Grundfos, a global leader in water technology, has announced the appointment of Jim Swetye, Grundfos technical training manager, to serve on the Board of the Hydraulic Institute (HI) for 2020-2021 as vice president of education.

“It is really an honor to be entrusted with this role as an educator,” said Swetye. “For me, the great thing about this organization is that we at the Hydraulic Institute can continue to develop training based on the knowledge and skill sets needed to assure that sound technical decisions are made concerning the world’s pumping systems. And these systems are a critical part of global infrastructure.”

As vice president of education, Swetye is responsible for leading educational initiatives within HI. The position ensures educational content is in alignment with HI’s technical standards and guidelines, while also remaining accessible and addressing user needs.

In addition to serving on the Board of HI, Swetye serves on the Board of HI’s educational subsidiary Pump Systems Matter (PSM) as vice chairman. PSM, the primary focal point for HI’s pump systems education and outreach, helps the pump industry and users gain a more competitive business advantage through strategic, broad-based energy management and pump system performance optimization.

Swetye is a strong, long-time supporter of HI and its educational initiatives. He has served as the chair of the first HI Educational Affairs Committee and was a founding member of Pump Systems Matter. In 2018, he received the PSM Leadership Award for his long-term and sustained efforts to develop pump system training materials and his commitment to bring high-quality pump systems educational content to a wide range of pump end-users.

“Jim’s experience as an educator and pump industry veteran, along with his knowledge of pedagogy, pumping systems and HI technical documents gives him a holistic perspective needed to steer HI’s efforts to help the industry develop and train its workforce,” said Michael Michaud, HI executive director.

With 42 years’ experience in training and the pump industry, Swetye oversees operations of the Grundfos Technical Institute where he develops and delivers training on an extensive range of technical topics concerning pumps and systems in a wide variety of markets and applications. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in english from Hiram College and a Master of Science in education from Emporia State University.