ATI's Catherine Morris Becomes First Woman Chair of the Robotic Industries Association
Apex, North Carolina: The Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry trade group representing more than 265 companies involved in robotics in North America, named Catherine Morris the first woman Chair since its founding in 1974. Ms. Morris, Senior Account Manager, ATI Industrial Automation, was first elected to the RIA Board in 2003 and most recently served as the Board's First Vice Chair. She is a Past Chair and current member of the RIA Membership Committee and also chairs the show committee for Automate 2013, RIA's flagship event. She is the first Chair to represent a robotic end-effector company.
Morris has been an account manager with ATI for 16 years, with a primary focus on key OEMs and automotive customers. "I hope to bring a new perspective and energy to the Chair role," said Morris. "I'm passionate about robotics and know that automation is the key to our country's future economic success. My primary focus as Chair will be to expand the Automate 2013 trade show and conference in order to spread the message about why and how companies can benefit by automating."
Morris' key focus is on the success of RIA's new Certified Robotic Integrator program that will benefit integrators and end users alike leading to more successful automation systems. She will also focus on strengthening the links between RIA and the educational community. "In order to get students excited about robotics and automation and prepare them for future career opportunities, RIA will work more closely with community colleges and universities that offer automation courses," said Morris.
RIA's 265 member organizations include leading robot manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, community colleges and universities, research groups, and consulting firms. RIA is best-known for developing the ANSI/RIA National Robot Safety Standard, collecting quarterly statistics on the North American robotics market, sponsoring the biennial Automate show and conference, hosting the annual Robotics Industry Forum, and producing Robotics Online, the world's leading resource for robotics information.
Catherine Morris also received Business Leader magazine's Women Extraordinaire award at their annual luncheon on December 6, 2011. Each year, Business Leader honors the top women leaders of the South. Award winners must be an influential leader within her company or business, with an extraordinary impact on its economic success and forward-thinking strategies.
ATI Industrial Automation is a world-leading, engineering-based developer of robotic peripheral equipment, including Robotic Tool Changers, Multi-Axis Force/Torque Sensing Systems, Utility Couplers, Robotic Deburring Tools, Robotic Collision Sensors, and Compliance Devices.
