Author: Geert Letens, ASEM President

On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is my pleasure to announce that Paul Kauffmann will serve as the new Executive Director of ASEM!

Paul graduated from Virginia Tech with degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering and worked for 21 years in industry, living and breathing engineering management. In the early 1990s, Paul earned his PhD in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University. He has been a member of the faculty at Old Dominion University and East Carolina University for most of his academic career. For the last four years, he has served as an ABET program evaluator. Paul’s profile is a clear match with the ambition of the society to serve as a bridge between engineering management theory and practice.

Paul has done an outstanding job as ASEM’s Treasurer for the last three years. He was instrumental in relocating the World Headquarters from Rolla to Huntsville and facilitated the transition to ASEM’s new IT platform. As a current member of the executive team, Paul has been involved in shaping and executing ASEM’s current strategy to be the premier organization that advances, promotes and unites the engineering management profession worldwide. We have exciting times ahead of us. His first official day as the ASEM Executive Director will be June 1.

This also means that on this day, Bill Daughton will pass the torch to Paul after more than eight years of service as the ASEM Executive Director. I would like to extend a special thank you to Bill for his devotion to the society, which has guided ASEM through many years of turbulence to a period of stability that has enabled us to focus on value, growth, and retention. Bill’s history of society service has been foundational for many critical decisions that we have undertaken to enhance products and services, increase productivity, and stimulate collaboration.

Please join me in welcoming Paul to his new role for ASEM and expressing our appreciation to Bill for his many years of ASEM leadership!

Geert Letens, PhD, PEM

ASEM President

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Author: Paul Kauffmann, Upcoming ASEM Executive Director

It is my honor to be a new member of the line of outstanding and revered ASEM Executive Directors. I hope I can partially live up to the standard of commitment and accomplishments they have set. I also want to express my thanks to the board for its vote of support and confidence in making this appointment.

The transition with Bill Daughton is under way and will take place over the next few months as we work to get a new Treasurer into place. I am thankful to Bill that he plans to continue to be involved in the work of the society on special projects and as our source of corporate knowledge. We all owe Bill a big thank you for his years of leadership and service.

This is an exciting time to become Executive Director since we have many opportunities ahead of us. My primary goal is to continue our progress to develop and build the “back office” capabilities to support the various activities, committees, and board member projects we need to move forward.

Paul Kauffmann

Upcoming ASEM Executive Director