From CONTROL columnist and Process Automation Hall of Fame inductee, Dick Morley:
Industry Expert Dick Morley to Serve as Formal Advisor to ISA
(Research Triangle Park, NC) – ISA has announced that industry expert
Dick Morley will be working with ISA in a formal advisory capacity
throughout 2006.
Dick Morley is best known as the father of the programmable controller.
He is a leading visionary in the field of advanced technological
development. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the fields
of computer design, artificial intelligence, automation, and technology
trend forecasting.
Morley will be providing strategic advice to the ISA President and
Executive Director in several key areas.
“Dick Morley is a tremendous asset to this industry, and we’re lucky to
have him working with us,” said ISA Executive Director Patrick Gouhin.
“He brings experience, knowledge, and energy to ISA’s mission. We’re
confident that his contributions will help automation professionals
around the world.”
Morley will work with ISA leaders and staff to identify opportunities to
build membership, specifically in the younger demographic. He will also
provide support in the development of ISA’s value proposition, and work
with leadership to expand The Automation Federation. The recently
announced Automation Federation will serve as an umbrella organization
for associations engaged in manufacturing and process automation
activities to work more effectively to fulfill their missions.
In an ongoing effort to make automation training more convenient, ISA is
currently developing a line of podcasts (audio webcasts). Morley will
assist in identifying topics and speakers, and helping to secure
delivery of the programs.
Last year, ISA appointed Morley to organize the new “Innovation Alley”
at Automation West 2006 and ISA EXPO 2006. He will implement and
evaluate the flagship program. As “Alley Czar,” Morley will recruit and
select small companies with promising automation innovations. The Alley
will provide an opportunity for attendees to see the future, along with
the commercial innovations of today. The Alley will also feature
automation hardware, software, and service suppliers that are presented
in the traditional exhibits.
“Innovation Alley will be an exciting opportunity for folks to see
innovations arising for the bright minds of emerging technologists.
I’ve been privileged to encounter many of these individuals in my
travels and engagements, and I’m delighted to be able to work with ISA
to bring them to ISA events,” Morley commented.
Morley will also provide an assessment of strengths and weaknesses of
InTech magazine, and will prepare quarterly industry insight articles
for publication in InTech e-News.
Currently, Morley is the Chairman of the Board of National Center of
Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), Director at Large for the Society
Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and a member of the Manufacturing Advisory
Board for Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
Morley is the recipient of the Franklin Institute’s prestigious Howard
N. Potts Award and is an inductee of the Automation Hall of Fame. He
holds more than twenty US and foreign patents, including those for the
parallel inference machine, the hand-held terminal, the programmable
logic controller and magnetic thin film.
Congratulations to Dick Morley, and to Pat Gouhin, for making a daring appointment. Dick isn’t going to stand for the status-quo, and this means that Gouhin may not, either. And don’t forget the fine, thoughtful hand of ISA President Ken Baker here, as well. Good for ISA, and good for the end-user.