The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) announced the appointment of Babette Freund to its Board of Directors. Freund is the CEO and Co-Owner of Ritner Steel, Inc. in Carlisle, Pa., and has been an active member of the NASCC: The Steel Conference Planning Committee since 2007. She is also a member of the AISC Code of Standard Practice Committee.
Confirmed during AISC's Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Freund will begin serving on the AISC board of directors, assisting with the organization's planning and leadership in the steel construction industry.
"Babette Freund has been a supporter of AISC for many years, both with her volunteering of time and expertise on the NASCC Committee," commented AISC Chair William B. Bourne of Universal Steel, Inc., Lithonia, Ga. "I am very happy to have her business experience and volunteering energy on our AISC board. I know she will be an asset in many ways and I thank her for her commitment."
Freund initially served as chief financial officer for Ritner Steel when she joined the company in 2004 and was also responsible for overseeing operations and project management. She has more than 30 years of experience in accounting, finance and management, with areas of emphasis in construction, not-for-profit entities, human service and insurance.
Freund received a 2011 YWCA Women of Excellence Award in recognition of her contributions to the workplace and community. She serves as a Capital Campaign Cabinet Member for the Humane Society of Harrisburg, Pa., and has held volunteer leadership roles at several other local area organizations.
Freund joins 35 AISC board members who contribute a significant amount of time and outstanding service to the success of AISC and the structural steel industry. View a list of all of the officers and directors on AISC's website, here. BD+C
Related Stories
| Apr 5, 2011
Top 10 Buildings: Women in Architecture
Making selections of top buildings this week led to a surprising discovery about the representation of women in architecture, writes Tom Mallory, COO and co-founder, OpenBuildings.com. He discovered that finding female-created architecture, when excluding husband/wife teams, is extremely difficult and often the only work he came across was akin to interior design.
| Apr 5, 2011
What do Chengdu, Lagos, and Chicago have in common?
They’re all “world middleweight cities” that are likely to become regional megacities (10 million people) by 2025—along with Dongguan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Wuhan (China); Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Jakarta (Indonesia); Lahore (Pakistan); and Chennai (India), according to a new report from McKinsey Global Institute: “Urban World: Mapping the economic power of cities”.
| Mar 30, 2011
China's low-carbon future city
In 2005, the Chinese government announced its target to reduce energy consumption per GDP unit by 20% by the year 2010. After a multi-billion investment, that target has been reached. The Chinese Climate Protection Program’s goal to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energies, and promote energy savings while reducing pollutant emissions and strengthening environmental protection is reflected in the “Future City” by SBA Design.
| Mar 30, 2011
Is the AEC industry at risk of losing its next generation leaders without better mentoring?
After two or three horrifying years for the AEC industry, we are finally seeing the makings of a turnaround. However, data developed by Kermit Baker as part of the AIA Work-on-the-Boards survey program indicates that between 17% and 22% of design firms are eliminating positions for interns and staff with less than six years of experience. This data suggests the industry is at risk of losing a large segment of its next generation of leaders if something isn't done to improve mentoring across the profession.
| Mar 29, 2011
City's design, transit system can ease gas costs
Some cities in the U.S. are better positioned to deal with rising gas prices than others because of their design and transit systems, according to CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to build stronger cities. The key factor: whether residents have to drive everywhere, or have other options.
| Mar 29, 2011
Chicago’s Willis Tower to become a vertical solar farm
Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is set to become a massive solar electric plant with the installation of a pilot solar electric glass project.
| Mar 29, 2011
Read up on Amazon.com's new green HQ
Phase IV of Amazon’s new headquarters in Seattle is nearly complete. The company has built 10 of the 11 buildings planned for its new campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and is on-track for a 2013 grand opening.
| Mar 29, 2011
Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura wins Pritzker Architecture Prize
Portugese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, whose precisely-honed buildings reflect the influence of the late Chicago modernist Mies van der Rohe, is the 2011 winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's highest honor.
| Mar 25, 2011
Qatar World Cup may feature carbon-fiber ‘clouds’
Engineers at Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are busy developing what they believe could act as artificial “clouds,” man-made saucer-type structures suspended over a given soccer stadium, working to shield tens of thousands of spectators from suffocating summer temperatures that regularly top 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
