Willie May, formerly acting director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology since June 2014, has been confirmed by the Senate as NIST director and commerce undersecretary for standards and technology.
May joined NIST in 1971 and led the agency’s chemical and biological measurement science research efforts before he became an associate director for laboratory programs and principal deputy to the agency’s director, NIST said Tuesday.
“I will work to strengthen our manufacturing extension partnership and Baldrige performance excellence programs, which also can significantly contribute to our nation’s advanced manufacturing and innovation goals,†he said.
Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker added that May has been a partner in the Commerce Department’s efforts to support the U.S. manufacturing sector, which Pritzker says is a pillar of department’s Open for Business Agenda.
May also serves as vice president of the International Committee on Weights and Measures and president of CIPM’s Consultative Committee on Metrology in Chemistry and Biology.
He previously served as a senior analyst at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant before he joined NIST.
