During the 2014 Annual Meeting at SMTA International, the SMTA honored members who have shown exceptional service to the association and the electronics assembly industry.
The FOUNDER'S AWARD, honoring members who have made exceptional contributions to the industry as well as support and service to the SMTA, was presented to Marie Cole, IBM Corporation. SMTA and the electronics industry have benefited immensely from Marie’s innovative foresight, industry impact, change management skill, and outstanding personal leadership qualities over the past twenty years. Her contributions of technical excellence at chapter events and conferences, on committees, and as a past board member have truly set the standard for SMTA.
The MEMBER OF TECHNICAL DISTINCTION AWARD recognizes individuals who have made significant and continuing contributions to the SMTA. This year the Awards Committee selected both Diganta Das, Ph.D., University of Maryland, CALCE and Cheryl Tulkoff, DfR Solutions, as the recipients of this prestigious award. Dr. Das organized the first CALCE/SMTA conference on Counterfeit Electronics in 2008, helping bring a major issue to light for the electronics industry. Cheryl Tulkoff has shown exceptional support to the SMTA presenting at everything from chapter events and webinars to paper sessions and tutorials at SMTA’s major conferences.
The EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARD honors SMTA members who stand out as strong leaders in the Association. The 2014 recipient of this award is Dave Larson, TEK Products, Inc., a dedicated chapter officer who has made not only his chapter in Oregon highly successful but also helped in the formation of the new Puget Sound Chapter in Seattle.
The INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD is presented to members who have provided outstanding support and leadership to the SMTA’s international members, chapters, or educational programs. The 2014 recipient of this award is KL Lim, Plexus Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. He has worked hard for SMTA over the years starting with the formation of the Penang Chapter, helping with the Southeast Asia Technical Conference, and now leading the chapter as the recently-elected President.
The SMTA+ CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP AWARD was presented to Indium Corporation. Greg Evans, President of Indium Corporation, accepted the award for his company. Indium Corporation joined the SMTA as a Corporate Member in 1985 and has been continuously active in their commitment to SMTA. As a corporate SMTA member, Indium Corporation has shown support at every level of the association from chapter and board leadership positions to technical contributions at all of our conferences, committees, and publications.
The CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD recognizes an SMTA chapter that has shown exemplary commitment to the SMTA objective of "Sharing the Knowledge." The 2014 Chapter of the Year Award was presented to the Oregon Chapter. The 2nd Place runner up was the Dallas Chapter. The 3rd Place runner up was the LA/Orange County Chapter.
SMTA has recognized exceptional individual and corporate members for their immeasurable contributions to the Association since 1994. Next year's winners will be recognized at the Annual Meeting during the 2015 SMTA International Conference in Rosemont, Illinois.
View details at the website: http://smta.org/awards/awards.cfm. Please contact JoAnn Stromberg, joann@smta.org or 952-920-7682, with questions.
The SMTA membership is an international network of professionals who build skills, share practical experience and develop solutions in electronic assembly technologies, including microsystems, emerging technologies, and related business operations.