PHTA Standards Consensus Committee Appoints New Members

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) Standards Consensus Committee (SCC) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new vice chair and four new voting members. The SCC is PHTA’s official consensus voting body, responsible for reviewing and voting on all pool, spa and hot tub standards to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Members of the SCC are classified into one of four interest categories: producer, user-government, user-consumer, or general interest.

The new SCC vice chair is Bruce Carney, owner of American Pools & Spas in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He is a member in the producer interest category. Carney has worked in the pool industry since 1970 in various capacities, including construction, design, renovation, facility evaluation, and maintenance. He was very involved with both the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals and the National Swimming Pool Foundation before they merged into PHTA, and has also been both a trainer and a presenter for the American Red Cross.

The SCC’s four new voting members are:

Kevin Baugh, user-government

Baugh is an environmental health specialist III for the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment in Olathe, Ka. He earned a Master of Environment Policy and Management and a Bachelor of Environmental Science from American Public University Systems. Baugh holds several professional certifications, including Certified Pool & Spa Operator and Certified Environmental Scientist.

Megan Ferraro, user-consumer

Ferraro is executive director of The ZAC Foundation in Malvern, Pa. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Villanova University. Ferraro has been an advocate for water safety for over 10 years and serves as co-chair for both the CA Water Safety Coalition Board and the National Drowning Prevention Alliance Advisory Committee.

Alan Korn, user-consumer

Korn is executive director and general counsel of Abbey’s Hope Charitable Foundation in Washington, D.C. He earned his Juris Doctor from Washington University Law School and his Bachelor of Science from Indiana University. He has worked in the water safety and product safety community for over 25 years, including the original development and further revisions of the Virginia Graeme Baker Act.

Lexi Schmidt, user-consumer

Schmidt is a senior mechanical engineer at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Professional Engineer License for the state of Florida. At Walt Disney World, she has spent nearly 10 years working on commercial pool systems and consulting on new build designs.

“I’d like to congratulate Bruce and welcome the new members of the Standards Consensus Committee,” says SCC chair Kris Bridges, MCP, CBO, CZA, building official/zoning administrator for the city of Martinsville, Va. “I know our new members will bring a significant breadth of knowledge from the areas of pool compliance, advocacy, construction, and operation. The SCC performs an important step in the process of Standards Development and it’s wonderful to have these talented professionals on board.”

PHTA is the leading industry organization recognized by ANSI to develop and promote national consensus standards for residential and public swimming pools, hot tubs and spas. In 2023, PHTA is proudly celebrating 40 years of being an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer.

For more information, please visit the Standards Consensus Committee webpage on the PHTA website or contact [email protected].