ASTM Award of Merit – Marie Tkacik is Recognized

April 19, 2023

Marie Tkacik, Director of Product Development and Optimization at Beacon Converters, has received the ASTM Merit Award, the highest award of one the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world. Marie was recognized by the Officials of ASTM International who presented her with the Award of Merit on April 19th in Denver, Colorado.

Organized in 1898, ASTM International consists of more than 30,000 members from industry, government and academia who work to develop consensus standards in 100 industrial and management sectors, ranging from construction materials and environmental assessment to medical devices and property management systems.

Marie has been a member of the ASTM for over 30 years, and is the immediate past chair of ASTM’s Committee F02.20 on Physical Properties.  She previously chaired ASTM Committee F2.60, Medical Device Packaging and has contributed to the development of ASTM standards since 1996.  Marie has been the Director of Product Development and Optimization at Beacon Converters for the past 14 years, and held a variety of quality and technical positions within the industry prior to joining Beacon.  Her expertise extends into other related industry organizations including the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Association (SPMC) where she chaired the Technical Committee for over 15 years and AAMI’s Technical Committee 198 Working Group 7, contributing to AAMI TIR17 Guidance for ISO 11607.

Marie has been an important voice and key contributor in the advancement of ASTM committee work. As Subcommittee Chair of F02.60 and later F02.20, Marie identified tests that were routinely performed in the medical device packaging industry but lacked ASTM standards. To address these gaps, she led the development of ASTM standards such as F2203, F2217, F2250, F2251, and F2252. All of these standards, and several more are now FDA Recognized Consensus Standards.

In her tenure, Marie has sought out those that are new to ASTM or new to the packaging industry. She acts as a mentor, guiding new members through the process, patiently answering questions, and always making them feel welcome and valued.  She has been a role-model for others to follow and a champion of the ASTM standards in the medical device packaging industry.

Marie’s award was announced during the F02 Primary Barrier Committee meeting.  It was met with applause and many smiling faces and nods. Marie is widely recognized for the contributions she has made over the years to ASTM.

Congratulations Marie!