American Electronics Association

AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association) is a nationwide non-profit trade association that represents all segments of the technology industry and is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels; providing access to capital and business opportunities; and offering select business services and networking programs.

History

AeA was founded in 1943 by David Packard and 25 of Hewlett-Packard's suppliers to help lobby for government contracts. It was originally named the West Coast Electronic Manufacturers Association (WCEMA). In 1969, WCEMA changed its name to the Western Electronic Manufacturers Association (WEMA) to reflect the growing membership outside of the Golden State. In 1977, the association once again changed its name to the American Electronics Association, in an effort to more accurately represent its 750 members nationwide. A final name change occurred in 2001, as the American Electronics Association was shortened to AeA with the tagline, "Advancing the Business of Technology."

AeA has 18 offices across the United States and has 2 international offices in Brussels and Beijing. AeA now has nearly 2,500 corporate members (and the 1.8 million employees they represent nationwide). The membership is drawn from a wide range of high tech sectors, including the aerospace/defense, business related services, computers, medical equipment, semiconductors/electronic components, software, and telecommunications industries. [ http://www.aeanet.org/AboutAeA/aajl_historymain0807.asp]

AeA also produces an annual "Cyberstates" report which quantifies the high-tech industry on a state-by-state basis in the United States. [ http://www.aeanet.org/cyberstates ]

On September 11, 2008, The Boards of Directors of AeA and the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) announced that they are in discussions to merge the trade associations’ memberships and programs. The merger would bring together the technology industry's leading trade associations. [http://www.aeanet.org/PressRoom/prac_091108_AeAITAAMergerDiscussion.asp]

Chair & Board of Directors

Deirdre Hanford is the Chairperson of the AeA Board of Directors and the Senior Vice President, Global Technical Services at Synopsys, Inc.

At Synopsys, her organization’s mission is to ensure the successful adoption of the company's technology into customers' demanding environments. Having earned a BSEE from Brown University and an MSEE from U.C. Berkeley, Ms. Hanford joined Synopsys in 1987 and has held a variety of positions, including leadership roles in applications engineering, sales & marketing.

In 2001, Ms. Hanford was a recipient of the YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) Award. That year she also received the Marie R. Pistilli Women in EDA Achievement Award. She currently sits on the Technical Advisory Board for the University of California at Berkeley College of Engineering.----Select companies represented on the Board include Agilent, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Symantec, and Xerox. All Board Members can be found at http://www.aeanet.org/BoardofDirectors

Senior Staff

President & Chief Executive Officer
Christopher Hansen

Financial Operations
Samuel J. Block
Vice President/Controller

Government Affairs
John Palafoutas
Senior Vice President Domestic Policy & Congressional Affairs

Roxanne Gould
Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs

Robert J. Mulligan
Senior Vice President International

Information Technology
Jill Beasley
Vice President Information Technology

Operations
Matthew Kazmierczak
Senior Vice President, Operations

Services
Elaine Sanders
Senior Vice President for Financial Conferences, Executive Education, and Affinity Programs

Eric Meyer
Senior Vice President for Insurance Programs

Policy Priorities

Competitiveness

• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gaet_IB_H1BVisa.asp H-1B Visa and Green Card Reform] - increase the numbers available to the high-tech industry
• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gamb_EDOverview.asp STEM Education] - promote Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education from K-12 and in university programs
• [http://www.aeanet.org/governmentaffairs/gajl_competitiveness0206.asp Workforce Compensation and Incentives] – strengthen the ability of U.S. employers to recruit and retain a skilled workforce

E-commerce

• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gais_Policy_Positions.asp#SecurityBreach Data Breach] – ensure that government policies to protect data and privacy do not harm the industry’s push for federal preemption of state data breach laws
• [http://www.aeanet.org/governmentaffairs/gamb_PrivacyOverview.asp Privacy] – ensure that any privacy legislation protects consumers while continuing to encourage e-commerce; push for federal preemption of state privacy laws
• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gais_OnlineSafety.asp Child Online Safety] – ensure that any legislation regulates online behavior consistent with technological capabilities

Health Care Reform

• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gajl_HealthcareOverview.asp Health IT] – reduce health care costs through deployment of Information Technology

International

• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/exportoverview02.asp Export Controls] – reform U.S. encryption and deemed export regulations
• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/customsoverview02.asp Customs] – maintain coverage for products under Information Technology Agreement
• [http://www.aeanet.org/governmentaffairs/gajl_ChinaOverview.asp China] – stop Congressional legislation against China that could hurt member interests while engaging China on its restrictive policies related to indigenous innovation, IPR, standards, and government procurement
• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gamb_TradeLegOverview.asp Free Trade Agreements] – get Congressional approval of agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama
• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gamb_EnvOverview.asp Environment] – seek favorable outcomes in China RoHS catalogue and certification regulations; seek EU policies supporting development of energy efficiency technologies

Tax & Finance

• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/DocList.asp?ep=0400.1600.0400 R&D Tax Credit] – renew and seek a permanent extension of a strengthened credit
• [http://www.aeanet.org/GovernmentAffairs/gamb_TaxationOverview.asp Tax Reform] – ensure that any tax reform legislation is positive for the high-tech industry and protects the industry’s ability to operate globally
• [http://www.aeanet.org/sox Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404] – reduce the onerous and disproportionate business tax levied on small- and medium-sized companies by SOX 404 compliance

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Previous Years' AeA Public Policy Priorities
[http://www.aeanet.org/governmentaffairs/gajl_policypriorities2007.asp 2007 AeA Priorities] |
[http://www.aeanet.org/governmentaffairs/gajl_policypriorities2006.asp >2006 AeA Priorities]

[" [http://www.aeanet.org/policypriorities.asp AeA Policy Priorities Webpage] ", AeANET.org. Retrieved 2008-3-4]

AeA's Regional Offices

AeA's main offices are located in Washington, DC and in Silicon Valley, CA. AeA has a total network of 18 offices across the country and two overseas. These offices are located in:

* Arizona
* Florida
* Los Angeles
* Midwest (Illinois)
* Minnesota
* Mountain States (Colorado)
* New England (Massachusetts)
* New Jersey - Pennsylvania (New Jersey)
* New York
* Orange County
* Oregon
* Potomac (Washington, DC)
* Sacramento
* San Diego
* Silicon Valley/Northern CA
* Southeast (Georgia)
* Texas (Austin and Dallas)
* Washington

International Offices
* AeA Europe (Brussels, Belgium)
* United States Information Technology Office (Beijing, China)

Find your local office at [ http://www.aeanet.org/aeacouncils ] .

RFID controversy

The American Electronics Association recently protested a 5-bill package introduced into the California State Senate by Senator Joe Simitian which included the provision SB 362. This part of the bill legislates against the forced implantation of subdermal (beneath the skin) RFID tags into human beings. If the bill fails, employers could require employees to be implanted with RFID identification and tracking devices. [" [http://www.senatorsimitian.com/Legislation/entry/sb_0362_banning_rfid_implants Legislation page on Senator Simitian's website.] ", Senator Simitian's Website. Retrieved 2007-06-24]

In response to the provision Roxanne Gould, Senior Vice President for California government relations for the American Electronics Association, is quoted as saying, "Our bottom line is we're opposed to anything that demonizes RFIDs." [" [http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/25/050215 Slashdot article about the issue.] ", Slashdot article. Retrieved 2007-06-24]

External links

* [http://www.aeanet.org American Electronics Association ]

Sources