As the new millennium dawned, the professional focus of the Standards Publishing Advisory Board (SPAB) shifted from “distribution” to “integration.” This was the era of the Engineering Workbench vision – a time when the industry realized that simply providing a document was no longer enough. As we countdown to SPAB 2026 in Scottsdale, AZ (Feb 23 – 25), we reflect on how this era defined the way engineers and customers interact with technical data today.
The Tri-Party Negotiation
Between 2006 and 2015, SPAB transformed into a high-level tri-party negotiation between Accuris, the SDOs, and the world’s most powerful engineering firms. At Accuris, we realize that we are only successful if the standards professionals we serve are successful. Because SPAB brings together the industry’s key stakeholders, every attendee represents a significant financial and professional commitment from their organization to improve the global standards landscape.
During this decade, SPAB intentionally expanded the “Customer Panel,” bringing in voices from NASA, Boeing, ExxonMobil, and Fluor. These customers gave the SDOs a “reality check.” They didn’t just want a PDF; they wanted standards that integrated directly into their CAD systems and project management software. This era saw the rise of Digital Rights Management (DRM) and the first true attempts at “International Standards Initiatives,” aimed at harmonizing global safety codes for the aerospace and energy sectors.
The Technical Migration and Global Leadership
These “Titan Years” were fundamentally about the technical migration from static portals to dynamic, actionable HTML content. We spent our days analyzing deep user trends and gathering direct customer feedback to ensure that the standards being written in committee were actually usable and effective in the modern field. This period was marked by a vibrant, rotating leadership that ensured no single perspective dominated the dialogue, fostering an environment of true global consensus.
The record of our journey shows the Standards Publishing Advisory Board evolving through a series of leadership rotations that addressed the most pressing hurdles of the time. We saw the leadership chair move through the AIA (Aerospace Industries Association), where the focus was on supply chain synchronization and the reduction of duplicate specifications. This transitioned to the CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association), who championed the expansion of safety standards across North American borders.
This spirit of rotating stewardship continued as ASTM International took the lead to focus on material performance and cross-industry harmonization. Later, organizations like IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) helped steer the conversation toward digital interoperability and the first frameworks for machine-readable data. Even during these high-level shifts, voices from organizations like BSI and DIN joined the table to ensure the professional perspectives remained as diverse as the engineering challenges we were trying to solve. Each Chair brought a unique focal point – from intellectual property protection to the user experience in the field – ensuring that the SPAB agenda stayed ahead of the technological curve.
A Message of Appreciation and the 2026 Connection
We want to take a moment to thank the standards professionals and the many customers from these organizations who have shared their time and expertise. Whether you are an SDO committee member or a corporate standards manager, your dedication ensures that the bridge between technical theory and real-world application remains strong. From the early days of Information Handling Services to the current era of Accuris, we have been honored to facilitate these breakthroughs.
The SPAB Honor Roll: Our Chairs and Co-Chairs
Accuris is proud to have supported these individuals as they steered the board through technological shifts:
- 2006: Matt Williams (AIA)
- 2007: Teresa Ambrosius (API)
- 2008: Patti Ensor (CSA)
- 2009: John-Paul Emard (ATIS)
- 2010: David von Glahn (ASTM)
- 2011: Stuart Radcliffe (BSI)
- 2012: Michael Thompson (SAE)
- 2013: Kerrianne Conn (ATIS) & Lakshmy Mahon (API)
- 2014: Frank Pepe (IEEE)
- 2015: George Gulla (ANSI)
- 2016: John Pace (ASTM)
- 2017: Chris Carnahan (AIA)
- 2018: Alban Smith (BSI) & Guilaine Fournet (IEC)
- 2019: Mogens Andersen (DS) & Adam Newman (IEEE)
- 2020: Amy Shreckengost (SAE) & Mike Walsh (AWS)
- 2021: Laurie Amiruddin (CSA) & Peter Portela (AWS)
- 2022: Katie Kermaani (ASME) & Scott Garten (API)
- 2023: Pablo Corrons (AENOR) & Paul Olson (AWWA)
- 2024: Lukas Keller (SNV)
- 2025: Omkar Joshi (BSI)
- 2026 Chair-Elect: Joan O’Neil (ICC)
If you would like more detail, follow the SPAB LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/spab-standards-publishing-advisory-board/