National Institute of Standards and Technology Director Laurie Locascio will step down in early 2025 to serve as the new president and CEO of the American National Standards Institute.
ANSI announced Locascio’s election to the top post on Oct. 8 after the organization’s board meeting, noting that the incoming chief will take over from Joe Bhatia in January, Nextgov/FCW reported Thursday.
In a LinkedIn post, Locascio announced her upcoming transfer from government service to a nonprofit entity tasked with coordinating voluntary standards adoption across U.S. industries. The Department of Commerce undersecretary also thanked Bhatia for nearly “two decades of outstanding leadership” at ANSI.
A Commerce Department spokesperson confirmed on Thursday the NIST chief’s imminent departure, noting that Locascio will remain in her current posts until the scheduled move to ANSI.
Before she was appointed NIST head, Locascio served as vice president for research at the University of Maryland College Park and the University of Maryland Baltimore. Earlier, she worked as a research biomedical engineer at NIST, led the agency’s Material Measurement Laboratory and then served as its associate director for laboratory programs and principal deputy director.
Locascio earned a doctorate in toxicology from the University of Maryland Baltimore, a master’s in bioengineering from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from James Madison University.
