Newswise — May 17, 2012—Warrendale, PA—James J. Robinson has been named the new executive director of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) by the Society’s Board of Directors. He will succeed Warren H. Hunt, Jr., who has served as TMS executive director since July 2006. Hunt will take on the position of Materials Innovation director at TMS to advance the Society’s leadership in developing a materials innovation infrastructure, as well as supporting the Society’s efforts related to energy materials. The change will be effective May 29.
Robinson has been a staff member of TMS for 28 years, first working as a copy editor on JOM, the Society’s flagship journal. While progressively advancing through a number of leadership positions since that time, his long tenure as JOM editor stands as one of his signature contributions. He still plans to contribute to JOM as a monthly columnist.
Prior to becoming executive director, Robinson held the position of deputy executive director, a role that he accepted in 2010. In that position, Robinson managed the development and execution of the Society’s programs and supported the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and other volunteer entities in a number of ways, including governance and strategic planning. He also provided staff leadership to the TMS Foundation and the TMS Materials and Society Committee. Robinson’s other past positions with TMS include serving as chief operating executive and as Knowledge Management and Communication director. He is an American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Certified Association Executive (CAE).
“TMS was fortunate to have such an excellent and ready successor available to the executive director position in the person of Jim Robinson,” said Wolfgang Schneider, 2012 TMS President. “In addition to his extensive experience with nearly every facet of the TMS organization, he brings to this position a strong desire to serve our Society, to work with our membership, to support our volunteers, and to collaborate with our partner organizations. The Board had no doubt that he will lead TMS into an exciting future as our new executive director.”
Robinson thanked the Board for the opportunity, saying, “I’ve been with TMS for nearly three decades, which is a remarkable tenure in this era of portable careers and disposable jobs. It has been easy for me to go against trends and make a long-term commitment to TMS because of the diversity, generosity, and brilliance of the volunteer members; the creativity, dedication, and commitment of my staff colleagues; and the scientific, technological, and societal criticality of the general materials community. As executive director, I have the opportunity to engage and be engaged with these constituencies at the highest levels, and I am exhilarated by the opportunities and challenges presented by this exceptionally vibrant and meaningful professional society. I will work my hardest to help the staff, the members, and the field reach their highest potentials.”
Schneider also noted that Hunt’s decision to focus more fully on TMS’s materials innovation-related efforts was a key element in ensuring the Society’s continued growth. “In the last several years, Warren has essentially pioneered TMS’s leadership in these rapidly emerging, transformative areas,” he said. “His contributions have been so extensive and influential that this work has emerged as pillars of the TMS 2015 strategic plan. Warren’s being able to more fully devote his energies and talents to these endeavors will exponentially benefit both TMS and the materials science and engineering community as a whole.”
Building on its recognized leadership in integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), TMS has committed to facilitating the development of a new innovation infrastructure that unifies and streamlines materials design and manufacturing processes. Embodying this commitment is TMS’s new strategic initiative—Materials Innovation @ TMS—which Hunt will lead in his new role.
About TMSTMS is the professional organization encompassing the entire range of materials science and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals production to basic research and the advanced applications of materials. Included among its 11,000 professional and student members are metallurgical and materials engineers, scientists, researchers, educators, and administrators from more than 70 countries on six continents. For more information on TMS, visit the website.
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