Vance Kochenderfer Email & Phone Number

Pittsburgh, Pa, Us

Greater Pittsburgh Region

I am working in the NIOSH respirator approval program, focusing on quality systems. I assist with site qualification assessments of prospective applicants for NIOSH approval. In addition, I am working with a group to explore the possibility of involving third-party conformity assessment bodies in the approval process and to define the requirements and processes necessary to carry this out. I am also involved with better defining the respirator approval program's own processes and formalizing these along the lines of accepted standards.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

I am part of the NIOSH respirator approval program which evaluates respiratory protection for workplace use. I am currently an auditor in the site audit project, which sends people to various manufacturing sites to ensure approval holders continue to exercise adequate quality control. I also perform ISO 17025 internal audits of our laboratory. Previously, I served as the coordinator of the site audit project, defining program goals and requirements, reviewing others' work, and managing contracts for outside auditors. I have developed and led training on the NIOSH quality requirements for auditors. Before that, I worked on the resolution of respirator field problems reported to NIOSH, and also tested and reported on self-contained breathing apparatus involved in firefighter injuries and fatalities.

Columbus, Ohio Area

Ohio LinuxFest is a volunteer-run organization which puts on the annual OLF Conference for Free and Open Source Software. I began contributing to OLF in 2006, have worked on recording presentations since 2009, and served as the Speaker Chair for the years 2014 through 2017. In 2018, I transitioned over to organizing the Birds of a Feather sessions. From 2021 to 2023 I served as the overall Conference Chair and in 2024 transitioned back to the Speaker Chair role.

Pleasant Hills, Pa

Toastmasters International is an organization with 300,000 members in clubs worldwide which helps people develop their public speaking and leadership abilities. I joined Toastmasters in April 2011 and have served at various times as President, Vice President Education, and Vice President Public Relations of the PB&J Pittsburgh club.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

WPLUG is a Linux User Group based in Pittsburgh founded in 1997. I've been attending meetings since 2004 and have served in a variety of offices since then, including editing the newsletter "The Open Pitt" for six years. The group is currently not actively organizing events, but would love to see new blood come in and re-energize things! Check us out at wplug.org.

New Castle, De

I had responsibility for ongoing maintenance of all product designs, to include drawing changes, process improvements, and working with suppliers. I finalized the design of new electronic accessories (integrated Personal Alert Safety System and Heads-Up Display), achieved certification, and brought these products to market. Served as the primary liaison to certification bodies (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Safety Equipment Institute). Acted as the company's primary contact with the National Fire Protection Association's respiratory protection standards committee, working with a task group to develop a test method for heads-up display visibility and reporting to the committee. Performed ISO 9001 internal audits and was core member of team that achieved registration.