James Tann, president, Brick Institute of America-Mid East Region, in Canton, Ohio, has been appointed chairman of ASTM International Committee C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units.  The 260-member committee is  responsible for more than 60 international standards related to masonry units, including fired clay and shale, concrete and sand-lime units.

An ASTM fellow and Award of Merit recipient, Tann has been an ASTM member since 1988.  In addition to his duties on Committee C15, he also serves on Committee C12 on  Mortars and Grouts for Unit Masonry.  Tann is an Alan H. Yorkdale Memorial Award recipient from Committee C15 for a paper he co-authored on bond strength and water penetration of low IRA (Initial Rate of Absorption) brick.

Tann, who received a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., joined the staff of the Brick Institute of America in 1985 as staff engineer.  He then transferred to the Brick Institute of America-Mid East Region as  vice president in 1987 and assumed his current position in 1989.  His work focuses on brick unit specifications as well as design and construction. 

In addition to ASTM International, Tann is a member of the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards (MACS), the American Institute of Architects-Ohio Foundation and Ohio Skills USA.

Release #7896