ASTM International Committee D20 on Plastics has named R. James Galipeau, general manager at Intertek PTL in Pittsfield, Mass., as chairman for a two-year term. ASTM Committee D20 consists of approximately 800 members responsible for close to 500 standards important to the effective utilization of plastics that are published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. 

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Mass., Galipeau joined the staff at Plastics Technology Laboratories Inc. as laboratory manager in 1986. In this position, Galipeau was instrumental in the development of the facility as well as the training of all personnel, resulting in the establishment of one of the leading polymer testing laboratories in the U.S. In 2007, Plastics Technology Laboratories became Intertek PTL, and he was named general manager.  Prior to beginning his career in plastics testing and technology, Galipeau was an intelligence analyst for the United States Army.

Outside ASTM International, Galipeau is a member and past president of the Society of Plastics Engineers and serves on the board of directors of the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). An acknowledged expert in nearly all aspects of plastics testing, he also  represents the United States as the U.S. delegate to the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 61 on Plastics.

ASTM PR Contact: Erin McElrone, Phone: 610-832-9602; emcelron@astm.org

Release #8464/Jan2010