Automation Federation Congressional Fly In

Workforce Development Team 2, Day 2 Updates

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:34:00 +0000

On Thursday, Steve Huffman's team was met with enthusiasm and interest in Congressman Todd Akin’s office (MO). Legislative Assistant, Linwood Bragan, was very interested in being a liaison and taking our message to the Science & Technology Committee. Before leaving, we were asked to send information and any other requests directly to Bragan. We look forward to receiving a letter from Akin’s office soon!

In addition to the highly successful meeting in Akin’s office, Hannah Mellman, Legislative Correspondent for Senator Claire McCaskill (MO), was very supportive of our efforts, especially since Senator McCaskill co-sponsored the Americas Compete Act. Hannah commended the AF on the amount of progress we have made in our efforts to become the voice of automation and in establishing the next generation of automation professionals in only a year’s time.

Automation Federation Teams Hold Joint Meetings

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:33:00 +0000

Workforce Development Teams 1 & 2 Meet With Key U.S. Department of Labor Staff

In a joint meeting on Wednesday, the two workforce development teams met with Steve Rietzke, Amanda Ahlstrand, and Jen Troke, with the DoL's Office of Workforce Investment. The meeting proved invaluable to all members as it gave them a glimpse of the complexity involved in heading up a department of this caliber. During the meeting, the team discussed certification and competency assessment issues, marketing and outreach efforts, and the DoL's current programs in workforce development for advanced manufacturing. There are several opportunities for collaboration with DoL, and the staffers are excited to continue our dialogue and start working on joint initiatives.

AF Delegation Meets With Senior White House Officials

In a meeting on Thursday morning, the 25 delegates from AF met with several senior executive office officials. The team discussed outreach efforts for issue advocacy, and explained key challenges facing the automation profession. The officials were very interested in hearing the details of our issues, and very supportive of our continuing efforts on Capitol Hill. They stressed the importance of our meeting, saying that “we take what you tell us in meetings like these and put it into the policy making process.”

After a 30 minute discussion about workforce development and innovation, the team met with additional officials to discuss our cyber security initiatives. The meeting was a great success and revealed many opportunities for synergy and collaboration with the government.

Later Thursday evening, the entire team held a reception in the Capitol Building for lawmakers, staff, and key Washington contacts. The reception went very well and served as an important networking event for moving forward in our plans.

Workforce Development Team 2 Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:31:00 +0000

Team Members:

Steve Huffman, Mead O'Brien, AF Chairman
Paul Galeski, Maverick Technologies
Bill Stewart, The Dow Chemical Company
Ashley Wylie, AF Marketing Coordinator

Meetings (with Congress/Senate and/or staffers):
Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Congressman Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO)
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

The team's first meeting was with Congressman Rahall (D-WV). Congressman Rahall has a strong record of supporting education and workers who have lost jobs due to globalization. During the meeting, the Congressman expressed that he is interested in developing a pilot program of a workforce development model for automation professionals in West Virginia.

The team's next meeting was with Congressman Mollohan's Legislative Director, Julie Aaronson. Congressman Mollohan (D-WV) is a member of the Veterans' Affairs and Related Agencies subcommittee and during the meeting she suggested several groups that the Federation could network with to advance our cause.

Workforce Development Team 1 Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Team Members:
Kim Miller Dunn, Emerson Process Management
Jerry Cockrell, Indiana State University
Dave Adler, Eli Lilly
Nick Sands, DuPont
Jennifer Infantino, AF Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager
Madeleine Mansson, AF Marketing Coordinator

Meetings (with Congress/Senate and/or staffers):
Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Congressman Steve Buyer (R-IN)
Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN)

The Workforce Development 1 team started its hill visits at a meeting with Congressman Mike Castle. Congressman Castle is considered one of the most moderate Republicans in the House and he is a member of the Education and Labor committee along with several subcommittees, including Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness -- all areas of great interest for our work force development team. After a short meeting with the Congressman, highlighting the issues, Legislative Assistant Jessica Gross met with the team to get more details on the problems and possible solutions for the development of automation professionals. Jessica offered to put the team in touch with several other key staffers in other areas of the Congress, including representatives from a stem caucus studying workforce development issues.

The team then met with Terri McCullough, Chief of Staff for Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Pelosi is the first woman in U.S. history to hold the Post of Speaker, Congresswoman, and Speaker of the House. As a resident in Speaker Pelosi's district, ISA president Kim Miller Dunn led the meeting focused around on the workforce development issues that our industries are facing. McCullough discussed Pelosi's Innovation Agenda, a key interest of the Speaker. There are many ties in this area, so McCullough would like to plug us in to the discussions in the agenda. McCullough expressed that having a resource to turn to for technology and advanced manufacturing issues is extremely helpful - a key part of AF's promise to be the 'voice of automation.'

A day two meeting with Senator Richard Lugar’s staff proved extremely successful. Congressman Lugar is the co-author of Thrive, a recent report issued by the Council on Competitiveness that focuses on the skill gaps in America. Remaining competitive in a global marketplace and keeping and creating jobs in his district are key issues for Senator Lugar. The AF delegation discussed several possible partnership plans in depth during the meeting, and the team plans to meet with Lugar’s staff again in the near future.

Automation Engineering Team Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:24:00 +0000

Team Members:
Leo Staples, OG&E, AF Board Member
Randy Buchanan, University of Southern Mississippi
Russ Rhinehart, Oklahoma State University
Tim Feldman, ISA Director of Global Operations

Meetings (with Congress/Senate and/or staffers):
Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK)
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R-OK)
Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)

The Automation Engineering Curriculum team’s meetings included sessions with several key lawmakers who are active in related committees and subcommittees. For example, Senator Wicker is an active member on several committees, including Commerce, Science, and Transportation. During the team’s meeting with Wicker’s office, the team discussed our desire to see a committee established to look into the need for an automation engineering curriculum, so that the government will have independent evidence to support what the industry has defined. Wicker’s staff expressed their support, and would like to follow up with the group and stay informed on our efforts.

The team also met with Senator Cochran, a long time member of the Senate. Cochran is a member of the House/Senate International Education Study Group and the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, amongst other groups. He is also a ranking member on the Homeland Security subcommittee. In the meeting, the team discussed potential partnerships with government-funded research agencies and other key stakeholders who might be interested in the issue. The team also offered our services as a resource for any issues involving education in the automation arena.

In a twist of fate after a meeting with Congresswoman Mary Fallin’s staff, the team ran into the Congresswoman at lunch later in the day. After a discussion about the issues and opportunities, Fallin offered her support and asked the team to stay in touch on the issue.

Additional meetings were held with Representative Frank Lucas and his Legislative Director Graves Englund. Key points at the meeting were U.S. schools do not teach automation as an undergraduate engineering discipline, and automation technology is advancing so rapidly that it takes one to three years for graduates of other engineering disciplines to perform at a professional level in automation. In the past, manufacturing companies and large engineering contractors funded the automation training of new engineers. During that era, engineers could be expected to remain with the company for decades.

"Our goal is to develop curriculum content for a 4-year automation engineering degree program," said committee chair Randy Buchanan of the University of Southern Mississippi. "Once we have that in place, we'll work with universities to implement programs and with ABET to get the programs accredited."

Representative Lucas was support of the Federation’s effort and wanted to be kept informed of progress during our hill visits. He said he would work within the House Science Committee Task Force on Globalization and the Workforce to bring the issue to the attention of his committee members.

Cyber Security Team 2 Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Team Members:
Ian McPherson, Apprion/NASA, WINA President
Tom Good, DuPont
Kevin Staggs, Honeywell
Johan Nye, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering
Pat Gouhin, AF Director

Meetings (with Congress/Senate and/or staffers):
Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Congressman James Langevin (D-RI)
Senator John Warner (R-VA)
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Highlights:
Many of the Members of Congress and the Senate that the team met with this week were chosen for their positions on many relevant committees and subcommittees, such as the Homeland Security Committee, the Cyber Security Subcommittee, and others.

One of the most promising meetings held was with Rhode Island Congressman Jim Langevin. Representative Langevin just introduced the Homeland Security Network Defense and Accountability Act of 2008 (H.R. 5983) on May 8, a bill designed to improve the cyber security posture of the Department of Homeland Security. Our message and his initiatives were very timely and staff member Jake Olcott, Subcommittee Director and Counsel, spent over 60 minutes with the team, which is very rare and shows the level of interest that Congressman Langevin has in this area.

Olcott was particularly interested in ISA99 and the interaction that we have had with NERC & NIST. The team discussed the significant additional costs associated with individual sector security plans and how synergies could be created by coordinating efforts based upon the common fundamentals and principles of control systems. Olcott identified points of contact that should be made in other agencies and offered to take the lead in introducing us to those key people.

During the meeting, Johan Nye communicated that "security is a journey, not a destination–it doesn't end. Everyone needs to understand that." One government official noted that "it is scary that you haven't been a resource to us yet." He reinforced that the Automation Federation can bring a much needed perspective to the issue.

As a follow up to the meeting, Olcott requested that the team attend the hearing on Cyber Vulnerabilities' Electric Grid Security Impacts, held later in the day. This was a hearing of the Emerging Threats, Cyber Security, and Science and Technology Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security, and offered the team great insight into the current work being done in the committee.

Additional meeting summaries will be available tomorrow.

Cyber Security Team 1 Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:11:00 +0000

Team Members:
Maurice Wilkins, Yokogawa, WBF Chairman
Bryan Singer, Wurldtech Security Technologies
Eric Cosman, The Dow Chemical Company
Harry Gianakis, DuPont
Ernie Rakaczky, Invensys
Mike Marlowe, AF Director of Government Relations

Meetings (with Congress/Senate and/or staffers):
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)
Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Senator Joe Biden (D-DE)
Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

Highlights:
Cyber Security Team 1 met with lawmakers from several influential committees and subcommittees, including the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Homeland Security Committee; and the Cyber Security Subcommittee.

For example, one of the team’s meetings was with Congressman Mike Rogers, who sits on the Homeland Security committee and is extremely invested in issues of cyber security. During the meeting, the team discussed the need for standardization across industry, the threats and vulnerabilities that exist in the public and private sectors, and possible areas of information sharing and collaboration. As a result, Rogers is arranging for another Congressional meeting to further explore the cyber security issues discussed in this visit.

During the team’s meeting with Senator Richard Shelby, an idea for the development of a forum on cyber security in Alabama was discussed, and the Senator would like to follow up with the team about the idea.

In a meeting with Senator Carper, the Senator said that he would like to have the Federation give testimony about cyber security issues at future Senate hearings.

Finally, in a meeting with Senator Joe Biden’s team, a plan for a cyber security forum in Delaware began to take shape.

Arrival in Washington

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:59:00 +0000

We're finally here! We arrived in Washington DC on Tuesday afternoon, and after introducing our team of volunteers to each other—yes, after countless hours of telephone conferences and e-mail conversations, for some of our members it was the first time meeting face-to-face—we spent the rest of Tuesday evening preparing for the upcoming meetings. All in all, our five teams consist of 25 volunteers and Automation Federation staff members. Our volunteers come from across the country and this Congressional Fly In would not be possible without the support and input of our volunteers and their companies–thank you! Many of our volunteers have previous experience with congressional visits, and they obviously have the field expertise needed in preparing our messages—to read more about the messages we will be delivering, read our Public Policy Synopses Summary available on our website. While fine-tuning our meeting agendas over dinner and covering everything from logistics (how to smoothly get from one meeting to the next), to talking points and where to squeeze in lunch, we finally called it a night around midnight.

noreply@blogger.com (AF) — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:58:00 +0000

The Automation Federation and its member organizations are planning a congressional fly in on May 20-23, in Washington, DC. The organization constituents, made up of experts from various industries and leaders from around the country, will meet with dozens of lawmakers to bring visibility to the automation profession’s challenges and opportunities.

The Automation Federation constituency will be made up five teams of five individuals, and we will be meeting with Members of Congress during the week about important issues facing our industries. The teams will focus on workforce development and the impending crisis in automation; the need for the creation of a two-year and four-year automation engineering curriculum; and the necessity of an informed cyber security policy in defense of our nation’s industrial infrastructure.

The Automation Federation in its goal of being the “Voice of Automation” in Congress has committed to keep the Members of Congress fully informed of the automation issues that will impact the future of manufacturing in our country and the vital role that the next generation of automation professionals will play.

Michael Marlowe
Director of Government Relations
(919) 314-3937
mmarlowe@automationfederation.org
www.automationfederation.org