Economy

AISI CEO Thomas Gibson to Retire

March 7, 2020

Thomas Gibson, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute, will retire this fall. A search for his successor begins immediately.

Gibson Gibson has led AISI since September 2008. Under his leadership, the institute successfully advocated for legislation to strengthen the trade laws against unfair trade practices and level the playing field for steel manufacturers, for successful passage of transportation and infrastructure bills to benefit the steel industry, and for a balanced approach to energy and environmental regulations that do not diminish manufacturing competitiveness and capitalize on the natural gas renaissance in the U.S.

Gibson said, “It has been an honor every day to represent the dedicated companies that produce steel in the United States and North America, and to serve as an advocate for steel industry concerns in Washington and beyond. While I am looking forward to an active retirement, I will certainly miss the talented and dedicated team at AISI and look forward to hearing about AISI’s continued future innovations and successes on behalf of the industry.”

Prior to joining AISI, Gibson served as Senior Vice President of Advocacy for the American Chemistry Council. Previously, Gibson served as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the Portland Cement Association, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Majority Deputy Staff Director to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Prior to his civilian government service, he worked as an engineer and program manager at the Raytheon Company, and served on active duty at sea as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy.

“Tom effectively spearheaded AISI’s advocacy efforts on critical policy issues through challenging times, starting with the financial crisis of 2008 and through the era of repeated import surges fueled by the global overcapacity crisis. His contributions brought AISI to the forefront of the debate on these issues and solidified the institute’s role as a premier trade association. He will be missed, and we wish him all the best,” said AISI Board Chairman Roger Newport of AK Steel.