August 2019 Association Watch

2019 NFPA Robotics Challenge Scholarship winner announced

Noah Santoni of Richardson, Texas, is the winner of the 2019 NFPA Robotics Challenge Scholarship. The scholarship program received 76 applications this year and continues to help build awareness of fluid power benefits and careers among high school students.

Noah Santoni of Richardson, Texas, is the winner of the 2019 NFPA Robotics ChallengeScholarship. The scholarship program received 76applications this year and continues to help buildawareness of fluid power benefits and careersamong high school students.

This scholarship program awards $40,000 ($10,000 per year for four years) to a high school senior who participates in a FIRST Robotics or National Robotics League Competition Team and uses fluid power in the competition robot. The money awarded may be used to study engineering at any accredited technical college or university in the United States. Noah will be using the scholarship to pursue a degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Noah already has a background in several engineeringrelated activities. Here he is in his own words:

“I live in Richardson, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) and I went to Jesuit College Preparatory School. My hobbies include reading, board games, 3D printing, 3D design, and robotics. I chose to attend Case Western Reserve University because of the mid-sized student body, its plentiful research opportunities, and its incredible maker space on campus. On top of that, its focus on strong academics and an excellent engineering program create an environment I think I will thrive in.”

The NFPA judges who interviewed Noah were impressed by his knowledge of pneumatics and his sincere interest in the fluid power industry and careers. Judges include the following: Andrew Kleitsch of Caterpillar, Bill Haley of Force America, Jim Kaas of Iowa Fluid Power, Bob Hammond of Deltrol Fluid Products, Bradlee Dittmer and Charles Werdehoff of IMI Precision, Tom Peterson of HUSCO, Frank Langro of Festo, Jeff McCarthy of SunSource, Liz Rehfus and Tom Blansett of the International Fluid Power Society, and Travis Schmidt of HydraForce.

New NFPA Executive Leadership Program

The new NFPA Executive Leadership Program was designed with Future Leaders Network participants in mind. This program is a series of six full-day leadership sessions over the course of 18 months, starting at the NFPA 2020 Annual Conference in Miami. The content is tailored specifically to the needs of the fluid power industry and was developed with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Five out of the six sessions will be taught by Kellogg faculty and will focus on both the hard and soft skills needed to create success for participants’ organizations and the fluid power industry as a whole. Future Leaders Network participants and other emerging leaders, directors, officers, and senior executives at NFPA member companies would benefit from taking part.

Session Lineup:

February 10-11, 2020 | Executive Leadership & Judgement Mandarin Oriental in Miami (in conjunction with the 2020 NFPA Annual Conference)

TBD May 2020 | Innovation Strategy & Strategic Operations Allen Center at Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Ill.

August 9-10, 2020 | Negotiation Tools and Strategies Hilton Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill. (in conjunction with the 2020 Industry & Economic Outlook Conference)

February 22-23, 2021 | Virtue-Based Culture Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Az. (in conjunction with the 2021 NFPA Annual Conference)

TBD May 2021 | The Power of Story for Executive Leadership Allen Center at Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Ill.

TBD August 2021 | Change Management: Leading in a VUCA World TBD Chicago, Ill. (in conjunction with the 2021 Industry & Economic Outlook Conference)

Cost: The program registration cost is $15,000. This amount can be paid all at once or split into two payments of $7,500.

Registration: Registration to join the 2020/21 NFPA Executive Leadership Program cohort will run from mid-August, through December 31. FPW

NFPA | nfpa.com

CFPA elects first woman as chairperson

Caryes Allan

The Canadian Fluid Power Association has voted Caryes Allan, Vice President of Higginson Equipment, as the new CFPA chairperson. Accepting the torch from Frank Pirri, Allan is the first-ever woman chair for the CFPA.

Allan’s fluid power career spans more than a decade, where she has focused primarily on finance and human resources.

During her inauguration, Allan listed goals for further growth with the development of a new website including company product directory, the separation of the careers and education pillars, securing government funding for the CFPA’s Fluid Power Challenges, and growth of the association’s Industrial Relations pillar. “I am excited to be the new CFPA chair and I cherish the opportunity to help guide the Association through this period of continued growth and expansion,” said Allan. “I feel women in fluid power executive positions are all too uncommon, so I will take my position seriously to set an example to young women considering STEM careers or a business occupation in a male-dominated field.”

CFPA | www.cfpa.ca