Past General Session Presentations

Print Date: 6/9/2026 7:32:46 AM

Click HERE for the 2026 General Session presentations.

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93^rd General Meeting
Salt Lake City, Utah
May 12, 2025

• Keynote Address
  Tim Kennedy, U.S. Army Special Forces,
  MMA Fighter, Entrepreneur
  Narrative | N/A
   
• Boiler Inspections - An Evolving Responsibility
  Rodger Adams, South Region Manager, Machinery Breakdown
  Zurich Resilience Solutions
  Tom Clark, Chief Boiler Inspector
  State of Oregon
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Use of ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Globally
  Luca Costa, Ph.D., CEO
  International Institute of Welding
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Emerging Issues in the Power Generation Industry
  John Siefert, Ph.D., Area Lead
  EPRI
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Practical Approaches for Successful Production Welding
  Paisley Witkowski, P. Eng, Welding and Metallurgical Engineer
  International Welding Bureau and Republic Testing Laboratories
  Narrative | Slides
   
• JRS Update
  Mark Mooney, Director of Operations, Software & Services
  Jacques Couvillon, Director of Product Management
  NBBI
  Narrative | N/A
   

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92^nd General Meeting
Scottsdale, Arizona
Monday, May 13, 2024

• Reaching New Heights
  José Hernández, Astronaut, President and CEO
  Tierra Luna Engineering, LLC
  Narrative | Slides
   
• An Introduction to the U.S. CSB
  Adam Henson, Recommendations Specialist
  U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Introduction to ASME Code Rules on Electrochemical Cell Stacks for Electrolysis
  Kang Xu, Ph.D., Engineering Fellow and Pressure Vessel Consultant
  Linde Inc.
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Beyond the Headlines: A Path to Practical Fusion Power
  David Rasmussen, Ph.D., Senior Advisor
  US ITER
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Lessons Learned from the Ultimate Catastrophic Event
  Victor Casada, Principle Engineer, Assistant Vice President, Machinery Breakdown
  Zurich
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Fission Vission: A Look at What's Next For Nuclear
  Hilary Lane, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships
  Nuclear Energy Institute
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Pressure Testing: Fact and Fiction
  Mark Lower, Ph.D., Program Manager
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  Narrative | Slides
   

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91^st General Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday, May 15, 2023

• Keynote Address
  Mark Schulman, Professional drummer and motivational speaker
  Narrative
   
• Alternate Boiler Fuels and Their Uses
  Marty Toth, Founder
  Energy Conversion & Safety (ECS) Consulting
  Narrative | Slides
   
• What If?
  Ken Barkdoll, Risk Engineering Consultant | Machinery Breakdown
  Zurich Resilience Solutions
  Narrative | Slides
   
• What's New in Weld Metal Additive Manufacturing
  Teresa Melfi, Technical Fellow
  The Lincoln Electric Company
  Narrative | Slides | Videos
   
• Introduction to the NB-380-1 Workbook
  Tom Clark, Chief Boiler Inspector
  State of Oregon, Building Codes Division
  Vincent Scarcella, Director for the Eastern Territory
  CNA Insurance
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The GUS Principle
  Mark Mooney, Director of Software and Services, JRS
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Lonnie Standridge, Director of Development, JRS
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative (not yet available) | Slides
   
• The Partnerships Between NBBI, ASME, and PVMA
  Thomas Vandini, Consultant
  Quality Steel Corporation (QSC)
  Narrative | Slides

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90^th General Meeting
New Orleans, Louisiana
Monday, May 2, 2022

• Remote Technology and Digital Logs
  Patrick Jennings, Legislative Affairs Director
  The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Agency
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Life Sciences and Quick Acting Closures in NBIC Part 2, Inspection
  Vincent Scarcella, Risk Control Director - Eastern Territory
  CNA Insurance
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Its Impact and Influence on Pressure Safety
  Mark Lower, Program Manager
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Introducing JRS - The National Board Jurisdictional Reporting System
  Mark Mooney, Director of Operations - Software and Services, JRS
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Jacques Couvillon, Director of Product Management, JRS
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides

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89^th General Meeting
Scottsdale, Arizona
Monday, May 10, 2021

• The Jurisdictional Liaison: Connecting NBBI Members to Key Resources, Initiatives, and Opportunities
  Greg Goossens, Director of Jurisdictional Affairs
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Additive Manufacturing: Code Implications of Making Components from Weld Metal
  Teresa Melfi, Technical Fellow
  The Lincoln Electric Company
  Narrative | Slides | Videos
   
• Jurisdictional Programs and the Insurance Industry: A Unique and Valuable Partnership
  Ken Stoller, Senior Director, Workers' Compensation & Amicus Counsel
  The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA)
  Phillip Cole, Manager of Jurisdictional Services
  FM Global
  Narrative
   
• Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers: Revolutionizing Heat Transfer with Reliability and Efficiency
  Stacey Marks, P.E., Quality Engineer
  Alfa Laval
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Celebrating NBBI Milestones: The NBIC and PRD Test Lab
  Gary Scribner, Assistant Executive Director-Technical
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Joseph Ball, Director, Pressure Relief Department
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides (Scribner) | Slides (Ball) 
   
• JRS Presents
  Mark Mooney, Director of Operations, JRS
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Jacques Couvillon, Director of Product Management, JRS
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides

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88^th General Meeting
Salt Lake City, Utah
Monday, May 6, 2019

• One Code, One Inspector, One Stamp, One Hundred Years: The History of the National Board
  Paul Brennan, Retired Director of Public Affairs
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Timeless and Fearless: Durable Lessons in Engineering Leadership
  James R. Chiles, Technology Author
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The Test of Time: How Manufacturers & Key Contributors Helped Standardize an Industry
  Patricia A. Becker, Pressure Vessel Engineering Design
  The Babcock & Wilcox Company
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Celebrating Railroad History, Preserving the Future for All
  John E. Rimmasch, CEO
  Wasatch Railroad Contractors
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The National Board and ASME: 100 Years of a Shared Mission and Vision
  Jon Labrador, Managing Director, Conformity Assessment
  The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Complacency Can Kill
  Dan Hegyi, Regional Manager
  Zurich North America
  Narrative | Slides

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87^th General Meeting
Dallas, Texas
Monday, May 7, 2018

• ASME Conformity Assessment: A Closer Look
  Jon Labrador, Managing Director, Conformity Assessment
  American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  Narrative | Slides
   
• NuScale Power: A Nuclear Manufacturing Paradigm Shift
  Scott Bailey, Vice President, Supply Chain
  NuScale Power
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Carbon Monoxide Mortality
  Vincent Scarcella, Equipment Breakdown Risk Control Director
  CNA Insurance
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Pressure Test Safety Awareness
  Anne R. Ehrmann, CSP, Director of Global Safety
  The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Pressure Relief Device Investigation Testing – Lessons Learned
  Joseph F. Ball, P.E., Director, Pressure Relief Department
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Communication as a Key to Safety
  Christopher B. Cantrell, Director of Safety and Chief Boiler Inspector
  State of Nebraska
  Narrative | Slides

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86^th General Meeting
Anchorage, Alaska
Monday, May 8, 2017

• Opening Remarks 
  Martin Buser, Four-Time Iditarod Champion
  Narrative
   
• Keynote Address 
  John Foley, Former Blue Angels Lead Pilot and Motivational Speaker
  Narrative
   
• Historic Introduction of Plate Heat Exchanger Rules into ASME and National Board Codes
  Michael Pischke, Director, Quality Assurance
  GE Power Services
  Narrative | Slides
   
• National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) Tools for Historical Boilers
  Joel Amato, Minnesota Chief Boiler Inspector and Chair of NBIC Subgroup Historical Boilers
  State of Minnesota
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Rules for Commissioned Inspectors
  Vincent Scarcella, Zone Director
  CNA Risk Control
  Narrative | Slides
   
• A Century as a Jurisdiction
  Donald Cook, California Principal Safety Engineer and Chair of NBIC Main Committee
  State of California
  Narrative | Slides
   
• A Triad Relationship to Making a Hobby Safer
  Jon Wolf, Senior Risk Engineering Consultant
  The Zurich Services Corporation
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Safer by Design: Building Intrinsic Safety into High-Pressure Steam Boiler Plants
  Michael Gerhart, Sales Manager, National Corporate Accounts
  Miura America Co., Ltd.
  Narrative | Slides

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85^th General Meeting
Orlando, Florida
Monday, May 9, 2016

• Opening Remarks 
  Jack Hanna
  Narrative
   
• Statistical and Loss–Based Training
  Vance Murphy, Risk Consultant
  Zurich North America Insurance
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The National Board Inspection Code
  Gary Scribner, Manager of Technical Services
  National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides
   
• ABMA — Turning Challenges into Opportunities
  Scott Lynch, President & CEO
  American Boiler Manufacturers Association
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Overpressure Protection — Recent Improvements and Current Influences
  Denis DeMichael, Chairman, ASME Subcommittee on Safety Valve Requirements
  Senior Consultant, The Chemours Company
  Narrative | Slides
   
• What's Under Your Hood?
  Mark Masters, P.E., Director Code Services Latin America
  HSB Global Standards
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Telltale Signs of Risky Behavior
  James R. Chiles, Author
  Inviting Disaster, The God Machine
  Narrative | Slides

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84^th General Meeting
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Monday, April 27, 2015

• Opening Remarks 
  James Caan
  Narrative
   
• ASME's Impact on Global Safety
  Bernard Hrubala
  Global Business Development Manager, TUV Rheinland AIA Services, LLC
  ASME Governor
  Narrative | Slides
   
• What Happened to the Sultana?
  Patrick Jennings, Principal Engineer - Boilers
  The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Carbon Monoxide: The High Cost and Effects of Complacency
  Carey M. Bilyeu, NB-A, Senior Risk Engineering Specialist & Portfolio Engineer
  Zurich North America Insurance, Machinery Breakdown Division
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Hoover Dam - Maintaining a Giant
  Nathaniel Gee, P.E., Project Manager, Dam Safety & Examination of Existing Structures
  U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Managing Safety in Spaceflight: Recognizing Narrow Margins
  James F. Reilly, II, Ph.D., Former Astronaut
  VP of Research and Development, Photo Stencil Corporation
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Making ASME Codes & Standards Smaller: Small Modular Reactors & Their Needs for Future ASME Codes
  A. Thomas Roberts, Engineering Consultant/Project Manager
  MPR Associates Inc.
  Narrative | Slides

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83^rd General Meeting
Bellevue, Washington
Monday, May 12, 2014

• Opening Remarks 
  Bob Newhart
  Narrative
   
• 100 Years of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
  Madiha Kotb, P.E.
  Professional Engineer, Province of Quebec
  President of ASME
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Biofuels—How Impacting the Greenhouse Effect Impacts Power Boilers
  Douglas E. Smiley, Senior Risk Engineering Consultant–Machinery Breakdown
  Zurich Services Corporation
  Narrative | Slides
   
• How a Bad Day Turned into a Good Day
  Nick Morris
  Safety and Motivational Speaker
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Secrets of the Code
  James R. Chiles, Author
  Inviting Disaster, The God Machine
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Overview of Thermal Fluid Heaters
  Melissa Wadkinson, P.E., Chief Engineer
  The Fulton Companies
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Relief Device Capacity Comparison from the Inspector's View
  Earl Harlow, P.E.
  Sabic Innovative Plastics
  Narrative | Slides

 

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82^nd General Meeting
Miami, Florida
Monday, May 13, 2013

• Opening Remarks 
  Hines Ward
  Narrative
   
• Safety — An Integral Part of the Energy Grand Challenge
  Kenneth R. Balkey, PE, Consulting Engineer
  Westinghouse Electric Company
  Senior Vice President, ASME Standards and Certification
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Manual Weld Examination Using Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT)
  Ron Kent, ASNT Level III
  KB Inspection Services
  Narrative | Slides
   
• BLOWBACK: Between the Lines
  Paul Brennan, Director of Public Affairs
  The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Inspection Quality: One AIA's Perspective
  Fred Bull, President and Chief Executive Officer
  HSB Global Standards
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Recent Catastrophic Failures of Boiler Components
  — Where Do We Go from Here?
  George W. Galanes, P.E., Consulting Metallurgical Engineer
  Diamond Technical Services, Inc.
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Anatomy of a Catastrophic Boiler Accident
  David Peterson, Machinery and Equipment Specialist
  The Cincinnati Insurance Company
  Narrative | Slides
   
• BIOGAS: The Hidden Costs of Going Green
  Robert "Buddy" Dobbins, Technical Director - Machinery Breakdown
  Zurich Services Corporation
  Narrative | Slides
   

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81^st General Meeting
Nashville, Tennessee
Monday, May 14, 2012

• Opening Remarks 
  Astronaut Gene Cernan
  Narrative
   
• Potential Detrimental Consequences of Excessive PWHT on Pressure Vessel Steel Properties
  Carl Spaeder, PhD, Consultant
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The Day a Generation Died
  R. Miles Toler, Museum Director
  London Museum
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Update
  Kenneth R. Balkey, PE, Consulting Engineer
  Westhinghouse Electric Company
  Senior Vice President, ASME Council on Standards and Certification
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Solar Boilers: Evolving Issues with an Evolving Technology
  Don Cook, Principal Safety Engineer
  State of California
  Tim Zoltowski, Regional Risk Engineering Manager
  Zurich North American Insurance
  Narrative | Slides (Cook) | Slides (Zoltowski)
   
• Establishment of a Federal Inspection Agency at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  John P. Swezy, Jr, Mechanical Engineer
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Applicability of National Board Testing Data to Reliability for Industry
  Joseph F. Ball, PE, Director
  The National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors, Pressure Relief Department
  Narrative | Slides 

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80^th General Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday, May 9, 2011

• ASME: International Update
  Joe Brzuszkiewicz, Project Engineering Administrator
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Cold Iron & Cool Heads - Hard-Won Lessons from the Machine Frontier for the Next Generation
  James R. Chiles, Author
  Inviting Disaster, The God Machine
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Industrial Boilers after Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT)
  Robert D. Bessette, President
  Council of Industrial Boiler Owners (CIBO)
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The Authorized Inspector - Manufacturer Relationship in a Mass Production Shop
  Mike Pischke, BS MetE, MS MatS
  Quality Manager, Quality Assurance - Alfa Laval
  Vice President, PVMA
  Narrative | Slides
   
• The Code and Common Arc - Assuring Integrity While Bringing Efficiencies to American Industry
  Jim Pillow, Operating Committee Chairman
  Common Arc Corporation
  Narrative | Slides
   
• Jurisdictional Inspection Integrity and Ethics
  Michael Zdinak, Assistant Vice President
  Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
  Narrative | Slides