Hydrogen Association Announces New Directors, Vice Chairman and Secretary

At this year’s NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference and Hydrogen Expo US the membership of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) brought renewed strength to the Association with the election of three new Directors and two officers. The new members of the Board of Directors were elected by the NHA membership, which is comprised of over 110 companies representing all areas of hydrogen industry.

The new directors include: Michael Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer of Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC; John Elter, Chief Technology Officer of Plug Power; and Steve Gilchrist, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Canadian Hydrogen Energy Company. Three other Directors were also re-elected to the Board: Jaimie Levin, Director of Marketing and Alternative Fuels Policy for AC Transit; Bruce Logan, Director of the Hydrogen Energy Center at the Pennsylvania State University; and Frank Novachek, Director of Corporate Business Planning at Xcel Energy.

"Each year, we thrive on the new energy brought to the Association through the leadership of our Board of Directors," said Jeff Serfass, President of the National Hydrogen Association. "Our new directors and officers, combined with existing directors, truly represent the commercial diversity and growth potential of the hydrogen industry."

In addition, the new Board of Directors also elected two experienced Board members to become officers of the NHA: NHA Vice Chairman, Mike McGowan who is Head of Hydrogen Solutions, North America for The Linde Group; and NHA Secretary Rob Friedland who is Senior Vice President of Technology for Proton Energy Systems.

The Board of Directors, led by Chairman, Phil Baxley, President of Shell Hydrogen, LLC, is currently comprised of 28 Directors, with representatives from each of the five membership classes of the NHA; Sustaining, Industry, Government/Non-Profit, Small Business, and University/Education. To view the full list of members, visit in the NHA website at: http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/about/board.asp.

About the National Hydrogen Association: The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) is the Nation’s premier hydrogen trade organization led by over 110 companies dedicated to supporting the transition to hydrogen. Efforts are focused on education and outreach, policy, safety and codes and standards. Since 1989, the NHA has served as a catalyst for information exchange and cooperative projects and continues to provide the setting for mutual support among industry, research and government organizations. www.HydrogenAssociation.org.