Automated Imaging Association names Dana Whalls managing director

AUGUST 13, 2007--The Automated Imaging Association (AIA; Ann Arbor, MI, USA) has announced the promotion of Dana Whalls to managing director. Whalls has more than 18 years experience in marketing, business development, and finance in metropolitan Detroit, MI-area advertising agencies, including eight years at an agency specializing in manufacturing and technology clients. She has served as marketing and public relations manager for the AIA since 2004.

"In the three years Dana has been with the AIA, she has played a pivotal role in our growth to more than 285 member companies in 26 nations. She has helped us expand our reach in Europe and Asia, which is critical to our mission to promote machine vision on a global basis. I'm certain she will do an outstanding job in leading AIA and the machine vision industry to great accomplishments in the years ahead," said Jeff Burnstein, executive vice president of the Automation Technologies Council, the umbrella organization governing the AIA and its sister associations, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and Motion Control Association (MCA).

Founded in 1984, the AIA was organized to promote the understanding and use of image-capture and analysis technology and now represents more than 285 machine-vision suppliers, system integrators, users, researchers, and consulting firms. AIA is best known for The Vision Show and conference, held every year in the USA, the biennial International Robots & Vision Show and conference (every two years in Chicago), its annual Machine Vision Market Study, the AIA Business Conference, and Machine Vision Online (www.machinevisiononline.org), a leading resource for machine-vision information on the Internet.