SMA announces board election results

The Washington-based Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), whose members consist predominantly of recycled-content electric arc furnace (EAF) steel producers, has announced its newly elected slate of officers and board directors who will comprise its 2026-2028 executive committee.

The newly elected slate is topped by Barry Schneider of Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) as board chair and Ben Pickett of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. as first vice chair.

Schneider serves as president and chief operations officer of SDI while Pickett is an executive vice president with Nucor.

SMA says the two executives and half-dozen others on its executive committee will “lead the association through the continuation of SMA’s strategic plan execution that calls for high achievement in government affairs, public relations and data aggregation.”

Also on the executive committee are: Ed Goettl, a vice president with Beaumont, Texas-based Optimus Steel, who is serving as SMA treasurer; and Ty Garrison, a senior vice president with Irving, Texas-based Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), who carries the role of immediate past board chair.

The SMA executive committee also consists of four vice chairs at large: Lenore Trammell, chief administrative officer and general counsel of Osceola, Arkansas-based Big River Steel; Michael Williams, president and chief executive of Canton, Ohio-based Metallus; Rob Simon, chief executive with JSW Steel USA of Baytown, Texas; and Conrad Winkler, president of Delta, Ohio-based North Star BlueScope.

“SDI’s Barry Schneider and his fellow members on the 2026-2028 SMA executive committee are exemplary steel industry executives who will lead the SMA to new heights,” says SMA president and CEO Philip K. Bell.

Says Schneider, “I am proud to follow in the footsteps of SDI leaders like Keith Busse, Mark Millett and Dick Teets as chairman of the Steel Manufacturers Association. Steel is essential to our national security, energy independence and critical infrastructure. The mission of the SMA is more important than ever.”