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24 The PCB Design Magazine • December 2015 When we started putting together our cov- erage of the Designers Council, we knew we'd have to get the real scoop from Gary Ferrari. He's been helping to raise the status of the PCB designer for decades. As co-founder and long- time executive director of the Designers Coun- cil, as well as an IPC Master Instructor, Gary has dedicated a big part of his career to PCB design. After decades of service, he was inducted into the IPC Hall of Fame at IPC APEX EXPO this year. I caught up with Gary and asked him to fill us in on the creation of the Designers Council, and some of the changes he's seen in the orga- nization in the last 24 years. Andy Shaughnessy: You're often referred to as the "Founder of the designers council." how did you get involved and who else helped get the dc started? Gary Ferrari: As you know, Dieter Bergman and I worked together on many of the standards that affect designers. We also did several designer-ori- ented workshops. One day, Dieter asked me what more IPC could do for the design community. My answer was very simple: "Mechanical engi- neers have the ASME, electrical engineers have IEEE, and the designers have sore eyes from star- ing at their monitors. What we need is a society Designers Council Viewpoint: Gary Ferrari for board designers, and anyone with a vested interest in board design." In 1991, we hit the road and trav- eled throughout the U.S. to introduce a new design stan- dard. It also gave us an opportunity to poll the attendees to hear their com- ments on whether an IPC Designers Council was a good idea. We also asked them what they felt its charter should be. The primary feedback was designer educa- tion, a forum to discuss common interests, and network building. In summary, they liked the idea of a designer society. However, an issue was IPC's membership structure. Their membership is company-based, whereas a society is generally individual-based, similar to SMTA. After consulting with IPC's le- gal counsel, we were able to structure the De- signers Council as a chapter-based entity, thus allowing for individual membership. Shaughnessy: Where was the first official dc meet- ing held, and when? feature interview Gary Ferrari