The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has hired Bill Erny as its new senior director, covering security issues for the Regulatory and Technical Affairs department. Erny has worked in policy and technical affairs for many years in both Washington and Philadelphia.

Before joining ACC, Erny spent the previous 14 years with the American Petroleum Institute (API), where he worked in a variety of technical and policy roles related to worker health and safety, chemical process safety, and homeland security. For the last seven of those years with API, he served as senior policy advisor on process safety and homeland security, and supported the organization’s related policy committees.

In the years prior to working at API, Erny was the technical director for the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) for four years, and he spent seven years with the Department of Defense in Philadelphia.

“We are delighted that Bill Erny has joined us, because he has a depth and breadth of expertise on security and safety related issues that will serve ACC well,” said Michael P. Walls, ACC’s vice president of regulatory and technical affairs. “Particularly, his experience working with Homeland Security will be invaluable, as security issues are of paramount importance to our industry. He is a solid professional with decades of experience in this area, as well as in other areas of great importance to us, including worker safety and chemical process safety. Bill will be a tremendous asset to our team, and to our members.”
 
A Pittsburgh native, Erny has a master’s degree in engineering management from Widener University in Chester, PA, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University.

For more information on the ACC, visit www.americanchemistry.com.