The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) announced the hiring of Kathy Krafka Harkema as its Codes and Regulatory Affairs Manager, effective Jan. 14.

"We know Kathy from her previous time as a member and organization leader," said Steven Saffell, AAMA Technical Manager. "Kathy has contributed to the fenestration industry for many years and has had an accomplished career in marketing and communications, including earning the AAMA Marketing Distinguished Service Award in 2011. We believe her strong strategic communication and research skills and decades of proven work experience will be a winning combination for AAMA."

Krafka Harkema will oversee the efforts of AAMA code consultants, in addition to her primary responsibility of helping the organization better understand the impact of the various code and regulatory agencies on the fenestration industry. This will include coordinating possible AAMA interactions with the International Code Council and state agencies, such as Florida, Texas and California.

"For years, Kathy has worked with engineering, codes and regulatory teams to understand the technical and performance aspects of fenestration products, both residential and commercial, and is adept at translating this information into easily understood language," according to Saffell.

Krafka Harkema will serve as a staff liaison for a number of AAMA code and regulatory groups and will lead member activities to facilitate the development of consensus AAMA positions on key issues. She will also develop AAMA social media posts, industry media articles and columns based on the overall scope of codes and regulatory work.

More information about AAMA and its activities can be found via the AAMA website, https://aamanet.org.