Thanks for a great year with STLE
By Kevin Delaney, STLE President | TLT President's Report June 2026
After 12 months of expanding membership, visiting local sections, and strengthening STLE's foundation, it’s time to reflect on the people who made it all possible.
I’m sure many STLE presidents at the end of their tenure have said something to the effect of, “Wow, has it been a year already?” That is my feeling as I finish my term. We have been busy working on projects that are in line with what we proposed for the STLE Strategic Plan, and time has gone by quickly. One thing on our members’ wish list has been more involvement from OEMs. At the last few STLE annual meetings, we have had discussions with current OEM members to see what would make our offerings more attractive. Based on their feedback, we have instituted an OEM membership, which addresses some of the issues they raised. Also at this year’s Annual Meeting we have an OEM panel discussion for them to share their challenges and get suggestions for possible solutions from the audience.
We are always trying to stimulate interest in younger people, and we now have free STLE student membership. We hope this will contribute to our organization’s sustainability. For the first time, we have offered travel grants to those who wanted to attend the meeting but perhaps didn’t have the funding. This year, all of these grants have been sponsored by member companies.
Probably the most enjoyable thing during this past year for me was visiting STLE local sections—some well-established, some struggling and some just starting out. I believe I visited six sections in person, and one or two virtually. There is no question that they are a vital part of the society, and for some people, their best opportunity to participate. I have been privileged to be able to see all of this from the perspective of the organization as a whole.
The STLE staff is diligently working to serve the membership needs of academia, national labs, testing labs, lubricant manufacturers and suppliers, additive manufacturers and suppliers, distributors, equipment manufacturers and others. They do the work to enable the STLE Board of Directors and the Executive Committee to concentrate on directing the organization. Consider this a big thank you to them.
I also wish to thank some others: Hugh Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Chemicals’ chairman and CEO, for supporting me and others in this role. Thanks to my boss Glenn Mazzamarro, vice president, Petroleum Additives, for his willingness to cover any slack due to my volunteer time. I am happy to have ended up with a company that has so many smart, competent and helpful people.
Most of all, I want to thank my long-suffering wife Cynthia, who raised our two successful daughters (one of whom made the trip here with her husband), while I traveled all over for work and STLE. I’m not sure how she will handle me being around when I finally retire. She’s already encouraging me to get a hobby outside of the house.
Lastly I would like to thank all of you who make STLE a great organization. Please continue to volunteer and offer suggestions and assistance to keep making it better. You’re in good hands with the STLE staff, the incoming STLE Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and our next STLE president, Steffen Bots.
Thanks for a great year.
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.