Donald A. Mader
Senior Advisor for IEC and IECEE Activities
Before retiring from Underwriters Laboratories Inc. on July 31, 2007, Donald A. Mader was senior vice president and chief technology officer. He was responsible for establishing criteria, metrics and goals that drive technical competency, accuracy, consistency and thoroughness for compliance with UL's Global Conformity Assessment policies, practices and procedures while facilitating synergies across the array of UL's Conformity Assessment Services. He led development and implementation of global conformity assessment and FUS policies and procedures across all operations. He was also responsible for managing the Global Chief Engineers (Testing/Certification and Inspection/Field Services), Engineering, Standards, Research, Public Safety and Domestic and International Certification functions.
He also had corporate-wide responsibility for the Field Report and Field Sampling Programs (Market and Conformity Surveillance), Regulatory Services, Standards, Global Engineering, Primary Designated Engineers (Principle Engineers, Research and Advanced Technology Services), Accreditation, the Certification Programs Office and International Certification.
As the head of engineering technology at UL, Mr. Mader was responsible for technical excellence and driving technical innovation across the organization, including developing and implementing consistent, state-of-the-art testing, laboratory, calibration, and instrumentation policies, procedures and practices. His organization led research efforts in key technological areas to UL and UL's constituencies and determined the appropriate Standards strategy based on business relevancy and support of the UL public safety mission.
In addition, Mr. Mader had global coordination responsibility for UL's participation in the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) Conformity Assessment Schemes, other international certification-related activities, and overseeing UL's standards harmonization work with the IEC and the ISO.
Mr. Mader began his career at UL in 1965 as an assistant engineer in the Electrical Department at UL's Melville, New York office. In 1984, he accepted a position as UL's Assistant Chief Electrical Engineer relocating to UL's corporate headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. Mr. Mader was promoted to vice president of engineering in 1988. Since that time, he has held several officer positions including senior vice president, certification operations, executive vice president of the Americas Group, and executive vice president, public safety and external affairs.
Mr. Mader is a Certified Product Safety Manager (CPSM) with the International Product Safety Management Certification Board and a senior member of the System Safety Society. He also holds memberships with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) and the Instrument Society of America (ISA). Other professional distinctions include former Chairman of the National Electrical Safety Foundation (NESF), former Vice President, United Sates National Committee Council (USNC), and US Representative to the IEC Conformity Assessment Board (CAB).
On June 30, 2005, Mr. Mader received the IEC's 1906 100th Centenary Award for his work with the IECEE for the past 20 years. Created in 2004 by the IEC Executive Committee (ExCo), the 1906 Award was established in commemoration of the IEC's year of foundation and honors IEC technical experts around the world whose work is fundamental to the IEC. The award also recognizes exceptional and recent achievement, a project or other specific contribution, related to the activities of the IEC and which contributes in a significant way to advancing the work of the Commission.
On October 10, 2006, Mr. Donald A. Mader was awarded The American National Standards Institute's Howard Coonley Medal, which recognizes an executive that has rendered great service to the national economy through voluntary standardization and conformity assessment and has given outstanding support to standardization as a management tool. Mr. Mader has been a driving force behind the harmonization of international and U.S. national standards in the area of conformity assessment.
On October 26, 2007, Mr. Donald A. Mader was awarded the International Electrotechnical Commission's Lord Kelvin Award. Created in 1995, the Lord Kelvin Award is granted to individuals who have contributed in an exceptional, dedicated way to the technical work of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the field of electrotechnology standardization and related activities, for a significant period of time (five years at least). The award is in honor of the IEC's first president, The Rt. Hon. Lord Kelvin.
On November 12, 2007, Mr. Donald A. Mader was awarded the National Electrical Manufacturers Association's Kite & Key Award. Mr. Mader has worked with NEMA for at least 25 years on a variety of activities ranging from conformity assessment to UL follow-up services. He has committed attention and energy toward everything from the NEMA/UL Policy Committee to day-to-day issues involving specific NEMA product sections. Don was and continues to be a trusted resource on the UL staff with whom NEMA staff consult on process issues as well as high-level policy issues. The bestowing of the Kite and Key Award on Don acknowledges the huge contribution that he has made to NEMA, to the NEMA/UL relationship, and to NEMA member companies during his long and distinguished career at UL.
Mr. Mader earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York (1965) and a Master of Science degree in engineering management from Long Island University in Greenvale, New York (1973).
