Committee Searches for Successor

The International Society of Automation’s (ISA) Executive Director, Mary Ramsey, has decided to retire at the end of 2021.

“I really enjoyed working with the staff, board and volunteer leaders,” Ramsey said. “There is such diversity in the individuals that really allowed for great ideas and discussions. The focus was always on the mission and how to bring the automation community together and prepare them for the changing technology shifts and trends of operations.”

2021 ISA President Steve Mustard said that Mary Ramsey has been instrumental in ISA’s ongoing transformation, leading the staff team through a challenging global pandemic and a quick pivot to digital offerings. “Her extensive industry experience, coupled with her ability to think strategically, has moved ISA forward,” he said. “We will benefit from her leadership for years to come.”

With the help of an executive search company, the ISA has gathered a search committee to evaluate both internal and external candidates to serve as the new executive director. Soon, the committee will meet to begin the search and evaluation process. A new executive director will be appointed in Q3 of 2021 to promote an efficient transition.

The search committee includes the following volunteer leaders: Eric Cosman, Kim Dunn, Emily Henry, Carlos Mandolesi, Steve Mustard, Scott Reynolds, and Sujata Tilak.

“I am very pleased to see the alignment to common goals and objectives which will allow the society to work toward the vision of creating a better world through automation,” Ramsey said. “There are so many ways the organization can bring value to the automation profession. If I had to pick one area that I’m proud of, it would be the focus on standards education and skill development especially around cybersecurity and IIoT/Smart Manufacturing. You can’t have one without the other, and ISA really has led the charge to bring stakeholders together to work on these very critical topics.”

To receive more updates about the search for a new executive director, please visit connect.isa.org to join our members-only online community.

“Please join me and the rest of the Executive Board in wishing Mary a well-deserved, happy retirement and the best of luck in her future,” Mustard said.

This blog has been repurposed from a press release published May 24, 2021 on Automation.com. Click here to view the press release.