Emerging Professionals Program
Empowering Tomorrow's Standards Leaders
The Emerging Professionals (EP) program seeks to create opportunities that facilitate participation for new members who have demonstrated the potential to be industry and committee leaders. ASTM Committees are invited to nominate candidates who exhibit the desire to advance in their field and become more active on their committee.
Program Benefits
Up to ten selected candidates per Committee Week will:
Receive round-trip domestic economy airfare to and from the committee week (*up to $650)
Get two-night accommodations in the committee week hotel
Attend an Emerging Professionals Workshop for a comprehensive introduction to ASTM and its standards development process
Receive leadership development training from a professional facilitator and learn skills such as negotiation, consensus building, and problem solving
Participate in technical committee meetings with a committee mentor
Be provided with complimentary participation in CliftonStrengths Assessment*
Get the opportunity to participate in virtual workshop: Both incoming and former members of the EP program are invited to participate in this workshop after completing The CliftonStrengths assessment. Hosted by McKinley Advisors, and offered approximately 4-6 months post EP Workshop date, this offers another added benefit for EP graduates personal and professional development.
*This assessment identifies an individual's top five strengths to help EPs discover their inherent strengths and leverage this knowledge to develop, grow, and contribute to their workplace, volunteer, and personal interactions. In addition to receiving the assessment results and analysis, EPs will be invited to a virtual workshop facilitated by McKinley to discuss how to integrate this insight into their career development plans. This assessment adds another leadership development element to the Emerging Professionals program, and we look forward to the rich discussions it will enable.
Criteria
Potential candidates for the program shall meet the following criteria:
Experience
One to five years’ experience in standards development or in using ASTM standards in their work
Employment
works for a company, association, or government agency, that is currently using and /or developing ASTM standards
Membership
ASTM International membership is required for the candidate and mentor. Student membership is acceptable for the nominee.
Availability
Nominee is available to attend the entirety of the EP workshop on Tuesday.
Workshop Speakers
Mission-Driven Workshops
The ASTM Emerging Professionals workshop is broken into two parts on one full day. The first portion, led by ASTM staff, aims at taking a deeper dive into the ASTM consensus process and answering any outstanding questions EPs might have related to being an active contributor within their respective technical committees.
The second portion is a customized professional development training tailored specifically for ASTM members to identify their communication style, learn about negotiating, personal branding, and practice with a group exercise meant to simulate the fine of art of gaining consensus. This piece is facilitated by professionally trained from McKinley Advisors. McKinley has decades of experience and a steadfast commitment to advancing the work of mission-driven organizations.
These presentations have evolved over the years with helpful feedback of EP graduates and are tailored to provide maximum benefit to our members.
Workshop Dates 2026
June 2, 2026 - Dallas, TX (Nominations due by - March 31, 2026)
June 23, 2026 - Chicago, IL (Nominations due by - April 21, 2026)
October 6, 2026 - Jacksonville, FL (Nominations due by - August 4, 2026)
October 13, 2026 - Dubai, UAE (Nominations due by - July 7, 2026)* held in conjunction with ASTM BOD meeting
November 3, 2026 - Jacksonville, FL (Nominations due by - September 1, 2026)
Now Accepting Nominations:
Documents
Emerging Professionals Brochure
This brochure provides an overview of the program — including useful QR codes — that you can keep on hand or share with colleagues to encourage nomination.
Testimonials
Nigel Carlton
Grand Forest Inc.
“It’s truly inspiring to witness the level of support and investment ASTM International dedicates to the EP program. Being part of it is both a humbling and empowering experience.”
Carla Divieto
National Institute of Metrological Research, Italy
"I have submitted my first standard and the first ballot went very well! 100% of acceptance! Thank you for your support and training!"
Suleiman Muktari
Florida International University
“The Emerging Professional Workshop gave me a solid starting point to engage with ASTM. It demystified the standards process and made me feel more prepared to contribute.”
Questions
Contact Katerina Koperna at +1.610.832.9728 or email kkoperna@astm.org