IPC Welcomes U.S. House Veteran Rich Cappetto as Senior Director of North American Government Relations
August 22, 2023 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
IPC welcomes Richard Cappetto, a 14-year veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, as its new senior director for North American government relations.
In this role, Cappetto will be responsible for the development and implementation of IPC’s public policy advocacy efforts in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He will work closely with key government officials and their staffs; with IPC’s Government Relations Steering Committee and its Advocacy Team, composed of senior executives and staff of IPC member companies; and with IPC’s professional staff worldwide to advocate on behalf of the electronics industry in the halls of government. IPC’s policy priorities include securing funding and incentives for investment and innovation in electronics manufacturing; ensuring practical, risk-based regulations; and expanding efforts to educate and train more high-skilled workers.
Cappetto’s prior role was Chief Customer Officer in the U.S. House, where he worked to improve internal services to all Members of Congress and their staffs, so that they could better serve their constituents. Previously he was staff director of the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards and a professional staff member at the Committee on House Administration. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University; a master’s degree in defense and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College; and a certificate in public sector leadership from Cornell University. He is a certified project management professional (PMP) and contracting officer’s representative.
“Rich’s expertise in congressional affairs and his extensive relationships on Capitol Hill will enable him to be a trusted, effective advocate for IPC members in Washington, Ottawa, Mexico City, and across the globe,” said Chris Mitchell, IPC vice president of global government relations.
Cappetto is the latest in a string of new hires and promotions in IPC’s Washington office. Michelle Mermelstein recently joined IPC as senior director of media engagement; Nyron Rouse as director of government grants and strategic funding initiatives; and Kate Koger as public affairs coordinator. The entire team and the IPC advocacy agenda can be found on IPC’s Advocacy pages.
Suggested Items
North American EMS Industry Down 4% in March
04/29/2024 | IPCIPC announced the March 2024 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.31.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: A Global Presence in PCB Manufacturing
04/29/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPORob DiGiovanni, VP of sales for the Americas at STARTEAM Global, discusses the company's global presence in PCB manufacturing. As he explains, the firm operates facilities across Europe, Asia, and North America, specializing in serving contract manufacturers in the automotive and medical industries. They emphasize quality and meeting OEM standards, focusing on offshore supply and non-Chinese factories in the North American market. The company has grown through acquisitions and rebranding to offer multiple products.
EIPC Issues Letter of Urgency
04/29/2024 | Alun Morgan, EIPCAlun Morgan, president of EIPC, issued a letter last week in an effort to raise awareness of the state of PCB manufacturing in Europe. He writes, "The European PCB manufacturing industry and its supply base has been steadily shrinking since the dot com crash at the start of the millennium. European demand for PCBs and assemblies has, however, continued to grow, thus creating an ever-widening gap between European domestic capacity and consumption. The risks posed by this imbalanced supply and demand pattern came into sharp focus during the Covid-19 pandemic which caused chaos in extended supply chains across the world and resulted in widespread shortages."
Arlon Electronic Materials Awarded Requalification to IPC-4101 QPL for All Polyimide Specification Sheets
04/29/2024 | IPCIPC's Validation Services Program has awarded Arlon Electronic Materials Division, an electronics material manufacturing company headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., an IPC-4101 Qualified Products Listing (QPL) requalification for the third time.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
04/26/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineIn this week’s roundup, we have a variety of articles covering everything from design through assembly, and even box build. I’ve always wondered whether box build was all it was cracked up to be. Do customers really pick one EMS provider over another because one company offers box build? And if you’ve ever wanted to volunteer, IPC’s Thought Leaders Program is looking for a few good technologists to help them on their mission. Check out Stanton Rak’s article, which was published in the spring issue of IPC Community.