Experts representing the Automation Federation and the ISA Security Compliance Institute have been selected to speak at the 20th Annual ARC Industry Forum, which will be held 8-11 February 2016 in Orlando, Florida.

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (27 January 2016) - Experts representing the Automation Federation and the ISA Security Compliance Institute have been selected to speak at the 20th Annual ARC Industry Forum, which will be held 8-11 February 2016 in Orlando, Florida.

This years ARC Industry Forum, titled "Industry in Transition: Navigating the New Age of Innovation," is designed to provide answers to these and other compelling questions:
• How are leading companies preparing for the new age of industrial innovation?
• In what ways do these companies expect to improve their business performance?
• What specific capabilities are needed to achieve transformational change?
• What steps can organizations take to foster innovative thinking?
Two leaders representing the Automation Federation—an association founded by the International Society of Automation (ISA) to serve as the "The Voice of Automation"—will explain how competency models can help community colleges, industry and government address the critical shortage of qualified professionals in advanced manufacturing.
Today, six out of 10 production jobs remain open because of the talent shortage, according to a recent study by The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte. Some experts predict that up to 2 million manufacturing jobs in the US may go unfilled over the next 10 years.
"The Automation Federation has been working with the US Department of Labor to develop competency models that serve as building blocks for careers in automation, industrial cybersecurity and engineering technology," says Steve Huffman, Chairman of the Automation Federations Government Relations Committee. "These models clearly outline the abilities, knowledge and skills required to gain employment and perform well in these high-demand professions."
Huffman, a widely recognized expert in process systems optimization, new application development and technical education, will join fellow Automation Federation leader Steve Mustard, who specializes in process automation and business process reengineering, in leading a workshop on the use of competency models in defining cybersecurity skills.
Also participating in the workshop are Jen Worth, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development at the American Association of Community Colleges; and Mitchell Sepaugh, Project Manager of Industrial Systems at the National Consortium for Mission Critical Operations.
The four workshop panelists also will discuss the fundamental differences between certificate programs, certifications and licensure. All are often misunderstood and each has a different set of advantages and disadvantages.
Also at the upcoming ARC Industry Forum, Jeff Melrose—the Principal Technology Strategist for Cybersecurity at Yokogawa—will speak on behalf of the ISA Security Compliance Institute (ISCI) during a workshop on cybersecurity and the plant engineer.
ISCI, founded in 2007 by asset owners and suppliers, operates a standards-based cybersecurity certification program that certifies commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) industrial automation control systems (IACS) to the ISA/IEC 62443 standards for devices and systems. The ISASecure® designation provides assurances that IACS products conform to industry-consensus cybersecurity standards, such as ISA/IEC 62443.
Among other topics, the workshop will explore how mounting industrial cybersecurity concerns are placing greater pressures on plant managers to improve security while maintaining operational safety and reliability.
Speakers will consider the influence of technology, workplace skills and effective risk assessment in achieving satisfactory outcomes. Actual case studies from end users will be discussed, and panelists will welcome feedback from the workshop participants.
To gain all the details about the ARC Industry Forum, conducted each year by the ARC Advisory Group, visit the conference website.
More about the speakers
Steve Huffman serves as Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at Mead OBrien, where he directs corporate marketing and business development responsibilities. He possesses more than 40 years of experience in optimizing process systems, new application development, and providing technical education.
A former president (2007) of ISA, Huffman is serving his seventh term as Chairman of the Automation Federations Government Relations Committee. In this position, he is actively involved in the development and direction of key Automation Federation initiatives.
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Steve Mustard is President and CEO of National Automation. A Chartered Engineer and Certified Automation Professional® with technical development and management experience in process automation and business process reengineering across multiple sectors, Mustard serves as a member of the Automation Federation's Government Relations Committee.
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Jeff Melrose is the Principal Technology Strategist for Cybersecurity at Yokogawa and an ISCI member. Possessing more than 20 years of experience in computer security, Melrose holds Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (ISSEP) and Global Industrial Control Security Professional (GICSP) certifications. He is also a member of AFPM, ISA99, IEC Cyber Security Task Force, and ISC(2).
Prior to joining Yokogawa, Melrose served as a Principal Security Engineer at Lockheed Martin and Raytheon designing secure systems for the US military and US intelligence community.
About the Automation Federation
The Automation Federation is a global umbrella organization of sixteen (16) member organizations and seven working groups engaged in automation activities. The Automation Federation enables its members to more effectively fulfill their missions, advance the science and engineering of automation technologies and applications, and develop the workforce needed to capitalize on the benefits of automation. The Automation Federation is the "Voice of Automation." For more information about the Automation Federation, visit www.automationfederation.org.
About the ISA Security Compliance Institute (ISCI)
Founded in 2007, the ISA Security Compliance Institutes mission is to provide the highest level of assurance possible for the cyber security of industrial automation control systems (IACS).
The Institute was established by thought leaders from major organizations in the industrial automation controls community seeking to improve the cyber security posture of Critical Infrastructure for generations to come. ISCI Members include Chevron, ExxonMobil, Aramco Services, Honeywell, Invensys (now Schneider Electric), Yokogawa, exida, Codenomicon, CSSC, and IPA-Japan.
The Institutes goals are realized through industry standards compliance programs, education, technical support, and improvements in suppliers development processes and users life cycle management practices. The ISASecure® designation ensures that IACS products conform to industry consensus cyber security standards such as IEC 62443, providing confidence to users of ISASecure products and systems and creating product differentiation for suppliers conforming to the ISASecure specification. www.isasecure.org
ISASecure® is a registered trademark of the ISA Security Compliance Institute.
About ISA
The International Society of Automation (www.isa.org) is a nonprofit professional association that sets the standard for those who apply engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across industry and critical infrastructure. Founded in 1945, ISA develops widely used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its 40,000 members and 400,000 customers around the world.
ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation (www.automationfederation.org), an association of non-profit organizations serving as "The Voice of Automation." Through a wholly owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute (www.isasecure.org) and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute (www.isa100wci.org).