Connect within STLE

By Kevin Delaney, STLE President | TLT President's Report July 2025

STLE has a lot to look forward to and has shown continuous improvement.
Kevin Delaney gives his speech onstage at the 2025 STLE Annual Meeting
I’ve been a member of STLE essentially since it became STLE. Before that, if any of you remember, it was the American Society of Lubrication Engineers (ASLE). I joined in or around 1979—yes, I’m that old. I was encouraged to join by my boss Fred Litt, who at the time was a research manager at Elco Corp. I will be forever grateful to him for hiring me out of college and for getting me involved in STLE. All of my subsequent employers have been supportive of my membership and participation. The one thing that has remained relatively constant for me throughout my career has been this organization.

For a little more reminiscing, through my various places of employment, I have worked with several STLE past presidents: Phil Miller with Olin Chemicals, Bob Baker and Maureen Hunter with King Industries, Inc., Dick Luberda, Bill Wambach and Rob Heverly with Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC. I am somewhat amazed that I will be added to this list. I think it’s rather obvious that my current company, Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC, is a big supporter of STLE, and I thank them for supporting me.

You may have noticed that STLE’s tag line is Connect, Learn, Achieve. At the STLE Annual Meeting, you can absolutely see the “Learn” portion with the presentation of hundreds of technical talks, and the offering of various education courses. The “Achieve” portion can be recognized with the certification ribbons attached to meeting badges. Personally, I believe I take most advantage of “Connect.” I have been to conferences in many other parts of the world, and there is nothing that compares to our STLE Annual Meeting. We have more attendees and more opportunities to connect to others involved in our industry than any other organization that emphasizes tribology and lubrication engineering. You can attend the talks, you can visit the exhibition, you can give a talk and you can be an exhibitor. If you really want to connect on a broader scale, you can become a volunteer. I was a volunteer for my local section, and that helped me connect to more people in my immediate geographical area. I became a board member, and that helped me connect with people from a broader region, as well as people from academia and other researchers, instead of only the commercial folks.

The organization is very different from when I started, but the changes have been an example of continuous improvement. For an organization that is 80 years old, I think it is remarkable that we are only on our third STLE executive director. (I have known all three.) In my opinion, our latest executive director, Rebecca Lintow, is continuing the tradition of continuous improvement. The organization has a lot to look forward to.

I started with STLE in local sections. There are now fewer local sections than there were, but they are still a vital part of the organization, and for some, they are the only way that certain individuals can participate. I would like to help with the efforts that are currently being made to give local sections the tools and support that they need to survive and thrive in their ongoing outreach efforts. Julie O’Rourke, STLE membership manager, is doing a great job of spearheading this task.

For all the years I have been participating in this and other organizations, people have said something to the effect that: “We are experiencing greater change now than at any other time in our history!” It is still true—change accelerates. The longevity of STLE is a testament to its adaptability.

STLE Immediate Past President Jack McKenna said last year that he knew better than to think that his vision for the next 12 months could have a major impact, and I feel the same way, but he shouldn’t sell himself short. STLE has progressed through thousands of small impacts. One new impact is the rebranding of our STLE Annual Meeting. Starting in 2026, the Annual Meeting will be known as STLE Annual Meeting: Innovating Through Tribology & Lubrication. I hope to contribute what little I can during my short tenure.

Kevin Delaney is global sales director for the Petroleum Group at Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC, based in Norwalk, Conn. You can reach him at kdelaney@vanderbiltchemicals.com.