Dr. Damian Kotecki, a Technical Director for The Lincoln Electric Co.’s consumable division, has been elected president of the American Welding Society (AWS). Dr. Kotecki, the 79th person to lead AWS will serve a term of 19 months, due to a change in the organization’s fiscal year. Dr. Kotecki said he plans to expand the global presence of AWS, focusing on international standards development, education programs and certification of welding personnel. He also will continue the Society’s efforts to support the activities of its thousands of volunteers through Internet-based meetings (virtual meetings) and Internet-based distribution of welding information. An engineer at Lincoln Electric since 1989, Dr. Kotecki is Technical director for stainless and high alloy product development in the company’s Consumable R&D department. He is an expert in the area of welding metallurgy, particularly as it relates to stainless steels and hard-facing alloys. Dr. Kotecki previously served as vice president of AWS and has been a member of the organization’s board of directors, served as a director-at-large and chaired a number of the Society’s technical committees. He is also a vice president of the International Institute of Welding based in Paris, France.
