-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueAdvancing the Advanced Materials Discussion
Moore’s Law is no more, and the advanced material solutions to grapple with this reality are surprising, stunning, and perhaps a bit daunting. Buckle up for a dive into advanced materials and a glimpse into the next chapters of electronics manufacturing.
Inventing the Future With SEL
Two years after launching its state-of-the-art PCB facility, SEL shares lessons in vision, execution, and innovation, plus insights from industry icons and technology leaders shaping the future of PCB fabrication.
Sales: From Pitch to PO
From the first cold call to finally receiving that first purchase order, the July PCB007 Magazine breaks down some critical parts of the sales stack. To up your sales game, read on!
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Steven Bowles: Taking a Stand
April 7, 2023 | Patty Goldman, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Steven Bowles, an associate fellow at Lockheed Martin Space, talks about his journey as a leader in IPC, beginning with the unexpected opportunity that launched his leadership career across a range of professional committees. True progress, Steven says, requires input from a diverse set of perspectives alongside the passion that drives our industry forward.
Steven, congratulations on receiving the IPC President’s Award. As you know, this award is about leadership, so why do you feel it’s important to be a leader at IPC?
It’s important to lead within IPC for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons that I enjoy leadership within the standards development committees is to ensure that the standards we release are keeping up with modern technology and that they benefit both user and supplier. It’s a really good idea for us to lead within these groups, to usher in the next generation of IPC participants—the ones who will be writing our technical standards and developing requirements for our industry going forward.
How do you get into this? Did you raise your hand? [laughs]
I kind of got into leadership by accident. About 15 years ago, I was still relatively early in my career, and I joined committees just to learn. I joined IPC T-50, which is terms and definitions, and IPC-6012, which is the performance specification for rigid printed boards. I really liked the T-50 committee because we were determining and defining industry terms that supported electronics. We had two very good committee chairs. When one committee member, Mike Green from Lockheed, announced he was retiring and stepping down, some individuals on the committee commented that it would be good to have some younger leadership. I spoke up and said that I was probably the youngest person in the group and that I would do it. So, I co-led that group with Vicka Hammill of Honeywell for about eight years. From there, it just flourished. I enjoyed leading that group, and subsequently joined several other committees supporting different documents where I started taking on some leadership roles. I’m now chairing six different groups and at least one general committee.
When Vicka retired from Honeywell, she stepped down from leadership of IPC T-50 and we brought on my Emerging Engineer mentee, Aaron Kennedy of Summit, as my vice chair. Now I have stepped down as chair of IPC T-50 this past year and I recommended my internal-to-Lockheed mentee, David Caputa, to be my replacement. Both individuals were actively supporting the group prior to that. It’s pretty cool to see two people who I’m currently mentoring are now holding leadership roles in IPC T-50. I was named Chair Emeritus of that group, so I’m still helping to guide them.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the 2023 edition of Show & Tell Magazine, click here.
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Technica Hosts In-House Visit from PCBAA
10/01/2025 | Technica USADavid Schild, Executive Director of PCBAA (Printed Circuit Board Association of America) visited Technica USA to discuss the activity in the market and the advocacy of the PCBAA. The organization was formed to work on Capitol Hill, educating, advocating and getting congressional support to legislate on behalf of building a stronger PCB and substrate manufacturing base in the U.S.A.
New Podcast Episode: How Does UHDI Benefit SWaP?
10/03/2025 | I-Connect007In podcast episode 4, “SWaP Considerations,” host Nolan Johnson welcomes back industry expert John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits (ASC). Together, they explore how UHDI delivers measurable advantages in size, weight, and power (SWaP)—unlocking new possibilities in speed, efficiency, and miniaturization.
Jiva Leading the Charge Toward Sustainable Innovation
09/30/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEnvironmental sustainability in business—product circularity—is a high priority these days. “Circularity,” the term meant to replace “recycling,” in its simplest definition, describes a full circle life for electronic products and all their elements. The result is re-use or a near-complete reintroduction of the base materials back into the supply chain, leaving very little left for waste. For what cannot be reused productively, the ultimate hope is to have better, less harmful means of disposal and/or materials that can seamlessly and harmlessly decompose and integrate back into the natural environment. That is where Jiva and Soluboard come in.
Fresh PCB Concepts: Investing in Tomorrow's PCB Experts Today
09/24/2025 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsPeople often describe the PCB industry as one of the most critical yet invisible foundations of modern electronics. Every project needs a PCB, but few college programs or engineering curricula cover the complexity of board design, stackups, or manufacturability. That means the responsibility for developing the next generation of PCB experts falls on the industry itself.
From Onboarding to Empowerment: How Milwaukee Electronics Invested in Its Workforce—and Its Future
09/23/2025 | Corey Lynn, Global Electronics AssociationIn the competitive, fast-paced world of electronics manufacturing, success is often measured in units shipped, defects avoided, and deadlines met. But for Milwaukee Electronics, a company with more than 70 years of history and operations across the U.S., Mexico, and Asia, true success is defined by something deeper: the people who make it all possible.