Sandia Lab Executive Joins NIST Advisory Group

Alton (Al) D. Romig, Jr., a senior executive at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., has been chosen to serve on the primary policy advisory body of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Patrick D. Gallagher, NIST deputy director, appointed Romig to the agency's Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) for a three-year term beginning on April 15.

Currently Sandia's executive vice president, deputy laboratories director, and chief operating officer, Romig manages all aspects of the laboratory's business and operations, which support the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, State, Justice, Homeland Security, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the intelligence community.  His activities include international engagement with organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Trained as a materials scientist and engineer, Romig has received numerous professional awards, including the 2005 National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Societies, which recognizes outstanding contributions to national materials policy.

The VCAT was established by Congress in 1988 to review and make recommendations on NIST's policies, organization, budget and programs, and was recently updated by the 2007 America COMPETES Act. The next VCAT meeting will take place June 9-10, 2009, in Gaithersburg, Md.

For a list of all members and more information, please see www.nist.gov/director/vcat/.