ANSI Names R. Douglas Leonard Jr. Chief of Strategic Initiatives

The American National Standards Institute has named R. Douglas Leonard Jr. chief of strategic initiatives, a newly created position focused on advancing the organization's priorities across standards, conformity assessment and emerging technologies. Leonard will assume the role Oct. 1, 2026, and work directly with ANSI President and CEO Laurie E. Locascio. He currently serves as executive director of the ANSI National Accreditation Board, or ANAB, a position he has held since 2021. The leadership change comes as ANSI addresses developments including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and shifts in the international standards environment. Standards and conformity assessment play a significant role in how new technologies move from development into commercial and government use by establishing common technical requirements, testing processes and methods for demonstrating compliance. 'Doug brings a rare depth of experience across standards, conformity assessment, and stakeholder engagement,' Locascio said. 'ANSI is evolving to meet the moment—from the rise of AI and quantum computing to shifting global dynamics that are reshaping how standards create value.' Leonard brings more than two decades of experience in conformity assessment. Before joining ANAB, he served as president and chief operating officer of the Laboratory Accreditation Bureau, known as L-A-B. As executive director of ANAB, Leonard helped oversee a period of growth and diversification for the accreditation organization. ANAB provides accreditation across a broad range of technical and professional activities, including testing and calibration laboratories, product certification, management systems certification, personnel credentialing and inspection. Its portfolio also extends to forensic testing and calibration providers, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification organizations, reference material producers and proficiency testing providers. That experience gives Leonard a background in the operational side of standards systems, where technical requirements must be supported by credible mechanisms for testing, certification, inspection and verification. In his new position, Leonard will move from leading ANSI's accreditation subsidiary to a broader strategic role across the Institute. His work will include helping determine how ANSI responds to changing technology, industry and government requirements while coordinating with the stakeholders involved in U.S. and international standardization. 'ANSI plays an essential role in enabling trusted innovation and U.S. competitiveness at a time when both matter more than ever,' Leonard said. 'I am honored to help shape the Institute's next chapter and look forward to working with Laurie and the ANSI team on the strategic initiatives that will define its impact in the years ahead.' Warren Merkel, currently ANAB's vice president of engagement and strategy, will become interim executive director when Leonard moves into the new position Oct. 1. Merkel joined ANAB in November 2021 as vice president of policy following a career at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. At NIST, he served as chief of standards services in the Standards Coordination Office. At ANAB, Merkel leads the Engagement and Strategy Department, working with government agencies, regulators, scheme owners and organizations across the conformity assessment community. Locascio said Merkel's experience in standards policy and global conformity assessment will provide continuity for ANAB during the transition. The leadership changes come at a time when standards organizations are increasingly involved in emerging technology markets. AI and quantum technologies, for example, create requirements around terminology, interoperability, measurement, testing and assurance that can affect product development, procurement and international market access. ANSI occupies a coordinating role in that system rather than directly developing all U.S. standards itself. The private nonprofit organization facilitates voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and represents U.S. interests internationally. Its membership includes businesses, professional societies, trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. ANSI represents interests spanning more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. The Institute is also the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, and represents the country in the International Electrotechnical Commission through the U.S. National Committee. ANAB, meanwhile, is ANSI's wholly owned accreditation subsidiary and the largest multidisciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America. Moving Leonard into a newly created institute-wide strategy position gives ANSI an executive with direct experience in both standards-related policy and the mechanisms used to verify that organizations and products meet established requirements. His mandate will focus on applying that experience as ANSI develops its approach to emerging technologies, changing global standards dynamics and the evolving needs of U.S. industry and government.