Raymond A. Morris, CAE, New Executive Vice President of SAE International

WARRENDALE, Pa., Jan. 2 -- Raymond A. Morris, CAE, a 27-year veteran at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International), has assumed command as only the fifth chief staff officer in the 96-year history of the mobility engineering society. Morris, alumni of Robert Morris College, assumed the title of Executive Vice President and Secretary of SAE International January 1st.

Dr. Rodica Baranescu, past president of SAE, enthusiastically supports the choice, saying, ``Ray's personality and working style will enhance the partnership between the staff and the volunteer leadership of SAE and further the achievement of our vision.''

Morris will succeed Max E. Rumbaugh, Jr., who retired after 16 years as Executive Vice President and Secretary of SAE.

SAE 2001 President Neil Schilke knows both men well, having worked with them directly for many years. ``I'm extremely happy for both Max and Ray,'' said Schilke. ``Max leaves SAE in excellent shape; his contributions have been wide-ranging and important. Ray comes to the job with excellent knowledge of SAE and our constituencies and with important new ideas and perspectives for the future. We all have high expectations of Ray because he is a proven performer and leader; he knows how to set direction and how to engage people in working to achieve the desired objective.''

Morris joined the SAE staff in 1974 as Publications Advertising and Marketing Manager, and has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility ever since. Prior to joining SAE, Morris was with the Pannier Corporation of Pittsburgh as General Manager of the company's Gard Division. He is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and is Past President of the Pittsburgh Society of Association Executives. Morris has traveled to more than twenty-five countries in support of SAE's many global activities.

Max Rumbaugh has been a facilitator of change at SAE, and his leadership guided the formation of many new and expanded activities such as SAE's professional development program, the SAE Foundation, the electronic dissemination of information in many different formats, SAE Collegiate Design Competitions, and the Performance Review Institute. He will leave behind a rich legacy of unprecedented growth at SAE from a society of 46,000 members in 80 countries to an organization with 83,000 members in 93 countries. Although robust membership growth occurred across all locations over the past 16 years, it was non-North American membership that saw the highest percentage gain during Rumbaugh's tenure.

SAE International is a not for profit organization comprised of engineers, technical professionals, government representatives, and academicians worldwide. Since its founding in 1905, SAE's dedicated people, strong technical information base, and vision have helped serve the professional needs of the mobility community and the transportation needs of humanity.