Jul 09, 2010

Gregory E. Saunders, director of the Defense Standardization Program Office for the U.S. Department of Defense, Ft. Belvoir, Va., has been named the recipient of the 2010 W.T. Cavanaugh Memorial Award given by ASTM International. Saunders received the award, which recognizes people of eminence within the voluntary standards system, for outstanding and distinguished leadership in the global standardization community and for advancing the use of voluntary consensus standards in government acquisitions and industrial applications.

Long an advocate for the use of standards and their development through public-private partnerships, Saunders led the DOD contributions to the U.S. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act. He also worked on recommendations in favor of a federal government policy to encourage the use of voluntary standards; this effort led to U.S. Office of Management and Budget Circular A119, which calls for the government to use nongovernmental standards where possible and to participate in their development.

Saunders has promoted the use of voluntary consensus standards within DOD, which led to a DOD directive to convert military standards to voluntary consensus standards. He has also worked closely with many global standards organizations to help ensure that standardization policies support the use of consensus standards. For example, through his role as the U.S. representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Board on Standardization, Saunders has been instrumental in helping NATO adopt a standards management framework promoting NATO adoption of standards based on technical merit and market acceptance.

The 2007 chairman of the ASTM International board of directors, Saunders served on the ASTM Committee on Technical Committee Operations from 1988 to 1990, as an ASTM director from 2001 to 2003 and as chairman of the ASTM Finance and Audit Committee in 2004. Saunders is a member of ASTM Committee F07 on Aerospace and Aircraft.

Saunders serves on the ANSI board of directors and as chairman of the ANSI Government Member Forum. He is also a member and director of SAE International, chairs the SAE Technical Standards Board and serves on the Aerospace Council. In addition, he is a current member of the IEEE and the Standards Engineering Society as well as a past member of the IEEE Standards Association's board of governors.

For his contributions, Saunders has received numerous awards, including the Vice President's Golden Hammer Award, the DOD Civilian Service Award, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award and industry's Equal Partner Award; the Leo B. Moore Medal of Honor from the Standards Engineering Society, ANSI's Meritorious Service Award, and the Howard Coonley Medal. Saunders has also received SAE International's Outstanding Standards Achievement Award and Outstanding Chair Award.

ASTM PR Contact: Erin K. Brennan, Phone: 610-832-9602; ebrennan@astm.org

Release #8618