding & Finishing Conference (April 27-28, 2020 in St. Paul, MN), The Vision Show (June 9-11, 2020 in Boston, MA), the International Robot Safety Conference (October 13-15, 2020 in Columbus, OH), and CRAV.ai (October 27-28, 2020 in San Jose, CA). Additional events include the annual members-only A3 Business Forum (February 1-3, 2021 in Orlando, FL), and the biennial Automate Show & Conference (May 17-20, 2021 in Detroit, MI).

For More Information:
Bob Doyle
Association for Advancing Automation
(734) 994-6088