Austin Freeman Named 2019 Recipient of Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award

NEW YORK, April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Austin Freeman, BP's technical authority for well equipment, has been selected by the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee as the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award. Dr. Freeman will be honored by members of the U.S. standards and conformance community during the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day on November 7, 2019, at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC.

Named for the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the Ronald Brown Award recognizes demonstrated leadership in promoting the important role of standardization in eliminating global barriers to trade. The U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day is an annual event which honors the U.S. standards and conformity assessment community and recognizes its efforts to promote American competitiveness in a global marketplace, safeguard the environment, and improve the quality of life for workers and consumers around the world.

Dr. Freeman holds a worldwide reputation for his many contributions and leadership in standards development for the petroleum industry. Over the last two decades, Dr. Freeman has been a reliable expert on standards committees for the American Petroleum Institute (API), and he is presently chairman of the API's Global Industry Services Committee (GISC), the most senior API governance committee for API standards and certification programs.

Also known for his leadership and contributions to international standardization, Dr. Freeman has chaired the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 67, Materials, equipment, and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries, and was past chair of ISO TC 67, Subcommittee 4, Drilling and production equipment. Within API, Dr. Freeman has chaired the API Committee on Standardization of Oilfield Equipment and Materials, the API Monogram Program Board, and the API Subcommittee on Completion Equipment. He is also past president of the Association of Wellhead Equipment Manufacturers (AWHEM).

With a 38-year-long career in the petroleum industry, Dr. Freeman has been issued 28 patents on downhole completion technology. A technical authority in well equipment, Dr. Freeman is also lauded for his ability to create consensus. He is a two-time recipient of the Hart's Meritorious Award for Engineering Excellence and received recognition from API for 10 years of service in developing API standards.

A registered professional engineer in the state of Texas, Dr. Freeman earned his B.S. at Oklahoma State University, a Master's in Business Administration at Oklahoma City University, and graduated from Southern Methodist University as a Doctor of Engineering, Engineering Management, in 2008.

About World Standards Day

Celebrated annually, World Standards Day pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers around the world who participate in standardization activities, and helps to raise awareness of the role that standards play in addressing national and global priorities. The event has been held since 1970 and is recognized in nations around the globe. U.S. activities are organized annually by a planning committee consisting of representatives from across the standards and conformity assessment community.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC)'s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) co-chair the event. In 2019, API serves as the U.S. Celebration of World Standard's Day administrating organization.

More information about the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day 2019 is available at www.wsd-us.org.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute