The International Society of Automation (ISA) announces Peggie W. Koon, Ph.D., as its 2014 President. In this position, Dr. Koon will work with society leaders and staff to increase awareness of the value and relevance of the ISA brand, and build on ISA’s range of capabilities and resources for automation professionals, which includes standards development, education, training, certification, publications, and technical symposia and conferences.
Dr. Koon is vice president of Audience at Chronicle Media and The Augusta Chronicle, which are part of Morris Publishing Group, LLC, a privately held media company based in Augusta, Ga. Prior to joining Morris, she spent more than 25 years leading the development of IT systems for process automation and process control in a variety of industries—automotive, nuclear defense, aerospace, nuclear reprocessing, thermal ceramics and textiles.
“I am extremely honored to serve as 2014 President of ISA, an organization which has contributed so much to both my professional and personal growth,” says Dr. Koon. “This is an exciting time for ISA; the society is well-positioned to secure new opportunities amid a highly changing world economy and global automation community.”
Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., ISA has more than 30,000 worldwide members and affiliated professionals. The organization develops standards, certifies industry professionals, provides education and training, publishes books and technical articles, and hosts conferences and exhibitions for automation professionals. ISA also is the founding sponsor of the Automation Federation.
New and emerging technologies have facilitated the ability to offer automation solutions around the world, Dr. Koon said, and have also changed many of the roles, responsibilities and needs of the automation professional. “ISA is committed to staying on the leading edge of these technological advances and global changes—to be a critical enabler—both for automation professionals to meet professional requirements and achieve career goals, and for manufacturers and other industry organizations to improve operational reliability, profitability, safety and security.”
Dr. Koon earned a bachelor of arts in mathematics from Smith College in Northampton, Mass. She completed graduate studies in industrial and systems engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and received a doctorate degree in management information systems from Kennedy Western University in Cheyenne, Wy.
Dr. Koon assumed her first leadership position within ISA (membership chair of ISA’s Management Division) in 1996. Since that time, she has held a variety of prominent roles in the society, including:
- Director, ISA Management Division
- Vice President, ISA Industries & Sciences Department
- Vice Chair, ISA Board of Department Vice Presidents
- Society-level Committee Member, ISA Finance and Conference & Exhibit Global Oversight
- Society-level Committee Member, Honors & Awards
- ISA Executive Board and Executive Committee Member
