USTMA's Anne Forristall Luke to give ITEC keynote

AKRON—Anne Forristall Luke, president and CEO of the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, will deliver one of the keynote addresses during the International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC) 2022, to take place Sept. 13-15 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.

Organized by Rubber News, ITEC is the largest tire manufacturing exhibition and conference in the U.S.

In her presentation, "At the Intersection of Technology and Politics, Sustainability Finds its Stride," Luke will discuss the U.S. tire industry's economic outlook as well as some of its most pressing sustainability priorities. Topics will include industry efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and increase the use of recycled and renewable materials, and the development of sustainable and circular markets for scrap tires.

Luke has been president and CEO of the USTMA for the last six years, and has more than 35 years of executive leadership experience. Before joining USTMA, she led the political and public affairs operations as part of the executive leadership team for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. In addition to her expertise in association executive leadership, Luke is skilled in organizational dynamics, public affairs and communications strategy, risk and crisis communications and public policy.

"The tire industry has found unprecedented ways to respond to opportunities presented by sustainability challenges," Luke said. "Our strategies include innovation in tire design, engineering and production; the use of new materials; and advancing research supporting new markets for scrap tires in projects like green infrastructure.

Luke added that the USTMA is collaborating with scientific researchers, regulators and non-governmental organizations, and advocating for federal and state legislation that can support and advance the U.S. tire industry's top sustainability priorities."

She will present her keynote to begin the Sept. 14 activities at ITEC. Ellis Jones, Goodyear's vice president and chief sustainability officer, will deliver the Sept. 13 keynote address.

For technical presentations during the 2022 conference, ITEC organizers are accepting abstract submissions at itec-tireshow.com/conference/call-for-papers. Papers must be technical in nature and abstract submissions are due April 22.

ITEC is presented biennially and the three-day exhibition and conference will feature more than 65 presentations from top-level tire industry experts covering topics such as sustainable materials; new technology for non-pneumatic tires and smart tires; next-generation reinforcing material for rubber compounds; and challenges and opportunities in tires for electronic vehicles, among other topics.

During ITEC, show organizers also will award the Harold Herzlich Distinguished Technology Achievement Medal. Named after Harold Herzlich, a longtime technical editor of Rubber News, the honor recognizes innovators in tire manufacturing, tire reliability or performance. This year's winner will receive a medal, a $1,500 honorarium and up to $1,000 in travel costs to attend ITEC 2022. Nominations can be made at itec-tireshow.com/awards and will be accepted through May 27.

Registration for ITEC 2022 is now open online and provides free entry to the exhibition until Aug. 12. Registration information can be seen at itec-tireshow.com/visit/registration. Starting August 13, a $50 exhibition entrance fee will apply. Registration fees for the technical conference, the Women's Breakfast and Tire Mechanics Course can be accessed at the same site.

Exhibitor space and sponsorship opportunities are available for companies looking to raise their profile in the tire manufacturing industry. For more information contact Sales Director Christine Zernick at [email protected].

Rubber News is part of the Global Polymer Group of Crain Communications. The Global Polymer Group also includes Tire Business, the UTECH trade shows and Urethanes Technology International, Plastics News, the Plastics Recycling Show Europe and Sustainable Plastics.